A good credit card could prove useful for fitness fanatics

June 27, 2006

A report from Barclays Insurance has shown that a competitive credit card could be as useful a tool for a fitness enthusiast as a treadmill or an exercise bike.

British people are expected to spend a collective £4.65 billion on sports and fitness related activities this year, with the average person spending around £206 a year.

According to the Office of National Statistics, the most popular participation sports in the UK are swimming, keeping fit, cycling, pool and snooker, despite the fervour that the country will develop for tennis and football as they watch Wimbledon and the World Cup.

"Many of us spend most of our sporting life sat on the couch watching sport on the TV, but at this time of the year we dip in our pockets to buy new equipment, join clubs and then expect to see a brilliant return for our investment," said Mark Till, marketing director for Barclays Insurance.

"However, broken equipment and pulled muscles are more often the outcome."

Interestingly, in light of the tennis tournament, the women of Wimbledon were found to be the second highest spenders on exercise, as 7.3 per cent of their credit and debit card expenditure goes on sports and fitness.

The men of Bolton came out on top, however, allocating 11.1 per cent of their card spending on keeping themselves in shape.