Contactless card transactions more than tripled annually in April

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.