Tag: Valentines Day

Valentine’s Day spend shows strong growth in key luxuries

Despite a modest overall dip in Valentine’s Day spending (-14%) last Saturday, several categories spiked as romantic consumers shifted their focus to luxury treats and quality time together.

Bank of Ireland’s debit and credit card spending data for the full day of February 14th versus Valentine’s Day last year shows strong increases across pubs, jewellery, hotels and restaurants. The data highlights that while shoppers spent less on traditional gifts such as flowers and cards, they were more willing to invest in a special night out.

Jewellery spending also surged by 51% on the day itself, suggesting that more people left things last-minute for gifts this year. Hospitality also benefitted this year. Pubs saw the most dramatic rise, up 51%, although this was likely a mixture of ‘romance and rugby’ with the Ireland versus Italy rugby game landing last Saturday too.  Restaurant spending was up 22% compared to Valentine’s Day last year and hotel stays rose 11%, with a strong appetite for romantic dining and overnight stays.

While some traditional categories such as flowers, experiences and perfumes recorded declines, the data highlights a clear shift in consumer preference with less emphasis on single‑use gifts and more investment in shared enjoyment.

Gerardo Larios Rizo, Head of Hospitality Sector, Bank of Ireland said: “Our Valentine’s Day data shows that while overall spending was slightly softer, people were still determined to make the day special. Instead of splashing out on single‑use gifts, consumers shifted to special moments such as a romantic dinner, a hotel stay or even celebrating ‘romance and rugby’ in their local pub. While some romantics shopped ahead, the spike in jewellery sales on the day itself suggests a rush of last-minute panic-buying this year.”

Bank of Ireland card spending – Feb 14th 2026 versus Feb 14th 2025

  • Pubs (+51%)
  • Jewellery (+51%)
  • Restaurants (+22%)
  • Hotels (+11%)
  • Gift Websites (+4%)
  • Chocolates flat year on year
  • Flowers (-33%)
  • Cards (-28%)
  • Perfume (-6%)

How to Protect Yourself Against Romance Scams

As Valentine’s Day, February 14, approaches, organizations across countries, including the FBI in the US, warn people to be aware of romance scams, where cybercriminals create fake identities and manipulate people into sending money. Cybersecurity experts urge users to be particularly cautious this year, as AI enables even more realistic scams, and are offering tips on how to stay safe.

At the start of February, Nigerian police arrested a local cybercriminal for allegedly being involved in a large-scale romance scam. The man posed as “Travis Kevin,” a doctor from the US on Facebook and Instagram, and asked his victims for money for medical supplies in crypto, promising to repay them soon.

The FBI, UK police, and organizations in other countries have recently issued warnings to be cautious about similar Romance scenarios.

A previous report from the US Federal Trade Commission estimated that romance scams in the US alone cost users over a billion dollars back in 2023. Experts at Planet VPN, a VPN provider that emphasizes free service, claim that since then, these types of scams have increased both in numbers and sophistication.

Konstantin Levinzon, co-founder of Planet VPN, says that offenders typically employ tactics such as emotional manipulation and false promises of love or partnership, before fabricating emergencies or investment opportunities.

“Cybercriminals create fake identities on dating sites and social media using psychological manipulation to convince victims to send money. They are increasingly relying on generative AI tools to make their scams more convincing. With AI enabling the creation of fake images and videos with just a click, users should be particularly cautious,” Levinzon says.

A recent report from British bank TSB claims that people aged 65-74 were involved in the most romance fraud cases (23%), with those over 55 making up 58% of cases overall.

Meanwhile, social media platforms were linked to 58% of cases, while dating sites were involved in 42%. The data shows that 30% of scams were connected to Facebook, the highest among all platforms.

Levinzon emphasizes that when it comes to protection from scammers, the same principles apply across all platforms.

“Be suspicious of anyone you’ve never met in person – that’s the only safe approach in a digital world increasingly filled with scams,” says Levinzon. “If someone you meet on a dating site seems suspicious, perform a reverse image search to check if their pictures are stolen from other sources. And if the conversation shifts to money, or if someone asks for personal information, leave the conversation immediately.”

To maximize protection, Levinzon advises using a VPN network. Some scammers can track users’ locations and then try to target them with personalized scams based on their country. When a VPN is turned on, it hides the person’s IP address and location, and encrypts all the data, making it invisible even to your internet service provider.

“For maximum security online, we also advise using strong passwords for all your social media accounts and dating sites, and enabling multifactor authentication. In addition, ensure that your privacy settings on social media platforms are set to the highest level, and limit who can see your posts and personal details,” Levinzon says.

SteeleSeries Valentines offers for the gamer in your life

Valentine’s Day is almost here, and gaming should could and can be at the heart of every great relationship, whether that’s for couples, roommates, friends, or just showing yourself a little self-love. From 6th-14th February, SteelSeries.com will be offering a buy one, get one 40% off on all products excluding Arctis Nova Elite & Arctis Nova 7 Gen 2.
Here are some strong SteelSeries picks that make it easy to treat someone (including yourself) this year, whether you prefer some cozy couch co-op or side-by-side PC battle stations:
Check out some of the offers below..
  • Arctis Gamebuds: Toggle between your phone and your console with these comfortably designed in-ear headphones. We have a review coming for these soon and they are fantastic 
  • Arctis Nova Pro Wireless: Enjoy the premium audio experience with SteelSeries’ signature, award-winning headset! 
  • Arctis Nova 3 Wireless: Available in multiple new colourways, meet the budget, lightweight king/queen with presets for over 200 games including Call of Duty, Fortnite and even Arc Raiders in the Arctis App and GG software.
  • Rival 3 Gen 2 Wireless: Available in multiple new colourways, meet the next-generation gaming mouse with subtle RGB lighting and pro-level performance at an affordable price.

SteelSeries reviews

Pace of growth in household spending accelerates in January

Bank of Ireland customers increased their debit and credit card spending for January, with an acceleration in the pace of household spending growth to 6.1%, up from 4.5% in December. This growth, which was broad-based across various sectors, significantly outpaced the current CPI inflation rate of 1.4%, indicating a real gain in consumption of approximately 4%.

A key highlight of January’s spending was a surge in summer holiday planning – travel agencies saw a 50% increase in sales from December, while airline spending rose by 90%. Although year-on-year growth in these categories was modest, spending on hotels and resorts increased by 4.9%.

Spending on sports clubs saw a substantial 23% year-on-year rise, reflecting ‘New Year, New You’ resolutions. However, the January sales season’s impact on retail was less pronounced, with clothing sales down 5% year-on-year, although electrical goods saw a 6.4% increase – November/December are now the most important months for sales of both these items.

Despite the January sales season not providing a significant boost to retail spending, likely due to the prominence of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales in November and December, spending on services saw a 4.2% year-on-year increase, driven by higher expenditure on travel and other services. ATM withdrawals decreased in January by 2% year-on-year, now accounting for just 12% of total card spending, down from nearly one-third pre-pandemic.

“January’s credit/debit card data showing nominal spending growth of 6.1% is an encouraging sign, showing households’ incomes and expenditure are now growing faster than prices. Notably, cash withdrawals now account for just €1 in every €10 spent by Irish households, well down from one-third just a couple of years ago,” said Conall Mac Coille, Chief Economist, Bank of Ireland.

Looking ahead, Bank of Ireland forecasts a 3% real growth in consumer spending for 2025. “Several indicators support this optimistic outlook, including employment growth at 3.7%, a low unemployment rate of 4%, and average earnings growth of 5%, which is above the CPI inflation rate of 1.4%. Budget 2025 tax cuts, worth 2% of disposable incomes at the average wage, are also expected to bolster consumer spending”, said Conall Mac Coille.

Valentine’s Day is likely to have provided a significant boost to florists, with spending typically rising 5-6 times the normal daily average during this period. There has been a consistent decline in spending on online dating services, down 17% year-on-year in January and 43% since the peak in 2021.

WHOOP Reveals Insights on Sex, Gratitude & Recovery This Valentine’s Day

WHOOP, the human performance company, has uncovered fascinating data on gratitude, sex, and recovery just in time for Valentine’s Day. While the holiday is synonymous with romance, WHOOP data shows it’s actually the second most popular day globally for logging gratitude—a key factor in overall wellness. However, when it comes to sexual activity, Valentine’s Day ranks just 53rd, with New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day taking the top spots.
WHOOP empowers users to track how lifestyle choices—like intimacy, exercise, and mindfulness—impact sleep, recovery, performance and overall wellness. Notably, research shows that sexual activity boosts WHOOP recovery similarly to meditation and exercise, providing an extra reason for lovebirds to celebrate this Valentine’s Day.
Additional insights found include:
 Sexual activity accounts for 2.3% of all WHOOP journal entries in 2024.
 April 30th and May 7th also ranked among the top days for intimacy.
 Pre-sleep sex benefits men’s recovery more, while post-sleep sex enhances women’s performance.
This Valentine’s Day, WHOOP reminds us that gratitude and connection—both emotional and physical—play a vital role in overall well-being. To learn more about WHOOP and how you can optimise every aspect of your life this Valentines Day, visit www.whoop.com

Tech Review – Limited Edition AirLove Couple CloudCush MagicStand cases for iPhone 15 Pro

Not so long ago Casekoo had a nice limited edition Christmas phone case which we check out along with their MagicStand CloudCush cases and now with Valentines day coming up they have a range of Cases for that too which is an excellent idea and an ideal gift if you are stuck for something to pick up for your partner.

Once again these cases are excellent when it comes to protecting your iPhone and I can stand by this as I have been using them some time now and have dropped my phone many times and to this day not a mark on it.

Again we see the features which are important with the Koo Air-cushioning technology with 3D printed hearts inside the airbag on the sides and you have 3-meter military grade drop test which tested out in the Christmas phone case.

You also have tactile buttons here which work well as you will see in the video review below and not only this you can download a matching wallpaper which is cool and not something I have not seen before.

His wallpaper
Hers wallpaper

You of course have a Magsafe compatible MagicStand and this also has a note written on it and underneath and of course works with all MagSafe products.

Check out the video review for a closer look

Features 

Koo Air-cushioning Technology

3-meter military-grade drop defense

3D printing technology

Petite hearts delicately adorn the airbag’s edge

Flexible and adjustable stand

Integrated magnetic ring compatible with Magsafe

IML tech which stops fading