People will now be able to use contactless technology for Poppy Appeal donations thanks to a new initiative by the Royal British Legion.
Taken in response to modern consumer’s not carrying cash with them, the scheme will involve 200 mobile units that will work with contactless cards, intending to encourage donations with an efficient process.
Cardnet is the driving force behind the new plan, providing the necessary payments service involved in the process. Making the process easier still, the user will be faced with donations options of two or five pounds.
Simon O’Leary, assistant director, community and mass events, The Royal British Legion, said: “It’s vitally important that we continue to adapt to changing consumer behaviour and make it as easy as we can for the public to donate for a poppy.”
The Poppy Appeal initiative marks the prominence of contactless payment in the UK, with the method rapidly becoming the norm. Recently reaching the 10 year anniversary of the first arrival of contactless payments in the UK, the nation is now leading the way in Europe.
The use of contactless payment methods are spreading across the breadth of the demographics, with a recent Visa Digital Payments study revealing the 66 per cent of British citizens have engaged in the use of contactless.
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UK is ahead of other European nations including France, Spain, Poland and Finland, with contactless payment methods now including Android and Apple Pay. FitBit is also now imbedding contactless payment capabilities within its wearable devices, further streamlining the process.
Unsurprisingly, people within the age bracket of 18 to 36 have been the quickest to take up contactless payment methods, while just over half of over 65s are on board. This is still a significant percentage, proving that society in general is moving toward a new payment era.
Londoners are at the sharp end of this change, driving ahead with four in every five people making contactless payments. This places London 12 per cent higher than the national average for contactless use.
