Contactless donation pay point in cathedral
A CATHEDRAL has set up a ‘donation station’ which allows visitors to chip in digitally to help with the building’s maintenance costs.
St Nicholas Cathedral in Newcastle has gone contactless as one of a handful of trial sites for ‘tap-and-pay’ digital technology, with a terminal now installed on at the west end of the cathedral adjacent to the existing cash donation box to create a designated ‘donation station’ point.
The terminal is capable of securely processing payments of £5 per transaction when touched with an eligible card or phone with Apple Pay or Android Pay.
It costs £2,400 a day to keep the cathedral open and free to enter.
The terminal has been launched as the rising popularity of contactless card technology has resulted in fewer people carrying cash and coins.
The Church of England hopes to see the machines rolled out across the country if the Newcastle trial is successful.
The move comes following the claim by the Bishop of Stepney that half of cathedrals face significant financial challenges.