Surge in spending at petrol stations shows some signs of reducing

27 September 2021, 13:44

A closed petrol station on Saturday
Petrol station spending. Picture: PA

Friday was the peak of the spending increase at petrol stations, figures from HSBC UK suggest.

Friday marked the highest number of transactions in a day at petrol stations in recent memory, according to HSBC UK.

Aggregated customer spending data from the bank showed a two-thirds increase in the value of transactions at petrol stations across the whole of Friday, Saturday and Sunday, compared with the same period a week earlier.

Looking at the volume of transactions, 25% more payments were made, according to the figures given to the PA news agency.

Fuel pumps out of use
Fuel pumps out of use on Monday (Jacob King/PA)

But while there was a significant uplift on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, both the number and the value of transactions have been reducing each day, the bank said.

Friday was the peak of the increase, with the number of payments at petrol stations being up by more than 50% compared with the Friday before.

The average petrol station payment on Friday was for just over £30, compared with just over £20 for a more “normal” Friday.

By Sunday, the number of payments at petrol stations was up by 3% compared with a more usual Sunday. Average payments were still for a higher value than usual, but they were closer to normal levels, according to the bank’s data.

By Press Association