Premium Card Spend in Pakistan Hits Record Growth, Digital Spend Soars 110%

Summer spending on Visa premium consumer cards in Pakistan rose 36% year over year, according to Visa’s latest consumer spending insights for the 2025 summer holiday period. Longer getaways captured 66% of travel spend, while emerging destinations such as Malaysia, Thailand, and Qatar spend rose 63%. eCommerce spending among premium Visa cardholders increased 19%, indicating a growing preference for alternative payment methods. The data, released by Visa, a global leader in digital payments, through its Visa Consulting & Analytics Retail Spend Monitor, highlights continued growth in digital payments, higher-value transactions, and evolving travel preferences. Summer spending in Pakistan not only increased compared to last year but also demonstrated changes in consumer behavior. The holiday period saw a 63% rise in emerging travel destinations, while staycations grew by 26%. Planning began as early as three months in advance for 7% of travelers, 9% planned within 1–3 months, while the majority (84%) opted for last-minute plans within a month, emphasizing the freedom and convenience offered by digital payments. Dining and leisure spend increased by 57%, and digital payments by premium Visa cardholders expanded by 110%, who accounted for a 35% share of overall summer spend. Consumers in Pakistan favored both short (under 3 days) and long trips, with longer getaways accounting for 66% of travel spend and generating higher average spending. Outbound travel shifted toward emerging destinations such as Malaysia, Thailand, Qatar, Azerbaijan, Switzerland, and Indonesia, which saw a 63% increase. Premium Visa cardholders increased their outbound travel spend by 11%, now representing nearly 80% of total summer travel spend. Inbound travel spending by premium Visa cardholders from the Gulf (Saudi Arabia and Bahrain) and Africa (South Africa, Mozambique, and Malawi) grew by 33%. Premium cardholder spending from Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, Turkey, the Netherlands, and Belgium, rose by 44%. Digital spend among premium Visa cardholders rose by 110%. eCommerce spending also increased by 19% within this segment, showing a growing preference for alternative payment methods. Visa’s Retail Spend Monitor was produced by Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA), capturing total retail, travel, and experience-related activity during Pakistan’s summer break (1st July – 15th August), based on a subset of VisaNet data and complemented by survey-based estimates for other payment methods.