Nine in ten UK in-store card payments are now contactless

Nine in ten card payments made in UK stores during 2020 (88.6%) were contactless and the average contactless user made 141 transactions worth a total of £1,640 (US$2,241) over the course of the year, according to Barclaycard.

Barclaycard logo

The average spend per contactless transaction in 2020 was £12.38 (US$16.92), a rise of £2.78 (US$3.80) on the 2019 average of £9.60 (US$13.12).

Barclaycard also reports that, while the total volume of contactless payments in the UK was 11.8% lower than in 2019, the total transaction value rose by 7%.

The year also saw a 12% increase in the number of people aged over 65 using contactless payment methods for the first time.

The UK raised the spending limit for contactless payments from £30 (US$41) to £45 (US$61.50) in April 2020. UK Finance called for a further increase to £100 (US$136.50) earlier this month.

• Find full and up-to-date details of worldwide contactless limit increases in NFCW’s table of contactless transaction limit changes.

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