Holiday Sales Will Peak Dec. 23, MasterCard Says

St. Louis, At what hour will retail’s holiday season peak? According to MasterCard International, it will probably be between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. (CST) on Christmas Eve. The busiest day? That will be the day before, Dec. 23.

MasterCard made the predictions based on its transaction data from the past several holiday seasons. The credit-card company said that the busiest days of the holiday season will be Saturdays in December.

MasterCard recommended that consumers looking to beat the holiday rush do their shopping on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, especially between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., when transaction volume is the lightest.