NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Bargain-hungry holiday shoppers eagerly charged up their credit and debit cards on Black Friday as total U.S. spending on Visa branded cards jumped 14 percent to $3.9 billion, the credit card company said Saturday.

Visa said overall sales volume between Oct. 31 and Nov. 25 jumped to $82.7 billion, a 17 percent increase over the same period in 2004.

"The strong spending volume Visa is experiencing, and the trends we've seen leading up to Thanksgiving, bode well for merchants this holiday season," Wayne Best, economist with Visa USA, said in a statement.

Consumer electronics, mall-based specialty stores and sellers of home and garden products drew the bulk of Visa-charged spending, Visa said.

"Consumer demand for multi-media entertainment devices such as the X-box and iPod will continue to drive retail spending during the holiday shopping season," Best added.

Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, said Saturday that it saw a strong start to the holiday season as shopper rushed to its discount stores on Friday to take advantage of juicy deals on electronics and toys. (Full story)