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Americans likely to avoid stores affected by data breaches this Christmas

Published: 24-Oct-2014

New data suggests that almost half of Americans are likely to avoid shopping at stores that were affected by data breaches

New data collected by CreditCards.com suggests that almost half of Americans are likely to avoid shopping at stores that were affected by data breaches over the past year, this coming Christmas period.

Large retailers affected include Target and Neiman Marcus.

45% of major credit and debit cardholders say they would "definitely" or "probably not" shop at a retailer where consumers' personal information (including credit and debit card data) was exposed. Of these, 29% probably would not shop at the store even if they used to be a frequent customer, and 16% definitely would no longer shop there.

The report also found that the highest-income households in the US - those with annual income of $75,000 or above - are the least likely to avoid affected stores, while women are significantly more likely to continue shopping at affected stores than men.

Following the various highly publicised data breaches, just one in eight Americans say they are more likely to shop with credit cards over the festive period. Instead, 48% of major credit and debit card holders plan to pay with cash more frequently, found the report.

"The truth is that credit cards offer far greater consumer protections than debit cards, cash or other payment methods," according to Matt Schulz, Senior Industry Analyst at CreditCards.com. "This data seems to indicate that some consumers are getting the message."

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