Holiday Shoppers Favor Gifts Over Experiences

Visa's survey finds U.S. consumers plan to spend more on physical items than experiences this holiday season.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Spending

Gouache-painted editorial illustration of a wrapped kraft-paper gift box beside a blank folded ticket stub on a cream field, evoking a choice between things and experiences. — Visa's survey found 27% of U.S. consumers prioritized physical gifts over experiences this holiday season, with planned gift spending averaging $777, up 5.6%. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Do you plan to spend more on travel or experiences this holiday season?

A Visa survey of U.S. adults found 27% of consumers prioritized physical items in holiday budgets, compared with 15% who prioritized experiences. Respondents planned to spend an average of $777 on holiday gifts, up 5.6% from $736 in 2025.

Why it matters

The findings point to how households are allocating limited holiday budgets as prices rise. Visa's forecast suggests holiday retail sales will grow 4.5%, though rising prices would leave inflation-adjusted growth at about 1.1%.

The Visa survey of 1,016 U.S. adults, with a stated margin of error of 3 percentage points, found 27% prioritized physical items versus 15% prioritized experiences in holiday budgets. Planned gift spending averaged $777, up 5.6% from $736 in 2025, and the source does not report how actual spending turned out.

The players

Visa

Visa is a global payments technology company that commissioned the survey and publishes consumer spending research through its Business and Economic Insights group.

Morning Consult

Morning Consult is a market research firm that conducted the online survey of U.S. adults for Visa.

The details

Sixty percent of consumers named travel and 55% named live-event tickets among the gifts they were most excited to give or receive. Visa also reported that airline fares rose 22.4% over the 12 months through September 2026, and that only households earning more than $200,000 increased both holiday airfare bookings and spending that month.

Morning Consult fielded the survey from Sept. 26 to Oct. 2, 2026.
High-income households increased airfare bookings and spending in September 2026.
Visa's forecast covers retail sales in November and December 2026.

Macro View

Visa's quarterly survey series tracks how U.S. households split holiday budgets between goods and experiences, and this year's 27% versus 15% split extends that tracking. The shift arrives as airline fares rose 22.4% over 12 months, which Visa's data links to the narrower group of high-income households still increasing holiday travel.

Households planning holiday budgets may need to weigh higher airfares and rising prices against gift priorities such as travel and tickets. Shoppers with fixed holiday budgets may find that prioritizing physical gifts or experiences affects how far their money stretches.

The takeaway

Planning holiday spending around known price increases, such as airfares, can help shoppers protect their budgets. Comparing gift categories before the season begins makes it easier to set realistic limits.