The British and the Ukrainians spend the most money in Romania

The citizens of Great Britain and Ukraine, who entered Romania in March and April, were the foreigners who spent the most in the country, making over 123,000 card transactions worth almost 16.5 million RON.

According to an analysis conducted by Global Payments, a world leader in providing technological payment services, with over 50 billion global annual transactions, tourists, but also expats from the UK, spent the most money in Romania in March and April. They made card payments of over 9.3 million RON, through Global Payments terminals.

If in April the British were on the first place (with 5.4 million RON), in March, Ukrainian citizens were the ones who spent the most money in Romania.  That is a record of 4.25 million RON and almost 34 thousand transactions made through the services and technology of Global Payments.

The record expenditure of Ukrainian citizens is, of course, linked to the large number of refugees who arrived in Romania in March and April.  According to the Romanian Border Police, since the onset of the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine (24.02.2022), until 08.05.2022, 891,726 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania.  Also, as of February 10, 2022 (pre-conflict period), 926,255 Ukrainians entered Romania.

“On average, in March, Ukrainian citizens spent over 125 lei on each transaction, decreasing to 108 lei per transaction in April 2022. Quite close, in value, to the expenses of British tourists and expats, who made average transactions of 138.5 lei in March and about 154 lei in April. Of course, these were not the biggest transactions made in these two months, but they were numerous and generated a record of card payments made by Ukrainian citizens through us, in Romania”, said Cătălin Moise, Country Manager Global Payments Romania.

According to Global Payments, Ukrainian citizens paid by card, mainly, products purchased from supermarkets and pharmacies. They also bought fuel, engine oil or other consumables and car items, but also paid for clothes or accommodation.

The Czechs are the ones who made the largest average card transactions in Romania – of almost 1,900 RON in March and over 1,600 RON in April.  They made, in particular, business payments, but they are on the 6th place in the top of foreigners who spent money in Romania.

Those who came from the other neighboring countries spent considerably lower amounts in Romania in April.  Citizens of Hungary made card payments worth 900 thousand lei (915,740 lei), those from the Republic of Moldova spent about 478 thousand lei (477,891 lei), and citizens of Bulgaria, about 372 thousand lei (371,876 lei).

The top 4 places in the ranking of foreigners who spent money in Romania were occupied and exchanged between the same countries of origin: Great Britain, Ukraine, the United States of America and Germany. In April, U.S. citizens occupied the second position, with 3.3 million lei spent in our country, while the Germans took the 4th place, both in April – with 2.7 million lei, and in March – with 1.7 million lei.