Spain | Impact of COVID-19 on consumption in real time and high frequency in Apr-21

Spending with BBVA credit and debit cards or BBVA POS terminals in April were 13% in relation to the same month of 2019, 5 points less than in March. The growth in spending with Spanish cards, both face-to-face (10%) and online (128%), offset the adjustment in foreign card transactions.

Key points

• Key points:
• The reopening of commercial establishments, facilitated by the lifting of sanitary restrictions, and the greater use of the card have driven the recovery of spending, despite the reduction in the average purchase amount (-18% between Apr-19 and Apr-21).
• Spending exceeded that made in April 2019 in electronic commerce and in sectors that sell basic goods and services or products that are consumed at home. Activities involving travel remained below the pre-crisis level.
• The weight of card cash withdrawals over total operations fell to 24% in April, 4 points less than in April 2019 and 2020. Unlike purchases, which exceeded the pre-COVID-19 level, refunds were 9 points lower than two years ago.
• Face-to-face transactions grew in 31 provinces in relation to April 2019 (49 in March). Melilla, Ceuta, Ourense, Jaén, A Coruña, Pontevedra and Albacete stood out, with advances that exceeded 15%. However, in Girona, Zamora and Illes Balears they did not reach 90% of those made two years ago.

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