AN OFFICIAL of Visa Philippines expressed optimism for the sustained growth of Filipinos’ spending levels during the Christmas season, citing an eight percent year-on-year growth in 2024.
The optimism follows a Visa study released Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, showed that December proved to be the month wherein Filipinos spend the most throughout the year.
Without giving any figure on the volume, Josh Bosinos, head of data analytics at Visa Philippines and Cambodia, said the peak of the spending, based on the usage of Visa cards, is on Dec. 23.
He said their study on Filipinos’ spending habits, based on the December 2023 and 2024 levels, showed an eight percent annual growth rate in peak spending.
“So, that means Filipinos are really spending a lot during December, and it will continue to grow every year. And an expectation for this year, it will also grow at the same trend,” he said.
While domestic spending peaks on the Dec. 23, Bosinos said Filipinos traveling overseas during the end of the year spend the most on the 28th of the month.
Foreign travelers using Visa cards in the Philippines
In terms of inbound Visa cardholders, Bosinos said the bulk of spending is on lodging and entertainment.
Most of these tourists are from the U.S., followed by those from Taiwan and Japan, the Visa report showed.
Jeffrey Navarro, country manager for Visa Philippines, during the same briefing, said “Christmas brings people together, and our data underscores the holidays’ enduring socio-cultural and economic significance to the country.”
“For Visa, it’s important that we enable these personal journeys and experiences through payments that are fast, seamless, and secure, so that Filipinos and tourists alike can have meaningful celebrations anywhere across the country and abroad,” he said. / PNA