Christmas spending has reached a peak this weekend with a new record for the number of EFTPOS transactions per second.
Photo: 123RF
Paymark, the company that runs EFTPOS, says there were almost 600,000 transactions in an hour at midday yesterday.
At one point there were 182 transactions a second, a new record.
A spokesman said this was up from last year's peak of 177.
He said while Christmas Eve is usually the peak, it's expected to be quieter this year as it falls on a Monday.
Last Saturday, the retail sector had a 5.5 percent increase in spending compared with the same day last year.