Brits keen to pay on the go

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Britons have a real appetite for paying on the go with mobile or contactless systems, according to the results of a survey into consumer attitudes.

It was convenience, rather than security, that emerged as the driving forces towards UK mobile and contactless payment adoption, according to the independent survey of a 1,000 British consumers.

While the UK’s appetite for such payment technologies will be welcomed by the survey sponsor and payment systems provider Ingenico, the results also revealed levels of awareness had a long way to go before they become commonplace.

The research found only 13 per cent had already used contactless prepaid cards, while eight per cent had used contactless credit and debit cards. These figures dropped further to four per cent when it came to actually having used their mobile phones to make payments.

Despite the lack of actual adoption, the survey revealed that it was mobile handset payment technology that had received the most exposure with British consumers, where 20 per cent of respondents said they had heard of it.

A further 41 per cent said they would consider using, or would definitely use, the technology. The top three benefits cited by those surveyed were convenience, a reduction in queuing times, and a preference to carry less cash and cards around.

Only 12 per cent of respondents thought security was a benefit of such technologies, where the means of payment never leaves its owner.

As such, although the current UK limit for contactless card payments is set at £10 before PIN authorisation is required, the survey found that shoppers would be happy for this figure to rise to an average of £35.10.

With mobile handset payments, the average was £32.10. However, with the average person carrying £29.30 in cash, Ingenico suggested this would open the door for more convenient payment methods to eventually replace ‘pocket money’.

“Adoption of contactless and mobile payments in the UK is going to be fascinating to watch, as it is being consumer-driven,” said Gregor Rankin, marketing manager of northern Europe at Ingenico. “Retailers can also expect to benefit, as increased footfall is one of the recognised advantages of implementing contactless.”

The major card operators have launched contactless pilots, rollouts and products with the likes of Barclaycard, following the widespread adoption of Transport for London‘s contactless Oyster card since its launch over six years ago.

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