TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Mastercard's comprehensive 2025 survey reveals 82% of Taiwanese consumers primarily use credit cards for daily transactions, according to results officially released Monday (Nov. 24). The extensive survey of 1,000 Taiwanese individuals aged 18 to 65 was conducted from Aug. 8 to 22 to understand evolving payment preferences. The significant findings highlight Taiwan's major shift toward cashless payments and credit card dominance in consumer spending patterns.
The comprehensive survey found 90% of consumers apply for credit cards specifically to gain high rewards in specific spending venues. Popular reward venues include convenience stores and hypermarkets (55%) and e-commerce platforms (52%) for reward-seeking consumer behavior. Mastercard Taiwan's General Manager Chen I-wen (陳懿文) stated 60% of consumers use high-reward credit cards as their main spending card, highly valuing simplicity and speed.
More than half of respondents own three or more credit cards for daily use or that are bound with other payment tools for convenience. E-commerce shopping emerged as the most common scenario for credit card use at 31% of all transactions surveyed. Additionally, 75% of participants bind credit cards to shopping websites to save time, with e-commerce platforms (57%), convenience store apps (37%), and delivery platforms (31%) being most frequently linked.
Younger and middle-aged respondents aged 18 to 45 expressed strong desire to use credit cards more frequently when eating out. They specifically hope to use them in affordable restaurants (47%) and snack bars (43%) for convenient dining transactions. Meanwhile, 53% of respondents aged 46 to 65 wish to use credit cards in medical institutions and clinics, with 33% also hoping to use them in traditional markets.
