CONTACTLESS payments are on the rise, according to new research from Mintel.
Over one third of consumers used the contactless feature on their credit or debit card for transactions in the three months to April 2016, the research firm found.
The number of UK consumers using debit cards for contactless payments was up 11% since 2015, Mintel revealed, with 39% of consumers using this method while 34% of consumers had used contactless credit cards for transactions.
Mobile payments are also on the rise, the study revealed, with 34% of smartphone owners having used their device to make a payment in the 12 months to April 2016, with half of these users making use of the feature in a shop or restaurant.
Rich Shepherd, financial services analyst at Mintel, said that part of the reason for the increase in use of contactless cards is “the simple fact that they are now much more widely accepted”.
“They’ve moved beyond coffee shops and sandwich bars and are now entirely commonplace,” he said.
“However, the real shift in behaviour has only come over the last few years.”
