Business · Companies · 7 hrs ago
AI subscriptions make up most digital subscription spending in South Korea
A Shinhan Card analysis of about 120 million payments found that AI accounted for 60% of digital subscription spending in South Korea from January to September 2026.
People using recurring payments for housing fees and utilities spent an average of 383,600 won a month, while digital subscriptions averaged 35,500 won.
Together, those costs came to 419,100 won in average monthly recurring spending.
Average AI payment amounts rose 18.1% from a year earlier, while average payments for streaming services fell 0.8%.
The figures suggest consumers are prioritizing subscriptions by their usefulness, rather than increasing spending on every service.
People aged 39 or younger made up 70.9% of AI subscribers, while those aged 60 and over made up 3.8%.
The analysis describes current spending patterns; it does not say what will happen next.
AI services accounted for 60% of digital subscription spending among customers studied in South Korea, according to Shinhan Card data reported by Maeil Business.
The average monthly digital subscription bill was 35,500 won from January to September.
AI subscriptions averaged 21,300 won per month, more than spending on streaming services and retail memberships combined.
The average monthly total for digital subscriptions, apartment management fees and utility bills was 419,100 won.
AI payment amounts per transaction rose 18.1% from a year earlier, while streaming payments fell 0.8%.
- Who
- Shinhan Card’s Big Data Research Institute analyzed customer payment data.
- What
- AI made up 60% of average digital subscription spending, the largest share among the categories reported.
- When
- The spending figures cover January to September 2026.
- Where
- South Korea.
- Why
- The article says consumers are adjusting subscription priorities according to how useful they find each service.
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- Average digital subscription spending
- 35,500 won per month
- AI share of digital subscriptions
- 60.0%
- Average AI subscription spending
- 21,300 won per month
- Combined monthly recurring spending
- 419,100 won
- Change in AI payment per transaction
- Up 18.1% year on year
What people are saying
I am organizing my subscriptions around the services I use often because the monthly fees are a burden.