Q2 2026: Seasonal Surge
How people spent with debit

Consumers carried their spending momentum from late Q1 straight into spring. In Q2, they spent more and used debit more often across every recurring Debit Spend Index category we track, following a typical spike in spring spending.

But underneath the growth, consumers spent less per grocery trip, and more on travel booking led by car rentals, travel agency and hotel spend, while holding back on big-ticket electronics.

One mid-quarter event shaped where many dollars went. A surge in global oil prices sent U.S. gas prices to a four-year high and pushed airfares up sharply, while the Spirit Airlines shut down in May reduced flight capacity and drove fares up in impacted markets.

Three points stand out:

1. Seasonal travel spend remix. Travel spend per transaction increased in line with typical seasonal growth, but airline transaction growth was only 10.7%, far outpaced by spend on car rentals, lodging, and travel agencies.

2. People spent on experiences. Spend jumped +23% over Q1 — spend at movie theaters nearly doubled (+93%) quarter-over-quarter as blockbusters drove seasonal attendance and premium experiences took off.

3. Spending data reinforces a value-hunting market trend. Grocery transactions outpaced grocery dollars spent (average spend per transaction down 3.1%). Subscriptions fell slightly from 17.2% in Q1 to 16.1%.

Essentials such as food, fuel and utilities accounted for nearly a third (32.6%) of Q2 debit transactions and made up 20.5% of debit spend.

Average spend per transaction was essentially flat quarter over quarter as declines in categories like grocery and utilities offset spend on gas and other expenses. Milder spring weather typically reduces Q2 heating costs, which can contribute to lower overall utility spend.

While subscription transactions accounted for a slightly smaller share of all Q2 debit transactions (down from 17.2% in Q1 to 16.1% in Q2), average spend on subscriptions was up in the second quarter.

People spent 11.5% more per transaction on non-game digital apps (such as language or educational apps) in Q2.

Meanwhile cable and pay TV and subscription merchants, such as meal-kit deliveries and monthly beauty, wellness and grooming memberships trended down.

Subscription merchants faced mounting cost pressure in Q2 as tariffs drove up the price of imported consumer goods. In response, many retailers emphasized subscriber value through promotions, exclusive deals, perks, and optional add-ons — approaches widely used to support retention without relying solely on a higher base price.

Even amid rising prices, a typical spring uptick in discretionary spending occurred in Q2.

Spend on tourist attractions was 43% higher in Q2, and, consistent with the start of summer blockbuster season, people went to more movies. Spend grew 92.9% over Q1 on 84% growth in transactions. Theater prices have been rising as venues embrace premium experiences and collectible merchandise.

During a busy crossover season, NBA and NHL post-season play wrapped up while major league soccer, baseball and women's basketball seasons all ramped up. And the FIFA World Cup kicked off in June, driving spending surges in host cities. With so many choices, sports fans made 50% more debit transactions in Q2, while spending just 42% more.

Deloitte's April and June consumer data suggests households are making deliberate trade-offs — remaining concerned about essential costs while continuing to spend selectively on discretionary purchases.

Travel spend increased 21% on 17.4% higher transaction volume, which aligned with typical seasonal demand.

People generally take more trips in Q2, but airline transactions lagged behind other category spend. Airline transactions (+10.7%) grew at barely half the rate of car rentals (+22.2%) in Q2 versus Q1, and far less than hotel transactions (+17.7%). Spirit Airlines shut down in May, likely contributing to both the higher average airline costs and the muted transaction growth in Q2.

Cruise spend typically goes down in Q2 and it did in fact decline 2.4% from Q1 despite adding 10.9% in transactions, meaning the average cruise payment fell ~12% from Q1. This is consistent with some cruise lines' shifting toward smaller installment/deposit payments and shorter, less expensive itineraries to attract first-time cruisers. The segment had also just come off of the Q1 "wave season," when cruise bookings peak with heavy promotions, followed by a Q2 pullback.

The Fix-It Season captures the seasonal rush of home and outdoor projects that kick off once the weather warms: pool prep, hardware runs, contractor bookings. Spending jumped 15.2% from April to May alone, before cooling into June as most of that spring push wrapped up.

Swimming pools (sales, service & supplies) spend grew for a full-quarter change of +63.8% in transactions and +32.4% in spend. A/C, heating & plumbing contractors spend accelerated from +5.6% transactions April-to-May to +11.3% May-to-June.

Spend at home supply warehouse stores was concentrated in the April-to-May period ahead of a May-to-June decline. At the same time, spend at specialized paint, wallpaper and glass retailers grew 21.7% in the quarter on just 3.6% more transactions, an average transaction increase of 17.5%.

Garden & lawn supply stores/nurseries were the only subcategory with a full-quarter decline (-11.3% transactions, -18.1% spend), with a front-loaded pattern: up sharply April-to-May, then down sharply May-to-June.

Spend on bigger, longer-lead projects like painting, A/C, and plumbing work kept growing through June. Everything else, from garden centers to home supply warehouses, followed typical seasonal buying and planting trends that surged in May and pulled back in June.

Category-wide spend declined 33.4% from April to June while transactions grew 2.4%. Electronic sales in particular fell in both month-over-month periods for a full-quarter decline of 40.4%, while transactions declined just 3.1% over the same period. Computers, computer peripheral equipment & software spend fell 19.5% April-to-May, then rose 11.9% May-to-June, for a full-quarter decline of 9.9%.

Q1 2026 saw 63.6% of debit transactions happen digitally. In Q2, digital share eased slightly to 62.4% — but within it, Card on File kept climbing and, for the first time in the Debit Spend Index, overtook Card Not Present as the single most-used payment method. A full 25% of all debit transactions and 30.5% of all debit dollars were spent with a debit card embedded in another account, the largest value share of any method by 11 points.

The small dip in overall digital share (63.6% → 62.4%) came almost entirely from Card Not Present (-2.6 pts), while tap-to-pay gained the most ground of any method (Contactless NFC +2.0 pts, EMV Contactless +0.6 pts) consistent with a quarter when people typically get out more and pay in person at the pump, the gate, and the register.