Card spending sees greatest fall since 2021 in November, as consumer confidence remains subdued

UK adults’ confidence in their household finances improved marginally from 63% to 64%, however this was below 2025’s 70% average, and lower than November 2024 (69%). Looking at this in more detail, confidence in household finances is most commonly linked to having low or no debt (54%), managing their spending or budgeting carefully (49%) and having built up and having a good grasp of their personal finances (44%).

However, reasons for confidence vary notably by age. Baby boomers are significantly more likely to be confident due to having low or no debt (76%) or because they are managing their spending (60%), while Millennials and Gen X are most likely to place this on their stable employment (35% and 42%), and Gen Z are more likely to make use of apps or technology to track and manage their money (24%).

Among those who are not confident in their household finances, over half pointed to the rising cost of living (52%), while 44% are worried about what the next 12 months will look like. There are less drastic age differences for a lack of confidence though, Gen Z are notably less likely to state fear over the coming 12 months (26%) and concerns about the Autumn Budget (10%) then their older counterparts.

Hospitality and Leisure

Spending at Bars, Pubs & Clubs slows as consumers focus on health and wellness

Spend in the overall Hospitality & Leisure sector increased by 1.1% in November 2025, in line with the growth seen in October 2025 (1.2%).

Spend at Bars, Pubs & Clubs fell -1.5% in the month, the largest year-on-year decline since February 2025 (-2.0%). This comes as health and wellness continues to be an area of focus among younger consumers. Two in five (42%) of those aged between 18-34 say they have been opting for more ‘low or no’and functional drinks in recent months, while over half (51%) have gone on fewer nights out in 2025.

Similarly, half (48%) now prefer socialising in ways that support health and wellbeing, while two in five (41%) have been combining social catch-ups with exercise, such as meeting for a gym class, cycle or run.

Meanwhile, spending on Digital Content & Subscriptions grew 3.5% in November 2025, an uplift compared to October 2025 (2.9%), thanks to hit shows such as ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘Pluribus’.

Rich Robinson, head of hospitality and leisure, Barclays Corporate Banking, said: "Hospitality & Leisure spend held steady in November, with holiday bookings driving strong growth for Travel Agents. Meanwhile, younger consumers continued prioritising health and wellbeing, favouring social activities that blend fitness with connection."

Travel Agents boosted as consumers secure 2026 holiday packages

Spend in the overall Travel sector increased by 3.7% in November 2025, the largest year-on-year uplift since May 2025 (3.7%). The growth this month was predominantly driven by spend at Travel Agents, which grew 10.7% compared to this time last year.

This marks the category’s strongest year-on-year growth since December 2023 (12.8%), as the sales encouraged jetsetters to lock in holiday package deals ahead of 2026. Meanwhile, spend at Airlines fell by -1.9%, though this represents an improvement when compared to September 2025 (-4.3%) and October 2025 (-3.3%).

Looking ahead to the festive period, 38% of consumer expect to drink less than usual this Christmas, rising to 48% for 18-34s. For those drinking less, 27% said they are doing so to cut costs. Meanwhile two in five (37%) have noticed alcoholic drinks being impacted by ‘drinkflation’, where drinks become smaller or contain less alcohol, yet cost the same or more than they used to, up from 22% in 2023.

Over two-thirds (70%) of consumers have also noticed festive products, such as chocolate tubs and biscuit tins, being impacted by ‘shrinkflation’, while 57% have noticed festive ‘skimpflation’ taking effect (where product or ingredient quality declines without a corresponding fall in price).