A citizen holds various bank cards. [File photo]

Chinese bankcard holders' confidence rebounded in March as they spent more on hotels, entertainment, transportation and business activities, an index showed on Monday.

The Bankcard Consumption Confidence Index (BCCI), compiled by Xinhua News Agency and China UnionPay, a national bank card association, picked up 0.49 percent from that of February to 81.08 points.

Expenditure at hotels and gas stations surged 28.8 percent and 28.7 percent from a month ago respectively, suggesting business-related spending was gradually gaining momentum.

Spending on home appliances increased 24.6 percent from a month ago amid a hot real estate market.

The lower cost of agriculture and food last month cut the portion of bankcard holders' spending at supermarkets by 2.84 percent from their total outlay.

The UnionPay report also said that measures and guidelines released by the central bank and the China Banking Regulatory Commission to encourage more consumer finance firms would also bolster consumer confidence in the coming months.

The BCCI, first released in April 2009, is based on bank card transaction data and analyses of changes in urban consumption.

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