Visa data – provided by Natixis Payments – shows fans from France have been the biggest spenders overall, followed by the United States and United Kingdom; Japanese fans have spent the most on individual purchases

Visa (NYSE: V), the Official Payment Services Partner of FIFA, today released an analysis of spending during the group stage (June 7 to June 20) of the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™. The results found that in the nine official stadiums, fans across France tapped to pay using contactless payment technology for more than half (51%) of purchases– including on contactless cards, smartphones, payment-enabled wristbands and wearable technology.

Analysis of out-of-stadium spend from international Visa cardholders shows increased tourism in France, especially significant in smaller host cities. In the nine host cities alone, there has been a 140% increase of international Visa cardholders choosing to tap to pay when making purchases outside of the stadium.

“Football fans are embracing the speed, convenience and security of tapping to pay in order to get through lines and back to the action on the pitch,” said Lynne Biggar, chief marketing and communications officer, Visa. “As the exclusive payment provider of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™, we are proud to support the athletes who make this tournament incredible, while also heightening the fan experience with fast, innovative ways to pay.”

Visa’s Findings

In-stadium data (June 7 –20)

• The match between United States and Chile (Parc de Princes, Paris) saw the highest amount spent in-stadium in a single match, accounting for approximately 14% of total spend to date. The next highest, the Opening Match between France and South Korea (Parc de Princes, Paris) accounted for 8% – where more than 45,000 fans filled the stadium in downtown Paris
• Fans from France have spent the most, accounting for 53% of purchases, followed by the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and China
• On average, Japanese fans spent the most on individual purchases, followed by Chinese fans and Mexican fans
• Food and beverage purchases accumulated the highest amount of transactions (over 54%) followed by souvenir purchases (46%)

Out-of-Stadium Face to Face Transactions (June 7 – 20)

Analyzing data of international Visa cardholders spend outside of the stadium, showcased increased tourism in host cities where the matches are taking place.

• 4.45 million out-of-stadium transactions occurred since the beginning of the tournament
• Contactless payment transactions in host cities have grown by 140% compared to June of last year
• The city with the most out-of-stadium purchases was Paris followed by Nice and Lyon
• Host cities are seeing increase in foreign spending since the start of the competition, contributing to year-over-year growth of all foreign transactions
  • Smaller host cities have seen more significant spending growth year-over-year, including Reims (87%), Valenciennes (71%) and Le Havre (384%)
  • Larger host cities also saw year-over-year increase in foreign transactions including Paris (16%), Nice (24%) and Lyon (24%)
• The top countries with highest foreign spending year-over-year throughout France since the start of the tournament include: United States (21%); United Kingdom (8%); Germany (86%); Switzerland (28%) and Spain (21%)
• Within host cities, the top three countries with highest foreign spending included: United States (18%), United Kingdom (19%) and China (4%)

Visa Onsite at the Tournament

As a global payments leader, Visa is committed to ensuring the best fan experience at the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ by providing the latest payment technology at all venues, enabling payments with a card, smartphone or wearable payment device.

• For the tournament, Visa is the exclusive payment service in all stadiums where payment cards are accepted. In-stadium, fans can tap to pay with Visa contactless credit and debit cards and mobile payment services at the more than 1,600 upgraded point-of-sale terminals at all nine official venues
• Point-of-sale terminals are enabled with Visa sensory branding that signifies a completed transaction through a custom Visa sound and animation - giving fans the assurance they want every time they use Visa
• Additionally, commemorative contactless Visa prepaid cards and payment-enabled wristbands are available at Visa customer service booths in all official venues for non-Visa cardholders
• Visa has selected Natixis Payments as point-of-sales and prepaid solutions provider and acquirer in stadium

About Visa Inc.

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 digital commerce on any device, 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, visa.com/blog and @VisaNews.