The Power of Contactless: How Charities Can Raise More
July 2024
Why going contactless is one effortless way to boost donations.
Nowadays, fewer than 1 in every 5 payments are made with cash in the UK. There has never been a
better time to switch to contactless donations for your charity.
The rise in contactless payments in the UK has been phenomenal since Covid 19 with a record 93.4%
of all in-store transactions up to £100 being made with a contactless method of payment in 2023*
In 2023 the average person used their contactless payment 231 times with an average spend over
the year of £3,623**
There is no doubt that contactless is now the quickest and most efficient way for most people to
make purchases day to day. The contactless payment limit was raised to £100 in October 2021 and
with Dona Donations terminals the most you can donate in one transaction is £9999.99.
Mobile phone wallets have no specific limits. However, it is wise to check as some providers have a
general total card spending limit. Find out more here about general mobile transactions.
Contactless payments continue to be a safe way to make payments with a small reduction in the
amount stolen through payment fraud in 2023 according to the UK Finance Annual Fraud Report
2024.
*According to Frontier Economics
**Barclays, 2024
5 key benefits of taking contactless donations with Dona
Donations
1. Take donations with Contactless and Chip & PIN
2. Collect donations without an internet connection.
3. Easy-to-use Management Portal featuring Gift Aid declarations and HMRC
reporting
4. Secure custom stand options
5. Self-service kiosk with a 10-hour battery life
Most charities can benefit from contactless donations including churches, mosques, temples,
museums, schools, universities, hospices, and food banks. Dona Donations have raised over £25
million for over 2,000 charities thus far. With 40% of donations Gift Aided it is the future of
fundraising.
Cards Accepted include@
Mastercard
Visa
Apple pay
American Express
Google Pay
Contactless
Diners Club
Maestro
What does the future of Contactless fundraising look like?
With the use of mobile wallets, digital currencies and banks collaborating to make fintech
advancements at an astonishing rate, we can be sure that tap and go is here for the long run. But
which other areas could we see payments developing into for the future?
Consumer confidence has grown, and card payment is widely accepted as a preferred alternative to
cash. With the reduction in risk and the rise in wearable devices, the future of contactless looks likely
to grow further with enhanced convenience and accessibility. The technological advancements mean
the traceability and reporting now available help to make the running of a charity so much more
efficient.
We could see further biometric payments and the need for physical cards decline with some
providers already issuing virtual credit cards. Additionally, QR codes may have finally found their
niche with a huge uptake in the use of this technology for managing business credit card accounts
and taking automatic payments.
Find out more about Dona Donations charity donation plate and how it could help boost your
donations.