Contactless Payment Systems Sweep In Bid To Stop Coronavirus

MELBOURNE: Spurred on by the Covid 19 outbreak, some 10.8pc of Australians are pointedly using  non-bank contactless mobile payment services such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, up from 7.1pc a year ago, according to a new survey by the Roy Morgan group.

Apple Pay is now used by 6.5pc (up from 4.1pc) and Google Pay is used by 4.1pc (up from 3.6pc), while Samsung Pay was unchanged at one percent.

“Many retailers are requesting contactless payment be used, rather than handling cash, to reduce the opportunities for passing on Covid-19,” said Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine.

“For many people this means ‘tap-and-pay’ with a bank-issued card – but more than one in 10 Australians (10.8pc) now use one of the contactless payment services offered by Apple, Google or Samsung.

She added: “Apple Pay, in particular, has enjoyed impressive growth over the past year, with 6.5pc of Australians now using the service, up from 4.1pc a year ago.”