Secret SantAI? Visa Survey Finds Americans Quietly Turning to AI for Holiday Shopping Help

AI shopping use has increased, but only 23% of U.S. consumers trust generative AI to handle payments on their behalf.

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10/30/2026 - 08:00 AM EDT

Two-thirds of U.S. consumers open to AI assistance this holiday season; Gen Z leads the way

Fraud concerns remain top of mind with three-quarters of Americans taking precautions to safeguard themselves from losses

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- There may be a Secret Sant-AI behind your presents this year. New Visa research finds 41% of Americans wouldn't tell someone that AI helped choose their gift as more shoppers quietly hand AI the job of finding gifts and tracking down deals. More than half of U.S. adults (54%) have already used AI for at least one shopping task, up from 47% last year.

The findings come from Visa's 2026 Holiday Spending Shift Survey, which polled more than 1,000 U.S. adults in late September in a survey commissioned by Morning Consult. The data paints a picture of consumers juggling persistent cost pressures, evolving technology and heightened fraud concerns, while still finding ways to check every box on their gift lists.

“Consumers are approaching the holidays with both value and security in mind,” said Michael Brown, principal U.S. economist at Visa. “They’re looking for deals, experimenting with tools like AI and changing how they shop in response to fraud concerns. It’s a consumer who is adapting as the shopping experience itself continues to change.”

AI Becomes a Holiday Helper

Shoppers are most comfortable handing AI the practical tasks: comparing prices (61%), checking availability (59%), finding discounts (57%) and suggesting gift ideas (54%). Nearly a quarter say they're more comfortable using AI for shopping than they were last year.

Gen Z is leading the shift. More than eight in 10 young consumers are open to AI assistance, and 73% would let it suggest gift ideas — 19 points higher than adults overall.

But there's a gap between browsing and buying. While consumers are increasingly comfortable using AI assistants for discovery, research and decision-making, trusting one to make a purchase is a bigger leap — only 23% of U.S. consumers trust GenAI to handle payment transactions on their behalf, according to the Visa Trust Index. It's a familiar pattern: the technology often arrives before consumers fully trust the experience, similar to when payments moved online and again when commerce went mobile.

What shifts the equation? Familiar brands. The Visa Trust Index found that 61% of consumers trust Visa to secure an AI-powered payment — rising to 68% among 18–34-year-olds and 71% among frequent AI users. As agentic commerce grows, that confidence may be what bridges the gap between AI as a shopping assistant and AI as a shopping agent.

Shoppers Stretch Budgets as Costs Stay Top of Mind

Cost-conscious shopping isn't going anywhere. Eighty-four percent of consumers say they've taken at least one action to manage higher everyday costs in the past year — most commonly hunting for discounts (47%), cutting discretionary spending (35%) and trading down to lower-cost brands (33%).

Experiences Top Wish Lists, But Physical Gifts Win Wallets

Besides cash, when it comes to gifts, Americans are dreaming of experiences. Travel (60%) and live-event tickets (55%) top the list of what people are most excited to give or receive.

But actually buying gifts tells a different story. Only 15% of respondents are prioritizing experiences, while 27% are focused on physical items. Gen Z comes closest to aligning their wallets with their wishes-- 39% are splitting spending evenly between the two, compared to 26% of all adults.

FIFA World Cup 2026 ™ Fever Shapes Gift-Giving

The FIFA World Cup 2026 ™ is leaving its mark on holiday lists. Nearly a third of Americans say the tournament has boosted their interest in sports-related gifts, a figure that climbs to about half among households earning $100,000 or more and adults under 35.

Cross-Border Shopping Goes Mainstream

Three in 10 Americans expect to buy at least one gift from an overseas seller this season. Among Gen Z, it's more than half.

The draw isn't just price. Quality (32%) and uniqueness (31%) are the top reasons shoppers are looking beyond U.S. borders, ahead of better deals (25%).

Gen Z and Cross-Border Senders Warm to Stablecoins and Crypto

Stablecoins are still new to many Americans, but more than half (56%) see a benefit, rising to 77% of Gen Z. Among Americans who send money abroad, 51% say that after seeing the benefits, they are likely to use stablecoins in the next year.

Crypto resonates with the same groups. Half of those who send money abroad (51%) call it a useful way to do so, against 26% of adults. Gen Z is more comfortable shopping with a retailer that accepts crypto (34% vs. 25%).

Fraud Concerns Drive Behavior Change

The convenience of digital shopping comes with growing unease about scams. Nearly three in 10 shoppers say they were targeted by fraud during last year's holiday season, a figure that rises to 39% among Gen Z.

In response, three-quarters of Americans have changed how they shop: enabling two-factor authentication (34%), changing passwords more often (34%), declining to save payment details (25%), switching from debit to credit cards (24%) and using digital wallets (21%).

"Consumers are navigating a lot this season, from higher costs, new technology and real concerns about fraud," said Brown. "But they're adapting. They're hunting for deals, shopping smarter and staying alert. That resilience is the real story."

About the 2026 Holiday Spending Shift Survey

This poll was conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of Visa among a national sample of 1,016 U.S. adults. Surveys were conducted online from September 26 to October 2, 2026. Results are weighted to approximate a target sample of the U.S. general population based on age, gender, race, educational attainment and region. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for the total sample. The study covers holiday and year-end spending plans, gifting and shopping channels, the use of AI in shopping, exposure to fraud and scams, and attitudes toward cryptocurrency and stablecoins.

About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, sellers, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.