June 27, 2014. Experts from Bank Koltso Urala report that the number of currency exchange transactions their customers perform using their bank cards increases in the summer months as usual. Customers started using their cards more often to pay for their purchases in foreign boutiques, outlets, and restaurants as early as May, and by the end of June, the volume of such transactions doubled, the bank’s press service reports.

According to Bank Koltso Urala’s Commission-Based Card Services Management Director Irina Buribayeva, the variation in the number of currency exchange transactions last year looked like this: in July, this rose by 47%, in August, the number went up by 63%, and in September, it grew by 18%.

Moreover, the expert says, during the summer months customers tend to buy foreign travel insurance policies more often as well as subscribe to the SMS alert service that makes it possible to keep track of all the card transactions and account balance changes.

All in all, the total volume of money transactions completed through plastic cards in the three summer months rises by 15% to 20% on average.