WEALTH April 13, 2026 0 Comments

Fuel Prices Skyrocket, Yet Service Station Spending Surges—What’s Driving Consumers to Open Their Wallets Wider?

Ever wonder what fuels a nation’s spending habits when the pumps keep clicking and the grids keep humming? Turns out, Irish consumers are not just filling tanks—they’re shifting gears in a retail race where service station spending surged 9%, and electric vehicle charging leaped a staggering 60% amid global mayhem and soaring fuel bills. It’s like watching a wild economic dance where tradition meets electric innovation, and despite the turbulence, there’s an undeniable pulse of resilience—leisure and entertainment bucking the trend, pushing growth forward. With consumer wallets opening in new ways—online spending climbing 12% while in-store barely inches up—it’s clear the market’s on a transformative ride. Curious how these ripples might reshape your business moves or investment bets? Let’s dive in and decode the spending story that’s powering Ireland’s future. LEARN MORE

Spending at service stations increased 9% among AIB card users in the 12 months to March, according to the bank’s latest Spend Trend research.

Electric vehicle charging spend, meanwhile, rose by 60% against a backdrop of global uncertainty, escalating fuel prices, increasing EV adoption and expanded charging infrastructure.

“Irish consumers have experienced a turbulent start to the year, with utility, service station and EV spending increasing. However we can also see resilience in the economy as entertainment and leisure spend continues to grow,” said Adrian Moynihan, head of consumer at AIB.

“By monitoring these latest data trends, we can better support our customers, helping them to make informed choices that suit their needs, whilst ensuring businesses are equipped to respond to these changing patterns.”

Overall, spending was up 7% year-on-year, driven by a 12% growth in online spending as in-store spending rose just 1%.

Spending in pubs on the day of Ireland’s FIFA World Cup play-off against Czechia was double the daily average but, unsurprisingly, the busiest day of the year for pubs was St Patrick’s Day.

The public holiday only just pipped St Brigid’s Day (1 February).

Customers in Dublin had the highest average transactions in pubs on St Patrick’s Day, closely followed by those in Louth, Wicklow and Monaghan. Waterford customers had the lowest average transactions in pubs on St Patrick’s Day.

The data was compiled from 79m card transactions carried out by AIB customers in store and online during March and has been anonymised and aggregated.

The study also found that utility bills excluding telecoms rose 14% over the past 12 months, while telecoms and pay TV services fell 2%.

From a low base, spending on second-hand fashion has increased 287%, with 76% of purchases by women. The 35 to 44 age group spent most in this category, followed by 45 to 54 and 25 to 34.

Spending on entertainment, including digital games, event tickets, cinema, sports clubs and others, performed strongly, with 9% growth, and event ticket sales up by 5%.

Adrian Moynihan, AIB. (Pic: Shane O’Neill, Coalesce)

The best day for event tickets in the first quarter of the year was Wednesday (18 March), when tickets for Olivia Dean’s two gigs at Marlay Park went on sale

Finally, airline spend was down 2%.

(Pic: Shutterstock)