Contactless card transactions more than tripled annually in April

There were 963 million contactless card transactions in April, compared with 267 million in April 2020, UK Finance said.

Vicky Shaw
Friday 16 July 2021 10:24 BST
A selection of payment cards
A selection of payment cards (PA Archive)

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Contactless card transactions more than tripled in April compared with a year earlier when much of the economy was shut due to the coronavirus pandemic.

There were 963 million contactless card transactions in April, 260% more than the 267 million recorded in April 2020, figures from trade association UK Finance show.

The total value of contactless transactions was £11.9 billion in April, more than doubling from £5 billion in April 2020.

The number of debit and credit card transactions taking place generally across the UK in April surged by 76.4% compared with April 2020.

Some 1.6 billion card transactions took place in April using plastic.

The total card spend of £65.6 billion across the UK was 53.4% higher than in April 2020.

There were also signs that cautious households are continuing to pay down debts.

Outstanding balances on credit card accounts have contracted by 11.6% in the 12 months to April, reflecting repayments outstripping new borrowing in the year, UK Finance said.

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