Spending on Visa premium consumer cards increased 50% year-over-year during the Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr period

Visa (NYSE: V), a global leader in payments, today released its latest consumer spending insights for the Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr period in Egypt, based on the Visa Consulting & Analytics Retail Spend Monitor. During this period, spending on Visa premium consumer cards increased around 50% year‑over‑year. This reflected higher spending across travel, everyday retail, and food‑related categories.
Key seasonal spending trends include:
Inbound Travel Spend During Ramadan
Spending by international visitors using Visa premium consumer cards in Egypt increased 35%, with spending from the US, UK and France also up 35%.
Outbound Travel Spend During Ramadan
International travel spending from Egypt on Visa premium consumer cards increased around 25%. Booking behavior skewed toward shorter lead times, with 55% of trips booked within one month of travel. Spending to destinations including Saudi Arabia, France and Germany increased 55%.
Ramadan Spending Behavior
Spending behavior during Ramadan reflected both pre‑month stock‑up and in‑month in‑store activity. In the week preceding Ramadan (13–18 Feb), food and grocery spending rose around 25% compared to the prior week (7–12 Feb). During Ramadan, retail (10%) and food and dining (30%) together accounted for a significant portion of in‑store spending. Spending activity also occurred later in the day, with post‑Iftar evening spending (10 pm–12am) up 25% compared to non‑Ramadan weeks.
Spending Peaks Around Eid Al‑Fitr
Spending peaked around Eid Al‑Fitr, with total spending up 15% during the Eid period (16–19 Mar) compared to the preceding days (12–15 Mar). During Eid, spending on food and quick‑service restaurants increased 10% compared to the preceding days, while other retail and apparel spending rose 30%,
Malak El Baba, Vice President and Country Manager for Visa in Egypt, Libya, and Sudan said, “The Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr period saw higher spending across travel and everyday retail categories, reflecting both inbound visitor activity and sustained local spending. These insights highlight how consumer behavior shifts during key seasonal moments and underscore the opportunity for businesses to respond with more relevant and seamless commerce experiences.”
Nicolas Khoury, SVP, Head of Visa Consulting & Analytics, CEMEA, said: “The VCA Retail Spend Monitor provides a view of how consumer spending evolves across the Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr period, from changes in travel patterns to shifts in everyday spending. These insights help issuers and merchants better understand seasonal behavior and design offers and experiences that remain relevant as consumer needs change.”
The VCA Retail Spend Monitor was produced by Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA), capturing total retail, travel, and experience-related activity during the Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr period (Feb 20 – Mar 20, 2026), based on a subset of VisaNet data and complemented by survey-based estimates for other payment methods.