Barclaycard marks 10-year anniversary of contactless

Barclaycard has today marked the 10-year anniversary of introducing contactless payments to the UK.

The first UK contactless payments card, the ‘Barclaycard OnePulse’ was launched in September 2007 and since then the use of contactless has grown at a staggering rate, transforming the way British consumers shop.

Over the past decade, more than £60 billion has been spent using contactless cards and devices and today more than half (51 per cent) of eligible transactions up to the £30 limit are made using the technology.

Such is the growth of ‘touch and go’ that Barclaycard research shows six in 10 Brits now choose to pay with their contactless cards and devices when the option is available and usage is projected to rise by a further 317 per cent by 2021.

New data from Barclaycard’s Contactless Spending Index also reveals that nine in 10 eligible transactions in fast food outlets (91 per cent) and pubs and bars (89 per cent) are now made using contactless when the option is available. In addition, in supermarkets and convenience stores more than three quarters (76 per cent) of purchases up to £30 in value are made using ‘touch and go’.

In the past 12 months contactless spending has continued to grow across all sectors. Clothing stores have seen the biggest jump with a 321 per cent year-on-year rise, followed by parking lots (137 per cent), department stores (126 per cent), supermarkets (124 per cent) and gift, card and novelty shops (105 per cent).

Tami Hargreaves, director of innovation and partnerships at Barclaycard Mobile Payments, said: “Over the past decade contactless payments have transformed how we shop, travel and trade, making buying and selling quicker and easier. Today there is more choice than ever – from card to cash, mobile payments and wearables.

“Our data shows that the uptake and usage of contactless payment technology continues to grow, with paying by ‘touch and go’ now the preferred way to pay for many Brits.”

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