Albertans are spending more on having fun these days, but still not as much as the rest of Canada.

The third quarter spending stats from Moneris show Albertans spending on alcohol, entertainment, restaurants and household goods rose significantly over the last three months.

One decrease was in buying new clothes.

Alberta Q3 2017 Spending Highlights by Category:
 
Alcohol  +4.22%
 
Apparel  -0.80%
 
Entertainment  +2.12%
 
Household  +3.92
 
Restaurant  +4.71%

Overall spending in Alberta rose 3.1 per cent, but didn't keep pace with the national average of 5.1 per cent.

Overall B.C. led the way with a 6.3 per cent increase in spending, while Saskatchewan actually fell by 0.3 per cent.

From the Moneris news release:

Contactless payments sustain growth

Contactless payments continued to surge in Canada this quarter.

There was a 51.53 per cent increase in the amount of “tapped” dollars over 2016.

Further, the total number of contactless transactions increased by 48.35 per cent over the same period in 2016.

These increases align with the continued expansion of tap-and-pay options.

For example, Q3 2017 was the first full quarter since Android Pay launched in Canada.

However, the rate of new adoption has again slowed when compared to the same quarter in 2016, when spending on contactless was up 145.06 per cent year over year.

This further indicates that contactless payments have become a mainstream option for Canadians.

Summer spending up for foreign visitors to Canada

Overall, July was the strongest month of the quarter, with 5.96 per cent year-over-year growth.

August was slightly behind July with 5.73 per cent growth, and September posted the lowest growth at 3.95 per cent.

Canada’s 150th birthday celebration may have contributed to the strong spending surge from international visitors in the third quarter, with an increase of 12.16 per cent in spending on foreign cards over the same quarter in 2016.

The biggest year-over-year increases in terms of dollars spent came from U.S. visitors, up 10.86 per cent, China, up 19.85 per cent and Mexico, up 66.76 per cent.

German visitors accounted for the fourth highest increase, up 20..02 per cent over the third quarter of 2016.

Short-term and long-term spending drives the quarter

The increase in travellers may have contributed to the quarterly rise in spending in travel-related categories, including hotels, which were up 7.80 per cent, and restaurants, up 7.73 per cent year over year.

Fast food had an even bigger increase, with growth of 13.43 per cent over the same time last year.

Canadians also focused their spending closer to home, with longer-term investments in home improvement and vehicle purchases.

The home improvement category, which includes general contractors, lawn and garden supplies, hardware stores and roofing and siding suppliers, saw overall growth of 6.68 per cent over last year.

Similarly, vehicle purchases were up 6.36 per cent year over year.

 

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