South Korea’s daily payment-card use averaged about 3.78 trillion won in the first half of 2026, up 7.6% from a year earlier, according to data released by the Bank of Korea.

Credit cards, which make up the largest share of the market, led the increase. Payments made through mobile devices and other cardless methods rose faster than the overall total, extending the shift away from presenting a physical card at checkout.

The central bank’s report covers credit, debit and prepaid cards as well as other domestic payment instruments. The figures point to resilient electronic spending and accelerating adoption of app-based payment channels, although they do not by themselves distinguish the effects of higher prices from growth in transaction volumes.

Sources: Bank of Korea — bok.or.kr source ↗ ; Aju Press — m.ajupress.com source ↗ ; MoneyToday — mt.co.kr source ↗