The way South African women are paying is changing.
New FNB Credit Card data shows that Virtual Card spend among women increased by 23% year on year, significantly outpacing the 16% growth recorded among men.
It is the widest gender difference across the Credit Card payment measures analysed by FNB.
The numbers point to more than a preference for convenience. They show how digitally enabled payment options are becoming increasingly integrated into everyday spending, particularly among women.
The move towards digital payments
FNB’s year-to-date Credit Card transaction data shows that the shift is visible across several payment channels.
Among women, card-not-present transactions increased by 9%, compared with 7% among men. These transactions are typically associated with online and in-app purchases.
Card-present transactions grew more moderately, rising by 4% among women and 3% among men.
At the same time, spending on traditional Plastic Credit Cards declined by 1% for both women and men.
Taken together, the figures indicate growing use of digitally enabled Credit Card payment channels, with women recording stronger growth.
For FNB, the trend highlights how quickly digital payments are becoming part of everyday financial activity.
“Women are showing a strong willingness to embrace new ways to pay,” says Marcel Jansen van Rensburg, Credit Card Data Science Manager at FNB.
“The 23% growth in Virtual Card spend is not an isolated result. It sits alongside faster growth in online and digitally enabled transactions, showing how women are incorporating safer, more convenient payment tools into their everyday credit card spending.”
What is an FNB Virtual Card?
FNB Virtual Cards allow customers to make online payments without using the details of a physical bank card.
Customers can create and manage their Virtual Cards digitally through the FNB App, giving them greater control over how they transact and an additional layer of protection when shopping online.
There is an important distinction in how the latest data should be interpreted.
The figures measure growth in spend, rather than the number of customers adopting Virtual Cards.
That means the 23% increase does not indicate that the number of women using Virtual Cards grew by 23%. Instead, it shows how strongly the payment channel is being used.
Women’s overall Credit Card spending is growing faster
The shift towards digital payments is taking place alongside broader growth in women’s Credit Card spending.
Women’s Credit Card spend increased by 6% year on year, compared with 4% among men.
Men still account for a larger share of total Credit Card spend. However, the amount spent by women is growing at a faster rate.
And that growth is not concentrated in one area.
It stretches across everyday essentials, health and wellbeing, retail and lifestyle experiences.
Fuel leads the spending growth
Fuel recorded the strongest growth in women’s Credit Card spending, rising by 20%.
FNB says this should be viewed in the context of higher fuel prices, which have increased the cost of everyday travel.
General Retail followed at 16.5%, reflecting continued spending across a broad range of household and personal needs.
The figures offer a glimpse into the financial demands women are navigating while still maintaining spending across several areas of daily life.
Health and wellbeing remain priorities
The spending data also shows continued activity in health and wellbeing.
Spend on Medical Expenses and Pharmacies & Wellbeing increased by approximately 4% year on year.
At the same time, lifestyle and experience-led categories remained positive, although their growth was more moderate.
Credit Card spend on Travel & Holidays, Eating Out & Treats, and Clothing & Accessories each increased by between 4% and 5%.
The result is a spending picture that stretches well beyond one type of purchase.
Women are using Credit Cards across fuel, retail, healthcare, travel, dining and clothing, while also increasingly using digitally enabled payment channels.
A changing picture of everyday spending
“The category data shows that women are using their Credit Cards across a wide range of transactions, from fuel and general retail to health, travel and eating out,” says Jansen van Rensburg.
“These spending patterns give us a view of where growth is taking place, while the payment data shows a clear move towards digital ways to pay.”
That distinction is important.
The category data shows where spending is growing.
The payment data shows how customers are choosing to pay.
Together, the two provide a broader picture of changing Credit Card behaviour.
The digital wallet is becoming part of everyday life
As more shopping and daily activity moves online, payment tools need to keep pace with the way consumers transact.
For FNB, the growth in Virtual Card spend among women highlights the importance of payment options that are designed for digital environments.
“As more shopping and daily activity move online, customers need payment options designed for that environment,” concludes Jansen van Rensburg.
“The growth in women’s Virtual Card spend shows the importance of making Credit Card payments simple, convenient and safer, particularly as customers manage more of their everyday financial lives through digital channels.”
The numbers tell a clear story.
Women’s Credit Card spend is growing faster than men’s. Digital transactions are gaining ground. Traditional Plastic Credit Card spend is declining. And Virtual Card spend among women has surged by 23%.
It is a shift that puts digital payments firmly at the centre of how South African consumers are managing everyday spending.
