Surge attributed to increased travel during summer vacations and holidays.
South Korean residents’ overseas card spending surpassed $5.9 billion in the third quarter of this year, setting a new all-time record. This increase was attributed to the rise in Korean nationals traveling abroad during summer vacation and holiday seasons, while foreign nationals’ domestic card usage also continued at record-high levels.
According to the “Residents’ Overseas Card Usage Performance in Q3 2025” released by the Bank of Korea on Nov. 25, residents’ overseas card (credit + debit) spending in the third quarter totaled $5.93 billion.
This represents a 7.3% increase from the second quarter ($5.52 billion) and surpassed the previous record high of $5.71 billion in Q3 2024, marking the highest figure ever recorded. Compared to the same period last year, it also showed a 3.9% increase.
The Bank of Korea explained, “While overseas online shopping direct purchases showed little change, overseas travel demand increased due to seasonal factors such as summer vacation.”
The number of Korean nationals departing the country increased by 4.8% from 6.767 million in the second quarter to 37.093 million in the third quarter.
During the same period, overseas direct purchases through online shopping decreased by 1.2% from $1.55 billion to $1.53 billion.
By card type, credit card usage increased by 7.4% compared to the previous quarter, while debit card usage also rose by 7.3%.