And the trend for using debit and credit cards is set to rise. In December last year,£28.5 billion was spent on plastic and Apacs forecasts that this year spending will rise 11.6 per cent to£31.8 billion.
Credit cards will continue to dominate the online market, making up 67 per cent of the expected£3 billion spent online using cards, compared with£2.2 billion last year.
Total debit card expenditure in December is expected to reach£20.4 billion, a year-on-year increase of 20.1 per cent from£17 billion. However, overall credit card spending in December is forecast to fall slightly, from£11.5 billion to£11.4 billion.
Apacs director of communications Sandra Quinn said: 'Overall, our penchant for plastic continues. Debit cards are increasingly replacing cash and cheques for everyday purchases. This trend has definitely been helped by Chip and PIN.
'However, it is evident that in certain situations, such as internet shopping, we prefer to use our credit rather than debit cards, due to the convenience and security it offers.'
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