Valentine's Day spending expected to reach nearly $26 billion in U.S.

(Washington, DC) -- Americans will spend big on Valentine's Day.

The National Retail Federation expects consumers to shell out nearly 26-billion dollars on the holiday this year.

That works out to an average of about 193-dollars per person for flowers, cards, candy and other gifts for friends, loved ones and even coworkers. It's also about 20-bucks more than last year's average.

A separate report by WalletHub finds almost one-in-five Americans think it's okay to use a credit card to pay for that special Valentine's Day gift.