The Church of England has announced trials for a digital, contactless payment system for church donations, testing a new 'tap and go' scheme this summer.
As contactless credit cards become increasingly ubiquitous and daily commerce transitions toward a cashless society, the Church of England is upgrading too.
This summer will see about 40 CofE churches given handheld terminals set up to handle card payments of up to £30. If successful, the system would be rolled out to all dioceses next year.
The pilot test aims to work with a diverse range of congregations, be they large or small, rural or urban, in order to improve effectiveness across the CofE's many varying parishes next year. The scheme will be managed by the CofE financial service Parish Buying.
The Church's national stewardship officer, John Preston, told the Financial Times: '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.'
The appeal of contactless services has risen after studies revealed that card-using adults increasingly do not carry cash with them, and are likely to donate more to a charity when they give via card.
The service would also ease the process of adding Gift Aid (whereby the government adds 25 per cent to any charitable gift made by a taxpaying individual) to a donation. Contributions under £20 could be gift-aided without donors having to fill out a form with their personal details.
'That's one of the real attractions of contactless — it's quick and the church can claim the Gift Aid equivalent on top without people having to fill out a form,' Preston added.
