Thai card spending rises as households prioritise essentials

Thai consumers are continuing to spend, but are focusing more closely on essentials and value as living costs remain high and confidence has yet to fully recover, according to Krungsri Consumer.

The lender reported credit card spending of 196.7 billion baht between January and June 2026, up 3% from a year earlier. New loan disbursements rose 4% to 47.2 billion baht, chief executive Athit Rujirawat said on August 10.

Essentials remain the main priority

Insurance, supermarkets and convenience stores, petrol stations, online platforms, and home furnishings and household goods were the five largest credit-card spending categories.

Krungsri Consumer said the pattern showed consumers were concentrating on fuel, food, household necessities and insurance. Lifestyle spending has not disappeared, but is increasingly judged on whether it is necessary and represents value for money.

Online platforms recorded the strongest growth, with spending up 16%. Mutual funds rose 14%, beauty and cosmetics 12%, sports and recreation 10%, and petrol spending 7%.

The company said online shopping had become routine, while consumers were continuing to make room in their budgets for health, beauty, sport and recreation. However, fashion and cosmetics spending has slowed amid economic uncertainty, with consumers re-prioritising rather than abandoning lifestyle purchases altogether.

Instalments used to spread costs

Consumers are also increasingly using instalment payments to manage cash flow, particularly for travel, health and beauty services, and pet clinics.

Krungsri Consumer cautioned that instalment plans use future income for current purchases, making repayment capacity and household debt important issues to monitor.

In the first half of 2026, the company added 284,100 customer accounts, up 4%. Outstanding loans stood at 134.2 billion baht, down 1%, while debts overdue by more than 90 days accounted for 1.1% of credit-card balances and 1.9% of personal loans.

For the full year, Krungsri Consumer is targeting 627,000 new accounts, up 9%; 420 billion baht in credit-card spending, up 6%; 98 billion baht in new loans, up 4%; and 147 billion baht in outstanding loans, up 3%.

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12 August 2026