Koreans’ use of plastic overseas hit an all-time high last year due to an increase in their outbound travel and direct buying from overseas online shops, according to industry data released Monday.

The Credit Finance Association said overseas credit and debit card spending reached a combined $13.26 billion in 2015, up 8.7 percent from a year earlier.

Card spending by foreign visitors in Korea fell 13.2 percent on-year to $10.05 billion during the same period, as foreigners delayed planned trips to Korea due to the outbreak of the Middle East respiratory syndrome, association officials said.

This year, foreign card spending here is expected to return to the level of 2014 ($11.57 billion) following the official end to the MERS outbreak, officials said.