The number of people in the United Kingdom who use smartphones to pay contactless in stores is set to increase by nearly three million between 2022 and 2026. Compared to figures from a different prediction made in 2017, this would mean that NFC payments in the UK would have more than doubled in roughly eight years. The source adds that the number reached in 2025 would equal about 28 percent of all smartphone users in the country.
Number of users of contactless/tap to pay options on their mobile device in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2017 to 2021, with forecasts from 2022 to 2026
(in millions)
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Number of users of contactless/tap to pay options on their mobile device in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2017 to 2021, with forecasts from 2022 to 2026
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The figures have been taken from several publications: The numbers for 2018 and 2019 were originally predicted in October 2018. The number for 2020 was only briefly mentioned in July 2021
Supplementary notes
The source adds the following: "A proximity mobile payment is a point-of-sale (POS) transaction made by using a mobile device as a payment method; includes scanning, tapping, swiping or checking in with a mobile devices at the POS to complete transaction; excludes purchases of digital goods on mobile devices, purchases made remotely on mobile devices that are delivered later on and transactions made via tablets."
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Raynor de Best
Content expert covering payments and (crypto)currencies
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eMarketer. (July 1, 2022). Number of users of contactless/tap to pay options on their mobile device in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2017 to 2021, with forecasts from 2022 to 2026 (in millions) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved April 26, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1031085/number-of-mobile-payment-users-in-the-uk/
eMarketer. "Number of users of contactless/tap to pay options on their mobile device in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2017 to 2021, with forecasts from 2022 to 2026 (in millions)." Chart. July 1, 2022. Statista. Accessed April 26, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1031085/number-of-mobile-payment-users-in-the-uk/
eMarketer. (2022). Number of users of contactless/tap to pay options on their mobile device in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2017 to 2021, with forecasts from 2022 to 2026 (in millions). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: April 26, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1031085/number-of-mobile-payment-users-in-the-uk/
eMarketer. "Number of Users of Contactless/Tap to Pay Options on Their Mobile Device in The United Kingdom (Uk) from 2017 to 2021, with Forecasts from 2022 to 2026 (in Millions)." Statista, Statista Inc., 1 Jul 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1031085/number-of-mobile-payment-users-in-the-uk/
eMarketer, Number of users of contactless/tap to pay options on their mobile device in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2017 to 2021, with forecasts from 2022 to 2026 (in millions) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1031085/number-of-mobile-payment-users-in-the-uk/ (last visited April 26, 2025)
Number of users of contactless/tap to pay options on their mobile device in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2017 to 2021, with forecasts from 2022 to 2026 (in millions) [Graph], eMarketer, July 1, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1031085/number-of-mobile-payment-users-in-the-uk/
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