Romanians who travelled abroad last year made card payments of almost EUR 1.2 billion and withdrew over EUR 671 million from ATMs, according to a Visa study.

Romanians previously used to travel abroad taking along foreign currency, but their payment behavior has changed and is now similar to that of other Europeans, said Catalin Cretu, Visa Europe director for Romania, Croatia, Malta and Slovenia.

The average value of a card payment amounts to EUR 57 and the average amount withdrawn for the ATM reaches EUR 182. By comparison, foreign tourists who come to Romania make card payments with an average value of EUR 53 and withdraw EUR 155 from the ATMs.

editor@romania-insider.com