Biometric payments are the future according to more than half of UK consumers, while the inventor of text messaging claims people will soon transact with simple words and gestures, according to research from Nationwide Payments.

According to the Nationwide poll, which surveyed 2,000 UK adults, almost six in ten (58 per cent) Brits believe that by 2037 they will be able pay for items in shops using just their thumbprint, and around a quarter (23 per cent) think they will be paying using a microchip implanted in their hand.

And while more than half of people (55 per cent) believe phones or watches will still be used to pay in 20 years’ time, futurologist and inventor of text messaging, Dr Ian Pearson, doesn’t think it will be that long before the next evolution.

He said: “Contactless technology is a compromise, still needing to get your card close to a reader. Soon, people will complete a transaction just with a simple gesture and a few words. Gesturing towards someone and saying ‘Here is £13.46’ is quite enough to combine the voice and gesture recognition with the presence of your smartphone as electronic identification.”

However, the survey also found that more than half believe that debit cards (56 per cent) and credit cards (53 per cent) will still be used by 2037, while 43 per cent think cash will still be relevant.

Paul Horlock, director of payments at Nationwide, said: “We are always excited to hear about new ways of paying, whether out of curiosity or convenience. Financial service organisations need to continue exploring how to best serve their customers by balancing authentication, speed and convenience when looking at new products.”

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