Digital payments refer to any form of cashless payment, or payments conducted without banknotes or coins, in an online or offline environment. Such payments can include mobile payments - digital payments performed with a mobile device - but also relatively new trends like buy now, pay later (BNPL), cryptocurrency, or instant (real-time) payments. Out of all these digital options, which developments are noteworthy to know about for the UK?
Digital payments landscape in the United Kingdom (UK) - statistics & facts
Digital payments refer to any form of cashless payment, or payments conducted without banknotes or coins, in an online or offline environment. Such payments can include mobile payments - digital payments performed with a mobile device - but also relatively new trends like buy now, pay later (BNPL), cryptocurrency, or instant (real-time) payments. Out of all these digital options, which developments are noteworthy to know about for the UK?
Key insights
- Forecasted number of digital payment transactions in Europe
- 286.5bn
Detailed statistics
Number of digital payments worldwide by region 2013-2021, with forecasts to 2026
- Credit card penetration in the UK
- 62.1%
Detailed statistics
Credit card penetration in 161 countries worldwide 2011, 2014, 2017, 2021
- Buy now, pay later market share in domestic e-commerce in the UK
- 8%
Detailed statistics
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) share in e-commerce in 41 countries worldwide 2016-2022
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Current statistics on this topic
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Market share
6
- Premium Statistic Annual level of cash payments in the UK 2000-2021
- Premium Statistic Ratio of currency in circulation (CIC) to GDP of the UK 2012-2021
- Premium Statistic Most popular in-store payment methods in the UK 2017-2022
- Premium Statistic Payments at points of sale by type in the UK 2023
- Premium Statistic Most popular e-commerce payment methods in the UK 2016-2022
- Premium Statistic Most common online payments by type in the UK 2023
Market share
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Annual level of cash payments in the UK 2000-2021
Annual level of cash payments in the UK 2000-2021
Share of cash estimate at point of sale (POS) in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2000 to 2021
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Ratio of currency in circulation (CIC) to GDP of the UK 2012-2021
Ratio of currency in circulation (CIC) to GDP of the UK 2012-2021
Share of currency in circulation (CIC) to the nominal GDP of the United Kingdom (UK) from 2012 to 2021
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Most popular in-store payment methods in the UK 2017-2022
Most popular in-store payment methods in the UK 2017-2022
Market share of cash, credit cards, and other payment methods at point of sale (POS) in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022
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Payments at points of sale by type in the UK 2023
Payments at points of sale by type in the UK 2023
Payments at points of sale by type in the UK as of June 2023
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Most popular e-commerce payment methods in the UK 2016-2022
Most popular e-commerce payment methods in the UK 2016-2022
Market share of credit cards, wallets, BNPL, and other payment methods in e-commerce in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2016 to 2022
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Most common online payments by type in the UK 2023
Most common online payments by type in the UK 2023
Most common online payments by type in the UK as of June 2023
Penetration
7
- Premium Statistic Penetration rate of credit cards in the United Kingdom 2013-2028
- Premium Statistic Penetration rate of debit cards in the United Kingdom 2013-2028
- Premium Statistic Mobile payments by situation in the UK 2022
- Premium Statistic Payment types accepted by e-commerce vendors in the UK between 2022 and 2024
- Premium Statistic Weekly consumer searches for "QR Code" topic on Google in the UK 2018-2023
- Premium Statistic Annual crypto adoption development in the UK 2020-2022, by metric
- Premium Statistic Instant payment share in payment transactions in the UK in 2022 and 2027
Penetration
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Penetration rate of credit cards in the United Kingdom 2013-2028
Penetration rate of credit cards in the United Kingdom 2013-2028
Penetration rate of credit cards in the United Kingdom from 2013 to 2028
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Penetration rate of debit cards in the United Kingdom 2013-2028
Penetration rate of debit cards in the United Kingdom 2013-2028
Penetration rate of debit cards in the United Kingdom from 2013 to 2028
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Mobile payments by situation in the UK 2022
Mobile payments by situation in the UK 2022
Mobile payments by situation in the UK in 2022
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Payment types accepted by e-commerce vendors in the UK between 2022 and 2024
Payment types accepted by e-commerce vendors in the UK between 2022 and 2024
Current and future implementation of selected digital payments in e-commerce in the United Kingdom (UK) as of February 2022
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Weekly consumer searches for "QR Code" topic on Google in the UK 2018-2023
Weekly consumer searches for "QR Code" topic on Google in the UK 2018-2023
Search interest of consumers in the search topic "QR Code" in the United Kingdom (UK) from March 2018 to March 2023
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Annual crypto adoption development in the UK 2020-2022, by metric
Annual crypto adoption development in the UK 2020-2022, by metric
Crypto Adoption Index ranking of the United Kingdom (UK) from 2020 to 2022, by metric
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Instant payment share in payment transactions in the UK in 2022 and 2027
Instant payment share in payment transactions in the UK in 2022 and 2027
Market share of real time payments within overall payment transactions in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2022, with a forecast for 2027
Biggest brands
5
- Premium Statistic Visa, Mastercard market share in the UK 2016-2021
- Premium Statistic Most used mobile payments by brand in the UK 2023
- Premium Statistic Most used online payments by brand in the UK 2023
- Premium Statistic Key buy now pay, later apps in the UK 2015-2023, based on quarterly downloads
- Premium Statistic Key crypto wallets in the UK 2015-2023, based on quarterly downloads
Biggest brands
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Visa, Mastercard market share in the UK 2016-2021
Visa, Mastercard market share in the UK 2016-2021
Biggest payment card brands - Visa, Mastercard, American Express - in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2016 to 2021
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Most used mobile payments by brand in the UK 2023
Most used mobile payments by brand in the UK 2023
Most used mobile payments by brand in the UK as of June 2023
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Most used online payments by brand in the UK 2023
Most used online payments by brand in the UK 2023
Most used online payments by brand in the UK as of June 2023
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Key buy now pay, later apps in the UK 2015-2023, based on quarterly downloads
Key buy now pay, later apps in the UK 2015-2023, based on quarterly downloads
Biggest buy now, pay later (BNPL) apps in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1st quarter of 2015 up until 1st quarter of 2023, by number of downloads
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Key crypto wallets in the UK 2015-2023, based on quarterly downloads
Key crypto wallets in the UK 2015-2023, based on quarterly downloads
Biggest wallets for cryptocurrency storage in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1st quarter of 2015 up until 1st quarter of 2023, by number of downloads
Users
7
- Premium Statistic Annual credit card and debit cards issued in the UK 2000-2021
- Premium Statistic Credit card penetration in the UK in 2011, 2014, 2017, and 2021, by demographic
- Premium Statistic Debit card penetration in the UK in 2011, 2014, 2017, and 2021, by demographic
- Premium Statistic Preference for payment by smartwatch in the UK in 2022, by age and gender
- Premium Statistic Buy now, pay later (BNPL) market size in the UK as of 2020
- Premium Statistic Quarterly number of crypto users in the UK 2021-2022
- Premium Statistic Crypto adoption in the UK as of November 2022, by age and gender
Users
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Annual credit card and debit cards issued in the UK 2000-2021
Annual credit card and debit cards issued in the UK 2000-2021
Total number of credit cards and debit cards in circulation in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2000 to 2021
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Credit card penetration in the UK in 2011, 2014, 2017, and 2021, by demographic
Credit card penetration in the UK in 2011, 2014, 2017, and 2021, by demographic
Share of individuals who own a credit card in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2011 to 2021, by age, gender, and income level
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Debit card penetration in the UK in 2011, 2014, 2017, and 2021, by demographic
Debit card penetration in the UK in 2011, 2014, 2017, and 2021, by demographic
Share of individuals who own a debit card in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2011 to 2021, by age, gender, and income level
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Preference for payment by smartwatch in the UK in 2022, by age and gender
Preference for payment by smartwatch in the UK in 2022, by age and gender
Share of respondents in the United Kingdom who prefer to pay with a smartwatch over cash, card, mobile phone, or biometric payment method in the 2nd quarter and 3rd quarter of 2022
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Buy now, pay later (BNPL) market size in the UK as of 2020
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) market size in the UK as of 2020
Estimate of buy now, pay later (BNPL) lending in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2020
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Quarterly number of crypto users in the UK 2021-2022
Quarterly number of crypto users in the UK 2021-2022
Estimated number of people who hold or trade cryptocurrency in the United Kingdom (UK) from 4th quarter of 2021 to 4th quarter of 2022
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Crypto adoption in the UK as of November 2022, by age and gender
Crypto adoption in the UK as of November 2022, by age and gender
Crypto ownership among consumers in the United Kingdom (UK) in the three months prior to November 2022, by age and gender
Transaction value
6
- Premium Statistic Annual credit card spending in the UK 2012-2021, in local currency and USD
- Premium Statistic Annual debit card spending in the UK 2012-2021, in local currency and USD
- Premium Statistic Annual contactless spending in the UK 2014-2022, in local currency and USD
- Premium Statistic Global QR payment market size in 2020 with forecasts to 2025, by region
- Premium Statistic Buy now, pay later (BNPL) market size in the UK in 2022, with a 2028 forecast
- Premium Statistic Annual instant payment spending in the UK 2008-2022, in local currency and USD
Transaction value
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Annual credit card spending in the UK 2012-2021, in local currency and USD
Annual credit card spending in the UK 2012-2021, in local currency and USD
Value of credit card transactions for payments in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2012 to 2021 (in million British pounds, and estimates in U.S. dollars)
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Annual debit card spending in the UK 2012-2021, in local currency and USD
Annual debit card spending in the UK 2012-2021, in local currency and USD
Value of debit card transactions for payments in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2012 to 2021 (in million British pounds, and estimates in U.S. dollars)
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Annual contactless spending in the UK 2014-2022, in local currency and USD
Annual contactless spending in the UK 2014-2022, in local currency and USD
Value of overall contactless transactions for payments in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2014 to 2022 (in million British pounds, and estimates in U.S. dollars)
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Global QR payment market size in 2020 with forecasts to 2025, by region
Global QR payment market size in 2020 with forecasts to 2025, by region
Market size of QR code transactions in various regions worldwide in 2020 with forecasts from 2021 to 2025 (in billion U.S. dollars)
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Buy now, pay later (BNPL) market size in the UK in 2022, with a 2028 forecast
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) market size in the UK in 2022, with a 2028 forecast
Estimated transaction value of buy now, pay later (BNPL) in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2022, with forecasts for 2023 and 2028 (in million U.S. dollars)
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Annual instant payment spending in the UK 2008-2022, in local currency and USD
Annual instant payment spending in the UK 2008-2022, in local currency and USD
Value of real time payments in the United Kingdom (UK) with local scheme Faster Payments (FP) from 2008 to 2022 (in million British pounds, and estimates in U.S. dollars)
Number of transactions (per user)
6
- Premium Statistic Annual number of credit card transactions in the UK 2012-2021, per capita
- Premium Statistic Annual number of debit card transactions in the UK 2012-2021, per capita
- Premium Statistic Annual number of contactless card transactions in the UK 2014-2022
- Premium Statistic Annual number of instant payment transactions in the UK 2008-2022
- Premium Statistic Size of a credit card transaction in the UK 2012-2021, in local currency and USD
- Premium Statistic Size of a debit card transaction in the UK 2012-2021, in local currency and USD
Number of transactions (per user)
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Annual number of credit card transactions in the UK 2012-2021, per capita
Annual number of credit card transactions in the UK 2012-2021, per capita
Total number of credit card transactions processed for payments in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2012 to 2021
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Annual number of debit card transactions in the UK 2012-2021, per capita
Annual number of debit card transactions in the UK 2012-2021, per capita
Total number of debit card transactions processed for payments in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2012 to 2021
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Annual number of contactless card transactions in the UK 2014-2022
Annual number of contactless card transactions in the UK 2014-2022
Total number of contactless (tap to pay) card transactions processed for payments in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2014 to 2022
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Annual number of instant payment transactions in the UK 2008-2022
Annual number of instant payment transactions in the UK 2008-2022
Total number of real-time payment transactions in the United Kingdom (UK) with local scheme Faster Payments (FP) from 2008-2022 (in millions)
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Size of a credit card transaction in the UK 2012-2021, in local currency and USD
Size of a credit card transaction in the UK 2012-2021, in local currency and USD
Average value of a credit card transaction in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2012 to 2021 (in British pounds, and estimates in U.S. dollars)
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Size of a debit card transaction in the UK 2012-2021, in local currency and USD
Size of a debit card transaction in the UK 2012-2021, in local currency and USD
Average value of a debit card transaction in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2012 to 2021 (in British pounds, and estimates in U.S. dollars)
Miscellaneous
7
- Premium Statistic POS terminals in the UK 2012-2021
- Premium Statistic Unbanked population in the UK in 2011, 2014, 2017, and 2021, by demographic
- Premium Statistic Internet users in the United Kingdom 2013-2028
- Premium Statistic Mobile internet usage reach in the United Kingdom 2013-2028
- Premium Statistic Online retail sales in the United Kingdom (UK) 2012-2022
- Premium Statistic Main cross-border online shopping markets in the UK 2022, by market share
- Premium Statistic Annual outgoing and incoming remittance flow in the UK 2021, by country
Miscellaneous
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POS terminals in the UK 2012-2021
POS terminals in the UK 2012-2021
Total number of POS terminals in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2012 to 2021 (in 1,000s)
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Unbanked population in the UK in 2011, 2014, 2017, and 2021, by demographic
Unbanked population in the UK in 2011, 2014, 2017, and 2021, by demographic
Share of individuals who are unbanked, as they do not have access to an account at a financial institution, in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2011 to 2021, by age, gender, and income level
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Internet users in the United Kingdom 2013-2028
Internet users in the United Kingdom 2013-2028
Number of internet users in the United Kingdom from 2013 to 2028 (in millions)
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Mobile internet usage reach in the United Kingdom 2013-2028
Mobile internet usage reach in the United Kingdom 2013-2028
Mobile internet usage penetration in the United Kingdom from 2013 to 2028
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Online retail sales in the United Kingdom (UK) 2012-2022
Online retail sales in the United Kingdom (UK) 2012-2022
Value of online retail sales in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2012 to 2022 (in billion GBP)
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Main cross-border online shopping markets in the UK 2022, by market share
Main cross-border online shopping markets in the UK 2022, by market share
Leading markets of origin of cross-border online purchases in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2022, by market share
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Annual outgoing and incoming remittance flow in the UK 2021, by country
Annual outgoing and incoming remittance flow in the UK 2021, by country
Value of remittances sent from/to the United Kingdom to/from other countries or territories worldwide in 2021 (in million U.S. dollars)
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