Contactless payments now account for one in 10 card transactions, and contactless spend is nearing £1bn a month across the whole market.
Paul Lockstone, managing director at Barclaycard, said: “In 2015 we’ve seen contactless become an even more popular way to pay for small transactions, so much so that we can even get frustrated if a retailer doesn’t offer ‘touch and go’ as an option.
"As the consumer appetite for new ways to pay continues to grow, particularly with the upcoming launch of high value payments and the continuing growth in wearable payment devices, we’re expecting 2016 to be another recording breaking year for contactless.
“In the fifty years that we’ve been in business, we’ve played a key role in supporting the development of many new payment innovations – from introducing the first credit card to the UK, to launching Chip & PIN, Contactless and wearables.
"The consumer trend towards contactless is only set to increase, with our data showing that time pressed shoppers don’t like to hang around – there’s a real opportunity for UK retailers to step-in and meet this growing consumer demand.”
Spending in pubs and bars using the method has risen by 92% since the limit rose, whilst spending in fast food outlets jumped by 62% and restaurants by 51% in the same period.
Caterers also experienced a modest 7% increase in contactless spending since the £30 limit came into force.