Credit cards lead retail transactions in October

Credit cards continued to lead other payment methods in transaction growth last month, suggesting consumers are more willing to incur debt as the economy showed mild signs of improvement. However, the latest SpendTrend report from First Data may also indicate consumers' growing embrace of electronic payment options. According to the report, credit-based transactions surged by 9.3 percent in October, compared to 6.3 percent on signature debit, 7.4 percent on PIN debit and 10.8 percent decline in check transactions. The survey showed similar results for the respective categories in terms of dollar volume. "Consumers continued to spend in October," said Silvio Tavares, senior vice president and division manager at First Data. "Both transaction growth and credit card spending were up significantly; indicating consumers are increasingly disposed to spending heading into the crucial holiday season." Retail sales have been growing consistently in recent months and are expected to soar during the holiday shopping season. According to a recent Accenture report, 88 percent of U.S. consumers plan to spend either the same or more than they did last year.