In the tournament’s first five days, fans from the United States are
the biggest foreign spenders, followed by China and Mexico respectively
MOSCOW--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Visa (NYSE: V), the Official Payment Services Partner of FIFA, today
released an analysis of foreign travellers’ spending during opening days
of 2018 FIFA World Cup™. The results found that in the 11 Russian host
cities of the tournament, approximately one in every five (17 percent)
purchases with Visa used contactless payment technology, including
smartphones, bracelets and rings. In the stadiums themselves, the share
of contactless payments was 54 percent, inclusive of purchases made by
fans from Russia and abroad.
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As the exclusive payment service in all stadiums where payment cards are accepted, Visa is providing fans in Russia the ability to purchase innovations for fast, easy and cash-free payment experiences. This includes partnering with Alfa-Bank to offer for purchase: 6,500 Payment Rings (3000 RUB each) and a 30,000 Payment Bands (1000 RUB each). The ring and the band are both NFC-enabled, contactless payment devices that link to a prepaid card. Visa is also offering fans Visa commemorative contactless cards. Consumers only have to load value onto their cards to begin using them, which they can do at Visa Alfa-Bank ATMs or through our online portal. (Photo: Business Wire)
On average, across the 11 host cities, Visa cardholders spent 3,575
rubles (approximately $56.65)1 per transaction, with fans
from the United States spending the most – followed by China and Mexico
in second and third, respectively.
“Many of the international visitors attending this summer’s tournament
have never been to Russia before and we’re excited to be providing them
with the ultimate tournament experience, powered by the speed and ease
of Visa’s digital payments, which are increasingly happening on
contactless cards, devices and wearables,” said Ekaterina Petelina,
country manager, Visa Russia. “In the stadiums particularly, fans are
using contactless payment technology to speed through the lines and
quickly get back to the action on the pitch.”
Spending by Host City
The five host cities that saw the highest amount of tourist spending2
- both in and out of stadium - were as follows:
-
Moscow: 1.7 billion rubles ($26.9 million)
-
St. Petersburg: 506 million rubles ($8 million)
-
Sochi: 104 million rubles ($1.6 million)
-
Kazan: 71 million rubles ($1.1 million)
-
Ekaterinburg: 48 million rubles ($760,800)
The largest average individual purchases were seen in the following
categories:
-
Luxury goods: 23,000 rubles ($364.55)
-
Lodging: 15,000 rubles ($237.75)
-
Fashion: 8,000 rubles ($126.86)
Overall, a majority of purchases in host cities fell into the lodging,
fashion and restaurant categories.
In-Stadium Spending
Luzhniki Stadium led all venues for total number of payment
transactions, where fans spent 139 million rubles ($2.2 million) - of
which 71 million rubles ($1.12 million) came from non-Russian citizens
and 68 million rubles ($1.1 million) from Russian citizens.
The opening match between Russia and Saudi Arabia on June 14 -- where
fans from 123 countries filled the stadium -- saw the highest volume of
payment transactions. The June 17 match between Germany and Mexico saw
the second highest volume of transactions. The average in-stadium
transaction amount for all matches during the first five days of
tournament play was 1,682 rubles ($26.66).
Additionally, Russian fans made twice the amount of transactions for
food and drinks compared to non-Russian fans, however, the average
per-transaction amount for non-Russian attendees was 1.5 times higher
than Russian purchases in those categories.
Cashless from Kick-off to the Final Match
For the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™, Visa is the exclusive payment
service in all stadiums where payment cards are accepted. In-stadium,
fans can pay with contactless Visa credit and debit cards and mobile
payment services at the more than 3,500 point-of-sale terminals and
1,000 mobile concessionaires that have been equipped with the latest in
payment innovation.
About Visa
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our
mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable
and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and
economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet,
provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable
of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The
company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid
growth of connected commerce on any device, and a driving force behind
the dream of a cashless future for everyone, everywhere. As the world
moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products,
people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more
information, visit About
Visa, visacorporate.tumblr.com and @VisaNews.
1 Transactions were analyzed on Visa cards issued by foreign
banks, which were made in 11 host cities of the 2018 FIFA World Cup™ for
the period from June 14 to 18, 2018, inclusive.
2 Tourist spending defined as transactions on Visa cards
issued by foreign (non-Russian) banks
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180628006002/en/
Source: Visa Inc.