Survey: Consumer support for contactless grows in UK
31 August, 2011
category: Contactless
Visa Europe has released the results of its first ‘Contactless Barometer’ survey showing mostly positive attitudes toward contactless payments in the UK.
Of the 2,000 UK consumers surveyed, those who use contactless payment cards responded with overwhelming positive feedback and expressed a desire to see wider availability of the technology, reports Visa.
According to the survey, 85% of contactless users said that they would recommend contactless to their friends and family and 90% think it makes life simpler.
A further 55% appreciate not having to carry cash in their wallet or purse, 51% like not having to carry loose change and 48% like not having to plan to take cash out from an ATM.
58% of respondents said they prefer to use contactless when in a rush, confirming quick service venues like fast food restaurants and supermarkets as an ideal setting for the technology.
However, availability still seems to be an issue. Of those surveyed, 28% said that there aren’t enough retail outlets offering contactless payments and 57% said they have never been asked to pay with contactless in a shop. 37% cited this as the main barrier preventing them using the technology.
The research also revealed some lingering mistrust of contacltess technology, with 44% expressing concern about security if their card gets stolen. Visa says these concerns are erroneous, and recommends that issuing banks need to do more to educate their customers about the security measures in place to protect them.
Mark Austin, head of contactless at Visa Europe, comments: “We’ve developed the Barometer to help us benchmark changes in consumer attitudes and take-up of contactless payments. It’s good to see that users of contactless are satisfied with the technology but it’s also clear that many consumers would like to see it become more widely available across the country.”
According to Visa, there are already some 70,000 contactless acceptance points in the UK. Supporting retailers include: McDonald’s, Subway, Pret A Manger, Caffe Nero, EAT, and selected outlets of Boots, Burger King, Little Chef and Clinton Cards.