Visa Inc. Class AVisa's study shows online, in-app, subscription and delivery spending expanding across six markets, lifting digital transaction activity and recurring card usage on its network.
Visa Inc. says the "couch economy" has become a lasting part of consumer behavior rather than a passing e-commerce trend, with online and in-app payments expanding in every market it studied between 2019 and 2026. In the United States, online and in-app payment volume rose to 58% in 2026 from 48% in 2019, while Poland climbed to 24% from 10% and the UAE increased to 55% from 35%. More than 17% of U.S. cards now carry streaming subscriptions, versus about 6% tied to cinema and concerts, and in the UAE active food delivery cards jumped from roughly 2% in 2018 to nearly 30% in 2026. Visa said the shift creates a favorable payments backdrop, as more online, in-app, subscription and delivery spending can lift digital transaction activity across its network and deepen card usage through recurring payments. Mastercard Incorporated and American Express Company are also benefiting from the same move toward digital purchases, with Mastercard seeing higher transaction volumes and demand for tokenization and fraud prevention services, and American Express gaining through increased card spending, merchant fees and its closed-loop transaction data. Visa shares have gained 7.1% in the year-to-date period against the broader industry's 10.8% decline, and the stock trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 25.18X versus the industry average of 17.69X.
Visa Inc. Class AVisa's study shows online, in-app, subscription and delivery spending expanding across six markets, lifting digital transaction activity and recurring card usage on its network.
American Express CompanyAmerican Express gains through increased card spending and merchant fees as the home-centered digital spending shift lifts card usage.
Mastercard IncMastercard sees higher transaction volumes and demand for tokenization and fraud prevention services from the same move toward digital purchases.