Tap and pray: Collection plate that takes debit cards

IF YOU often find yourself scrambling for change when the church collection plate comes your way, then your prayers may just have been answered.

About 40 Church of England congregations are set to try a contactless payment system that allows donations of up to £30 via card machines.

Newcastle Cathedral will be one of the first churches in the country to trial the system, where users can simply tap their contactless cards on terminals placed at the back of the church.

Others will use handheld devices passed around pews during services.

Reverend Chris Dalliston, dean of Newcastle Cathedral, said: ‘We know that more and more people tend not to carry cash, so we would like to respond to that. Bearing in mind we have a running cost of £2,000 per day, but don’t charge an entrance fee, we hope that introducing contactless payment will make it easier for people to give as much or as little as they want, in the way that they want.’

If the trials, which run until the end of the year, are successful, then more churches could take up the systems. Mr Dalliston said that he also hoped the contactless devices could prevent donations being stolen.

The cathedral’s collection box, which helps provide funds for the upkeep of the building, has been targeted on a regular basis. He said: ‘We’d like to ensure that everyone can continue to enjoy and appreciate this magnificent building for years to come.’