Tap and Go Technology Reigns in Australia

The latest Mastercard Digital Purchasing Survey reveals that Australian consumers are continuously embracing digital payment technology, with more than four in five (82 percent) Australians using tap and go to make payments every week. In fact, over one third (33 percent) of Australians have been annoyed when a store didn’t offer tap and go, and one in ten have even gone as far as avoiding a store that they knew didn’t offer it.

Australians are most frequently using contactless cards at supermarkets (54 percent), general retail stores (22 percent) and petrol stations (11 percent).

Garry Duursma, Head of Market Development and Payment Innovation for Mastercard Australia and New Zealand, said, “Overall Australians see tap and go as a convenient and time saving way to pay. The survey findings indicate an increasing demand on retailers to take advantage of more innovative payment methods, with the majority of Australians believing that businesses that offer contactless technology are making it easier for their customers. Almost half of Australians are looking for a better and more enhanced shopping experience.”

Consumers are also becoming more aware of the benefits of contactless in security terms, with contactless card payments offering the same level of protection as chip and pin payments. In fact, Mastercard’s Zero Liability on card payments means that contactless is also safer than carrying cash, which could be lost or stolen.  The increase in confidence in the security of contactless as a method of payment is demonstrated in the research findings, which show 64 percent of Australians are now ‘not very’ concerned about security when using contactless, up from 46 percent in 2014.

“Australians have largely embraced contactless payments as a part of their everyday lives, indicating that consumers are starting to gain a real understanding and appreciation for the benefits of contactless,” said Duursma. “There are a wealth of innovative payment technologies available to consumers today, and given the positive uptake in Australia, we expect to see more developments in this area, as people continually look for convenience and time saving in their busy lives.”

While tap and go becomes ubiquitous, survey findings indicate that mobile payments remain a growth area in Australia, with only one quarter (26 percent) of Australian consumers responding that they are aware of having contactless payment options on their mobile phone. Of those that are not aware of having a contactless option on their phone, 36 percent say that they would consider using it and over half (54 percent) of all Australians wish they knew more about digital wallet technology – an attitude that represents a positive trend towards adoption.

Globally, Mastercard is shaping the digital future by creating new and secure ways for consumers to pay across all channels and devices – from digital wallets to tokenization to new solutions in safety and security.

Detailed findings:

Tap and Go / Contactless

• More than four in five (82%) Australians are using tap and go / contactless every week.
  • 84% of males, 79% of females
  • 88% of Millennials, 83% of Generation X, 72% of Baby Boomers
  • 85% in NSW/ACT compared to 74% SA and 72% WA
  • This is up from 76% of Australians in December 2015

• The benefits of tap and go / contactless continue to be clearly perceived as convenience and time saving.
  • 81% of all Australians say that it ‘saves time / quick’ and this increases to 86% among ‘Daily’ users (up from 77% December 2015)
  • 80% of all Australians say that it is convenient and easy (up from 75% in December 2015)

• One third (33%) of Australians have been annoyed at some time that a store hasn’t offered tap and go / contactless technology.
  • 46% of Millennials say this compared to 20% of Baby Boomers

• One in ten (11%) Australians have at some occasion avoided a store that didn’t offer tap and go / contactless.
  • 15% of Millennials say this compared to 5% of Baby Boomers

• Two in three (71%) Australians say that businesses that do offer contactless / tap and go technology are making it easier for their customers (up from 62% in December 2015).
  • 33% say that these businesses are ‘modern and innovative’

• Almost half (43 %) of Australians are looking for a better and more enhanced shopping experience.

• Concern about using contactless transactions at shops and petrol stations continues to recede. The majority (64%) of Australians are now ‘not very concerned’ about security when using tap and go / contactless (compared to 58% in December 2015 and 46% in 2014).

Contactless payments via mobile

• One quarter (26%) of Australians are aware of having contactless payment options on their mobile phone.
  • 34% of Millennials, 24% of Generation X, 18% of Baby Boomers
  • 35% of people who use tap and go / contactless every day have tap and go on their mobile phone

• Of those respondents that are aware that they have mobile contactless capability, the frequency of use of mobile contactless payments is:
  • 28% weekly
  • 72% less often

Methodology

This study was conducted online during December 2016 using a sample of 1,000 Australians aged between 18-64 years old across Australia. Age, gender and area quotas were applied to the sample.