- Canada's favourite way to pay continues to lead the way

TORONTO - INTERAC Direct Payment - Canada's national debit service and favourite way to pay - saw December 21 as this year's busiest shopping day, with 15.6 million transactions processed on a single day. Convenient, reliable and trusted, INTERAC Direct Payment continues to be the preferred method of payment for one out of two Canadians.

Having a final weekend to shop this year, strong volumes were seen between Friday, December 21st and Sunday, December 23rd, as Canadians swiped their cards more than 41.7 million times.

"Canadians are among the highest users of debit worldwide," said Tina Romano, Public Relations Manager, Interac Association. "Last year, Canadians made more than three billion INTERAC Direct Payment transactions worth $148 billion, and each year this number continues to rise."

Busiest Shopping Day by Retail Sector

Canadians were hitting grocery stores on December 21st, purchasing food and beverage and the final touches needed to entertain family and friends.

"Whether you're purchasing presents at a department store, buying groceries for a holiday feast or filling up your car with gas, with INTERAC, your money is always with you," said Romano. "Canadians continue to rely on INTERAC Direct Payment everyday." Following are the sectors where Canadians were shopping on December 21, 2007, the busiest shopping day of the year:

- Supermarkets: 2,844,891 transactions (a value of more than
$186.7 million), representing 18.17% of all transactions;
- Specialty clothing: 2,776,373 transactions (a value of more than
$186.9 million), representing 17.73% of all transactions;
- Department Stores: 1,680,081 transactions (a value of more than
$109 million), representing 10.73% of all transactions;
- Gas stations/Auto: 1,602,131 transactions (a value of more than
$78.6 million), representing 10.23% of all transactions;
- Restaurants/Bars/Fast Food: 1,920,867 transactions (a value of more
than $39.5 million), representing 12.27% of all transactions;
- Beer/Liquor/Wine: 901,408 transactions (a value of more than
$52.7 million), representing 5.76% of all transactions.

INTERAC Direct Payment Transaction Volumes Across Canada

There are more than 35 million debit cards in circulation in Canada. Following is how the provinces were shopping on December 21, 2007, the busiest shopping day of the year:

- Ontario: 5,566,818 transactions ($314.2 million);
- Quebec: 3,179,884 transactions ($174.3 million);
- British Columbia/N.W.T./Yukon: 2,202,976 transactions
($113.2 million);
- Alberta: 2,076,393 transactions ($119.2 million);
- Manitoba: 591,985 transactions ($33.1 million);
- Nova Scotia: 520,989 transactions ($27 million);
- Saskatchewan: 496,921 transactions ($28.7 million);
- New Brunswick: 382,795 transactions ($19.3 million);
- Newfoundland-Labrador: 288,559 transactions ($15 million);
- Prince Edward Island: 75,971 transactions ($3.56 million).