Its research, which reflects cash and card spending, showed expenditure rising at an annual rate of 2.8 per cent in the fourth quarter, the BBC reports.
That was the quickest quarterly growth rate since the end of 2014.
The report comes ahead of trading updates this week from Marks and Spencer, Tesco and Morrisons.
Last week Next supplied a shock to the retail sector when it reported a disappointing Christmas trading period and warned that conditions would continue to be difficult this year.
Next shares lost almost 20 per cent in two days and the warning also hit shares in Mark and Spencer and Debenhams.
Analysts think that Marks and Spencer, which publishes its trading update on Friday, can hardly fail to improve on 2015’s Christmas trading, when sales at its non-food business fell almost 6 per cent.
Andrew Wade, from Numis Securities, thinks that M&S could report sales growth in clothing and homeware of 1%.
“M&S performed so poorly in clothing and homewares through the third quarter last year, we see a good possibility that the division reports a small positive LFL [like-for-like] outcome this time,” he said.
Morrisons releases its figures for the Christmas period on Tuesday, followed by Tesco on Thursday.
Analysts are expecting both of those supermarkets to report growth in like-for-like sales of around 1% for the Christmas trading period.
Experience sector growth
For December, Visa’s report showed overall spending increasing at an annual rate of 2.6 per cent, with shops recording a modest 0.7 per cent growth rate, but online spending growth rising by 5.5 per cent.
Of all the categories measured, hotels, restaurants and bars saw the strongest expenditure growth, up 7.3 per cent.
“Growth was once again led by the experience sector, with consumers going to Christmas markets, travelling to visit loved ones, or venturing to various parts of the country to celebrate,” said Kevin Jenkins, UK and Ireland managing director at Visa.
