Church of England announces contactless donations trial
Melanie May | 3 July 2017 | News
The Church of England has announced plans to trial “tap and go” contactless payment systems for donations.
Starting this summer, around 40 churches will be equipped with handheld terminals to process card payments up to the value of £30 with a view to offering the system to every diocese next year. The trial aims to include a variety of churches – urban, rural, large and small – to make sure that the needs of different parishes are considered when the scheme is offered nationally.
Parish Buying, the Church of England and Church in Wales’s buying service, will manage the trial.
In an interview with the Financial Times, John Preston, Church of England national stewardship officer, said:
“We’re aware that younger generations – and there are many people now who don’t carry cash – want to give in different ways. Enabling them to give in a way that suits them is something we’d like to try.”
Earlier this year, the UK Cards Association reported that one in four card payments are now contactless, with a record £2.9 billion spent via contactless payments in November 2016. An increasing number of charities are using or trialing contactless donations, including Mary’s Meals, Blue Cross, and the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal.
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- Church of England rolls out cashless giving (21 March 2018)
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.