Eight in ten card payments in Nordic countries are now contactless

Contactless card payment being made in Denmark
ADOPTION: Denmark recorded the highest proportion of contactless card payments in 2021, at 90%

Eight in ten card payments made in the Nordic countries during 2021 were contactless, an increase from 74% in 2020, according to figures from regional payments processor Nets.

Denmark had the highest proportion of contactless card payments at 90%, followed by Norway (87%), Finland (71%) and Sweden (70%).

The company also found that seven in 10 Nordic consumers “value contactless payments highly or very highly” and that “about 90% are regular users of contactless payments”.

“The Nordic region is the most digitised in the world and certainly among the leaders in digital payments,” Nets’ Robert Hoffman says.

“Nordic consumers have adopted contactless as the standard way to use their payment card at physical sales locations and the pandemic has been a strong driver for these ‘tap and go’ payments.

“This is positive for merchants, who get a faster payment flow, as well as for consumers who can pay more conveniently and without physical contact with the payment terminal.”

Nets reported a “surge” in in-store payments made using contactless cards across the Nordic region in November 2020.

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