Are you in touch with contactless?

‘Touch and go’ payments surging in pubs and bars, data reveals

CUSTOMERS are taking advantage of contactless payment options in pubs and bars more than ever before, with recent data revealing 2016 was a record-breaking year for ‘touch and go’ payments.

• Many consumers are taking advantage of contactless payments via their mobiles.

Following strong growth in 2015, during which spending via contactless rose by 164%, the use of touch and go payments surged a further 166% in the 12 months to November 2016, according to Barclaycard’s Contactless Spending Index.
The data also revealed that in 2016, pubs and bars across the UK witnessed a 79% rise in the use of contactless as a method of payment.
Scotland has seen some of the biggest increases in touch and go spending, with Barclaycard reporting increases of 308% and 267% in Glasgow and Edinburgh respectively.
A separate study conducted by Barclaycard of over 2000 adults aged over 18 in September last year revealed that across the UK, one in two people now pay via contactless at least once a month, with a fifth of respondents planning to increase their usage further this year.
The news comes as industry body, the UK Cards Association (UKCA), revealed that the number of contactless credit and debit cards in the UK now tops 100 million.
Tami Hargreaves, commercial director for digital consumer payments at Barclaycard, said the rise in the use of contactless is expected to continue.
“Brits across the UK are increasingly catching on to the speed and ease of touch and go payments, meaning that for many, contactless is now the preferred way to pay,” she said.
“No longer is contactless just reserved for the morning coffee or afternoon snack.”