Greek credit card payments rise 32.1% in Q2

Credit card payments rose 32.1% in the second quarter, to 14.7 billion euros, compared to the same period last year, confirming a trend among Greek consumers, since electronic payment growth outpaced the overall consumption growth.

Some of the rise can be attributed to the explosive growth in tourism: 2.5 billion euros in payments involved credit cards issued by foreign banks, a rise of 134%.

And the actual gains in credit card transactions are significantly higher, since the published figure does not include cards issued by Euronet Merchant Services, after it was spun off from Piraeus Bank.

Also, credit card payments by Greeks traveling abroad increased by over 60%, to nearly €1.15 billion, reflecting the lifting of travel restrictions.