{"id":128532,"date":"2026-11-10T09:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T09:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/?p=128532"},"modified":"2026-11-10T09:44:32","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T09:44:32","slug":"nationwide-reveals-christmas-spending-divide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/nationwide-reveals-christmas-spending-divide\/","title":{"rendered":"Nationwide Reveals Christmas Spending Divide As Some Britons Face Tougher Choices"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nationwide has revealed that UK shoppers expect to spend an average of \u00a3103 per loved one on Christmas presents this year, as households prepare for the festive season with tighter budgets. More than a third intend to reduce their spending <\/strong>compared with last Christmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The building society’s latest research highlights changing shopping habits, with many people planning purchases earlier and looking for ways to manage costs. While some are reducing their gift budgets<\/strong>, others are turning to loyalty rewards, seasonal discounts and cashback offers to make their money go further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christmas Gift Budgets Vary Significantly Between Age Groups<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to the Birmingham Mail<\/a>, Nationwide’s research found that 36% of people expect to spend less on Christmas gifts <\/strong>this year, including 12% who anticipate considerably lower spending. Another 49% expect their spending to remain roughly unchanged, while 15% plan to increase their Christmas gift budgets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The findings also reveal differences between age groups. People aged 45 to 54 expect to spend the most on their closest loved ones, averaging \u00a3119 per person. Those aged 25 to 34 anticipate spending \u00a3116, followed closely by people aged 35 to 44, who expect to spend \u00a3115.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spending expectations are lower among older and younger shoppers. People aged over 55 anticipate spending \u00a390 per loved one, while those aged 18 to 24 expect to spend \u00a387. Despite having the highest average gift budget, the 45-to-54 age group is also the most likely to reduce spending. Some 42% expect to spend less than last Christmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, almost a quarter of people aged 25 to 34 anticipate increasing their Christmas gift budgets. The research also found that 14% of respondents were concerned about being able to afford Christmas, reflecting the financial pressures influencing festive spending decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Nationwide
Nationwide reveals Christmas spending cuts as gift budgets vary across age groups \u00a9Canva<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nationwide Highlights Cashback As Shoppers Prepare for Black Friday<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to NorthWalesLive<\/a>, early November is the most popular period for buying the majority of Christmas presents, around two paydays before Christmas. Early December follows, with 17% purchasing most of their gifts then. Another 14% shop throughout the year when they find something suitable or a good deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To manage their finances, 26% plan to set a strict Christmas budget, while 24% intend to use loyalty points or rewards. Another 23% expect to reduce personal spending, 21% plan to buy more discounted items, and 20% intend to spread purchases across several months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although 42% plan to avoid Black Friday deals<\/strong>, Nationwide<\/a> forecasts approximately 12.8 million transactions on Black Friday itself, an 8% increase compared with last year. Almost 44 million transactions are expected across the wider Black Friday period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nationwide has also highlighted its FlexDirect current account, which offers eligible customers up to \u00a3120 cashback during their first year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The account provides \u00a35 monthly cashback on direct debit transactions and another \u00a35 on debit card purchases. It also offers 5% interest on balances up to \u00a31,500 during the first 12 months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Nationwide’s Payments Director, Mark Nalder<\/strong>, households are increasingly planning ahead and taking a careful approach to festive spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said people were looking for practical ways to stretch their money, including setting budgets and using loyalty rewards, as Christmas remains one of the year’s biggest spending periods.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nationwide has uncovered a significant shift in how Britons are preparing for Christmas this year. With household budgets under pressure, millions are rethinking their festive spending habits. New figures reveal surprising differences between age groups, while changing shopping patterns suggest a more cautious approach. The building society has also highlighted a cashback offer that could attract attention ahead of December.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":128535,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-128532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128532"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128532\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":128536,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128532\/revisions\/128536"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/128535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}