Despite Claims of Tight Budgets, Overseas Card Spending Soars as Koreans Travel Abroad

Up 14.2% Compared to Q1 Last Year
Rise in Outbound Korean Travelers Drives Growth

During the first quarter of this year, overseas card spending reached 6.1 billion dollars. This amount is close to the all-time high of 6.11 billion dollars recorded in the fourth quarter of last year.

According to the Bank of Korea on June 5, overseas spending by residents using credit and debit cards amounted to 6.1 billion dollars in the first quarter of this year, up 14.2% from the same period last year (5.35 billion dollars). However, this figure represents a 0.1% decrease compared to the previous quarter, which was the highest on record.

While overseas direct purchases through online shopping decreased, the number of outbound Korean travelers increased, resulting in a similar overall level of spending as in the fourth quarter of last year.

Overseas direct online shopping purchases declined by 13.1% this month to 1.35 billion dollars, after recording 1.35 billion dollars in the first quarter, 1.55 billion dollars in the second quarter, 1.53 billion dollars in the third quarter, and 1.55 billion dollars in the fourth quarter of last year.

According to the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute’s Tourism Knowledge Information System, the number of outbound Korean travelers decreased from 7,797,000 in the first quarter to 6,767,000 in the second quarter of last year, but continued to rise to 7,093,000 in the third quarter, 7,893,000 in the fourth quarter, and 8,331,000 in the first quarter of this year.

By card type, credit card usage decreased by 1.3%, from 4.153 billion dollars in the fourth quarter of last year to 4.1 billion dollars in the first quarter of this year. In contrast, debit card spending increased by 2.4%, from 1.957 billion dollars to 2.03 billion dollars over the same period.

Meanwhile, domestic card spending by non-residents in the first quarter of this year amounted to 3.57 billion dollars, a 5.4% decrease from the fourth quarter of last year (3.78 billion dollars), but a 30.2% increase compared to the same period last year (2.74 billion dollars).

On the 31st, ahead of the New Year's bridge holiday, the duty-free area of Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 is bustling with travelers. 2025.12.31 Photo by Kang Jinhyung

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.