CHANGE ON THE CARDS IN CHURCH

ET us pay, says the Church of England. But not necessarily with cash. The old fashioned method of church service collections is being ushered out because fewer people are carrying cash. Forty churches nationwide are trialling the use of pay and go with digital terminals able to accept up to £30. Tap in the amount, flash the card and the transaction will be made.

Already manual collections have been phased out in some places of worship, with a collection box left at the back of the church rather than the traditional collection plate or bag being passed among the congregation. This latest step is to keep up with the popularity of virtual payment in everyday life.

Charities Aid Foundation found two-thirds of adults have contactless cards and more than a third of them carry less cash, particularly the younger generation, who may carry no cash at all and even pay for a coffee with a flash of the card.

Contactless payments started in 2007. Last year £25 billion was spent this way and 33% of Brits say they never use cash any more, more than half of them millenials. Older people, however, still like hard currency in their pocket.

A card carrier cannot buy a Big Issue, pay the window cleaner, leave a tip in a restaurant or a pound coin from the Tooth Fairy under a child’s pillow.

And there are obvious dangers of using a card in a bar on a night out, only to discover much later how many drinks you bought for everybody whilst under the fulsome benevolence of strong lager.

My wife is a fan of tap and go while I prefer cash in hand for daily transactions and I suspect it will be a very long time before we become a cashless society. Cyber crime, of course, is a constant worry.

At least in church your transactions are in the hands of the gods.