WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Chase Card Services today released its second annual Chase Blueprint Valentine’s Day Survey highlighting the complexities of gift giving and managing money while in a relationship. On Valentine’s Day, men expect nearly $230 to be spent on them, compared to women, who expect just $196. Yet, women plan to spend less ($71) than men ($98) on presents this Valentine’s Day. Overall, men (43 percent) are more likely than women (22 percent) to prefer no gifts on Valentine’s Day.
“Setting expectations for Valentine’s Day spending is just one way to begin talking about finances with your significant other,” said Tom O’Donnell, senior vice president, Chase. “Having an open and honest conversation about your financial expectations and priorities is a key to successfully managing money in any relationship.”
Overall, Americans plan to spend an average of $84 on gifts this Valentine’s Day. Yet, those who expect to receive a gift this year want an average of $210 spent on them. Those in a relationship expect an average of $240 to be spent on them.
Surprises: Good or Bad?
Nearly seven-in-10 (69 percent) of Americans would prefer their spouse or significant other surprise them rather than pick out their own Valentine’s Day gift (31 percent), according to the survey. With that in mind, here are some helpful insights from the 2014 Chase Blueprint Valentine’s Day Survey to help you plan your Valentine’s Day surprises:
- When thinking about Valentine’s Day and asked to choose between flowers or chocolates, 60 percent of Americans prefer chocolates to flowers (40 percent).
- Nearly two-in-three (64 percent) Americans prefer to go out to dinner at a restaurant rather than have a home-cooked meal (36 percent).
- Sixty percent of Americans would prefer the latest technology item rather than jewelry (40 percent).
Popping the Question: When Do We Combine Finances?
Beyond Valentine’s Day purchases, couples face much larger financial decisions. According to the survey, 45 percent of Americans feel that being in a relationship makes it harder to manage their money, while only 26 percent believe it makes it easier. Yet a majority of couples surveyed still combine their finances.
- While nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of Americans have combined or would combine all or some of their finances with their spouse or significant other, 23 percent of Americans have not or would prefer not to, and 12 percent are not sure.
- A majority of Americans (66 percent) feel the right time to combine finances (i.e., joint checking, savings or credit cards) with their spouse or significant other is once married. A smaller number of Americans feel the right time is when moving in together (9 percent) or once engaged (6 percent).
The 2014 Chase Blueprint Valentine’s Day Survey was conducted online on behalf of Chase Card Services via the OmniPulse® Omnibus survey by Research Now, an independent research company. Interviews were conducted from Jan. 6-8, 2014 among a nationally representative sample of 1,209 respondents age 18 and older. The precision of online polls is measured using a credibility interval. For all respondents, the credibility interval is ±3 percentage points with 95 percent credibility. The credibility interval for those respondents in a relationship is roughly ±4.5 percentage points with 95 percent credibility.
About Chase Blueprint
Chase Blueprint is available free of charge to new and existing Chase credit cardholders. It's simple to set up, easy to use and customizable. With Blueprint, cardholders can save money and pay down balances faster. More information is available at www.chase.com/blueprint. Drawing upon the expertise of Chase and respected experts, Chase Blueprint’s Resource Center for Mindful Spending is a free knowledge center available at www.Chase.com/MindfulSpending and includes additional research, infographics, videos and resources focused on consumer spending and personal financial management.
About Chase
Chase is the U.S. consumer and commercial banking business of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.4 trillion and operations in more than 60 countries. Chase serves more than 50 million consumers and four million small businesses through more than 5,500 bank branches, 17,500 ATMs, credit cards, mortgage offices, and online and mobile banking as well as through relationships with auto dealerships. More information about Chase is available at www.chase.com and @Chase. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Opportunity Lender.
