7m more people use contactless now than before COVID-19 says Barclaycard

The average contactless transaction value has also jumped from £9.28 in 2019 to just under £14 today.

Barclaycard has announced this morning that it helped 7m more customers pay using contactless following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Barclaycard, which processes half of the UK’s contactless payments, said that 43 per cent of transactions between £30-£45 are now contactless

It has been just over a month since the contactless limit was raised from £30 to £45 to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Following the introduction of the higher limit, the average value of contactless transactions has jumped from £9.28 in 2019 to just under £14 today.

Similarly, the average value of all new contactless transactions above the previous £30 limit is now just under £36 and the total amount spent using contactless over £30 is already over £264m.

Rob Cameron, CEO of Barclaycard Payments, said: “We want to play our part in helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19, so we are delighted to have reached 7 million transactions so quickly.”

“We believe that contactless is the safest, fastest and most responsible way to pay in-store, and we encourage all consumers to take advantage of the new higher limit where possible,” he added.

The new contactless limit is currently available in essential businesses, such as supermarkets, pharmacies and petrol stations, but Barclaycard is hoping to roll it out to other sectors in due course.