84% of Hungarians plan to pay by card or smart device during their trip abroad

By: Trademagazin Date: 2024. 06. 19. 13:06

40% of Hungarians are planning a holiday abroad this year, and the most popular destinations are Italy and Croatia. The card usage experience of OTP Bank customers also shows that these two countries are the most popular places for vacationers in the summer. Almost half of the respondents spend between HUF 80,000 and HUF 320,000 per person on their longest trip abroad, and 84% of Hungarian travelers will pay with a card, smartphone or smart watch at the holiday destination. 27% of them prefer mobile payments, with which we are at the forefront of the surveyed countries – predicts Visa’s 2024 Central and Eastern European travel and payment habits survey, which was prepared by interviewing residents of seven regional countries, including Hungary.

As Visa’s latest survey shows, the importance of digital payments is growing among cardholders in Central and Eastern Europe. Respondents traveling abroad from the region are increasingly likely to use this payment method on the spot: the most popular choices are cards, smartphones and smartwatches, chosen by 80% of tourists (compared to 77% in 2023). Those traveling from Hungary also follow the growing trend, and thanks to the great popularity of digital payments, a higher proportion (84%) than the regional average plan to pay in this way when they travel abroad.

Travelers from the surveyed Central and Eastern European countries who use their card to pay abroad perceive its advantages, especially the convenience (61%), speed (55%) and the fact that they can avoid the risk of losing cash ( 54%). These advantages were highlighted by an even larger proportion of Hungarian respondents: convenience was mentioned by 73%, speed by 70% and the security of cashless payment by 53%.

According to Visa’s study, young Hungarians are also happy to pay with a mobile phone, especially respondents between the ages of 18 and 25, 39% of whom plan to pay with a smartphone or smartwatch during their trip.