Of payment cardholders who are familiar with contactless payments, three out of four prefer using a contactless credit or debit card to other payment options, including cash, chip cards, magnetic strip cards and mobile payment options like Apple Pay, according to a new survey from Entrust Datacard. Seventy-one percent of survey respondents reported having a contactless-enabled credit or debt card. Of those, 74% said they use their contactless feature somewhat or extremely frequently.
Card users said that the top benefit of using contactless was for sanitary reasons, followed by a shorter transaction time. Almost a third said that having a contactless payment feature on their credit or debit card was a high priority, and a strong majority—83%—agreed that contactless payments are here to stay as a payments option.
“As many Americans deal with financial setbacks and heightened concerns around health and safety in the face of COVID-19, the value we are placing on contactless payments has increased markedly,” said Entrust Datacard SVP Tony Ball. “Consumers want the ability to shop at their convenience, but also want to minimize personal contact with point of sale devices. Contactless cards are rising in popularity as a result.”
