The under-11s who are paying by contactless

A THIRD of children under the age of 11 have used their parents’ contactless bank cards or phone payment apps.

A poll of 1,000 parents found that 34 per cent confessed that their children had used their bank cards in shops or phone payment apps, such as Android Pay and Apple Pay, to buy things online in the past year.

Of that 34 per cent, a remarkable 37 per cent revealed that their children had bought things without their permission – either by pinching bank cards and spending up to £30 in shops or using ‘wallets’ on payment apps.

Broken down to the age ranges, the study found that those aged between six and seven were the ‘most prolific’, with 14 per cent using their parents’ contactless bank cards or payment apps.

The study, by loans company Progressive Money, found that a third of the kids spent £10 or less, with two thirds spending up to £30.

A total of 20 per cent of the children, all primary school age or below, had used their parents’ bank cards more than once in the past year.

Eight per cent of parents said they had disciplined their sons or daughters for using their bank cards or payment apps without permission.

Lynne Hardwick, of Progressive Money, said: ‘Early conversations now can teach some valuable life skills which could benefit your children for years to come – and protect you from unauthorised purchases in the meantime of course.’