3 Travel Payment Trends Shaping the Way Travelers Spend in 2025
Whether dining, shopping, or seeking out entertainment, consumers expect to spend when they travel. Merchants looking to attract tourists can benefit from understanding how and why travelers' payment preferences are evolving.
As innovations enable new payment methods, cash is on the decline, and emerging technologies like digital wallets are gaining ground. Fraud remains top-of-mind, and consumers prefer payment methods that feel secure—while remaining easy to use.
To understand exactly how tourists prefer to pay—and why they choose the methods they do—Discover® Network conducted its annual consumer survey. Read on to learn more about the top three trends the survey uncovered—as well as what those trends mean for merchants looking to benefit from tourism this year.
1. Planning to travel means planning to spend
From sightseeing to dining to shopping and more, a vacation can almost been seen as a series of payments—and consumers start planning those payments before they even set foot in their destination. Nearly half (49%) of consumers use Google to help plan their travel destinations.1 Consumers planning their travel could interact with or decide to visit a merchant in their destination before their vacation even begins.
Tourism impacts nearly every industry, so merchants of all kinds can benefit from understanding how travelers plan to spend. The survey revealed that, when traveling for pleasure, 76% of consumers want to engage in food and restaurant activities, 71% want to engage in tourism and sightseeing activities, 55% want to shop, and 34% want to enjoy nightlife activities.1 Merchants who cater to tourists can prepare by ensuring payment acceptance for a more frictionless consumer experience.
2. Fraud remains a top concern
Security is still a priority for consumers when they travel. Of the consumers surveyed by Discover Network, 59% reported being “somewhat concerned” about the potential for payment-related fraud when traveling, and an additional 22% report being “very concerned.”1 In fact, when selecting a payment method to cover leisure travel-related expenses, 25% of consumers opt for the one that is most secure.1
Although still gaining widespread familiarity with consumers, whether traveling or staying close to home, digital wallets, which use encryption technology to facilitate payments, have the advantage of being both secure and convenient.
When it comes to travel, business travelers are slightly more likely to use digital wallets, with 26% of consumers using them to fund their business travel and 19% of consumers using them to finance their personal travel.1 To help tourists feel comfortable making payments, merchants can ensure they accept consumers’ preferred payment methods—including digital wallets.
3. Accepting preferred payment methods matter
Payment acceptance is key for merchants looking to attract tourists. From lodging and dining to shopping and entertainment, payments are a major part of the travel experience, and when a consumer’s preferred payment method isn’t accepted, that experience can be a bad one.
Rather than using cash, most consumers plan to pay for their personal travel expenses this year with credit cards (68%) and debit cards (52%). The survey found that 43% of travelers have tried to use their credit card when traveling and it was not accepted. It also found that, when their credit card is not accepted, 37% of travelers place their blame on the merchant.1
A bad impression is one thing, but not accepting a consumer’s preferred payment method can also cause merchants to miss out on sales opportunities. In fact, the survey found that 46% of travelers “sometimes,” “often,” or “always” decide not to proceed with a purchase if their credit card of choice is not an accepted method of payment.1
Preparing for tourism this year
As always, consumers in 2025 are looking to have fun and make memories when traveling. Payments are a major part of everything they do—but one they’d rather not have to think about. Although security remains top of mind, convenience is also a factor when choosing payment methods, and cash rapidly being phased out—although it has not disappeared entirely.
To make the most of tourism, merchants would do well to ensure acceptance of a wide variety of payment methods so that, wherever they go, consumers can feel confident knowing they’ll be able to pay their preferred way.
Find out how Discover Network can help local merchants welcome a world of cardholders with seamless payments experiences.
- TSG (The Strawhecker Group). Discover: Voice of the Consumer #1 Survey Travel & Entertainment. January 2025.
- (2024, May 1). Discover Global Network. 2024 Travel Payment Trends: Payment Security & Acceptance. Retrieved 18 February, 2025.
The information provided herein is sponsored by Discover® Global Network. It is intended for informational purposes, and is not intended as a substitute for professional advice.