Debit/check cards will remain the favored form of payment this holiday season, with 39.1% of consumers using the cards most often when making holiday purchases. The National Retail Federation's (NRF) 2006 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey predicted a 34.3% jump in the use of debit/check cards from 2005.

One in three people (30.5%) will rely on their credit cards for holiday shopping, and, for the first time in two years, the number of people using cash at the register has dropped. According to the survey, 24.3% of consumers plan to use paper payment, down from 28.5% in 2005 and 25.9% in 2004. A marginal percentage (6.2% vs. 9.1% in 2005) of shoppers will be writing checks at the register.

“With full schedules, many people find it hard to carve out time in their day to get their holiday shopping done,” said Tracy Mullin, president and CEO of the NRF. “Time-strapped shoppers enjoy the convenience of debit/check cards when out shopping for holiday gifts, eliminating the need to make an extra trip to the bank or ATM to withdraw money.”

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