Prepaid cards accounted for the highest year-over-year dollar volume growth (5.7 percent) in September spending. However credit was close behind with 5 percent growth during the period of Sept. 2–30, 2014, compared with Sept. 3–Oct. 1, 2013.

All other forms of payment saw much smaller y-o-y increases, with none breaking 2 percent. But check use for once recorded positive growth — if only 0.5 percent.

Overall spending slowed in September, following robust back-to-school sales in August, First Data reported. Factors in the decline ranged from a reduced demand for fall merchandise to unseasonably warm weather.

Still, spending growth in September remained healthy at 3.1 percent on the year, despite slipping month over month compared with the August growth rate of 3.9 percent.

Average overall ticket growth of 1 percent for September represented a slight decrease from August (1.2 percent).

Retail average ticket growth of 0.4 percent in September was down from 0.8 percent in August, as retailers aggressively discounted end-of-season items. 

Krish Mantripragada, SVP of information and analytics solutions at First Data, summed up the month's numbers:

With the busy summer now a memory for most consumers, the improving job market supported growth in September, albeit at a slightly slower pace. With lower gas prices and the end of the back-to-school shopping season, it was not surprising to see overall spending growth slow slightly from August. We continue to see lenders making credit more readily available, continuing to drive strong results in that category.

SpendTrend tracks same-store point-of-sale data by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EBT, closed-loop prepaid cards and checks from nearly 4 million merchant locations serviced by First Data in the United States.