According to Worldpay figures, the number of contactless payments made via mobile phones increased by 336% compared to 2016.
In the first six months of 2017, UK consumers used their mobile devices to make US$370million worth of contactless payments, representing an increase of 336% for payments in the first six months of 2016.
Worldpay found the main locations where pay transactions and mobile tap were used included grocery stores and supermarkets, accounting for 55% of total spend in the first six months of 2017.
The largest electronic payment processing group also said the total UK contactless spending, including mobile phones and through cards, reached £9billion in the first six months of this year, compared with £10billion in 2016.
‘Tech giants are eager to have a stake in the technology’
According to figures from Payments UK, contactless payments have seen a slower take up, while contactless payments made through banks cards are “extremely popular”, with 2.9 billion contactless card payments made in 2016.
James Frost, UK chief marketing officer at Worldpay, told Computer Weekly: “There’s still some way to go before we start cutting up our cards and chucking away our wallets, but it’s easy to see why everyone from start-ups to tech giants are eager to have a stake in the technology.”
During the six-month period of this year, London citizens pay through mobile devices the most, accounting for 28% of the UK’s total; South East England account for 15%; and North West England account for 10%, according to Worldpay.
Written by Leah Alger
