Net shoppers flash the plastic

Web shoppers are whipping out the plastic when they shop online, according to the Association of Payment Clearing Services (APACS).

One in 10 credit card transactions took place on the internet during the second half of 2003, up from just two percent in 1999.

Shoppers also tend to spend more when they buy things from the internet compared to the high-street - spending an average of £69 on credit cards and £54 on debit cards, compared with £58 and £39 in stores.

About 72 per cent of internet users either shop or bank online, with more than six million credit card holders checking their statements online. The most popular items web shoppers snap up include books and CDs, followed by travel purchases, computer equipment, financial services and groceries.

Sandra Quinn, director of communications at APACS, said: "It's no real surprise that the internet is being used by more of us more of the time to shop and bank. It's convenient, secure and ideally suits the time-poor society we live in."