Half of retail buys now made by card

Cards now account for more than half of retail purchases made in the UK for the first time, according to the British Retail Consortium.

The body said card usage has grown, with debit cards overtaking cash for the first time, as more retailers have invested in payments technology to accept cards and “tap and go” contactless payments.

Many retailers also now accept new payments methods which allow people to use their mobile phone like a wallet, such as Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay.