Clinton Cards is to trial contactless payment in 50 of its stores in London and Liverpool from this month.

In a deal with RBS WorldPay, the Visa payWave contactless technology allows shoppers to touch the reader with their cards, with payments of up to £15 taking less than a second. It is expected to help reduce queues.

Currently an estimated third of all in-store transactions at Clinton Cards are made using Chip and PIN terminals, with 150 card transactions per store on average during lunchtime. This figure increases during seasonal peaks such as Christmas or Valentine’s Day.

Clinton Cards group EPoS system manager Robert Brown said: “The contactless system is very suitable for our business, as the vast majority of transactions are under £15. As the contactless system provides a faster transaction time for any payment up to £15, it will allow us to tend to a greater number of customers, which will be invaluable during peak shopping times.”

He added that it would also “help customers who feel uncomfortable paying by Chip and PIN for small amounts when there are people waiting behind them”.

Other retailers such as Boots and Co-op are also trialling contactless payment.

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