It can seem like a natural progression with technology; going cashless. However, as recent research suggests, we are not quite ready to take that step yet. It’s hard to imagine not having the option to pay in cash, but when you’re scraping around for change to buy a parking ticket, for example, it is quite easy to envision the convenience of paying by contactless technology. There are a number of digital wallets available on mobile phones, and many bank cards now have contactless, tap-and-go functions to pay for amounts under $30, so we are on our way there.
In this evolving landscape, services like Njmcdirect and the ones alike, tend to offer an alternative for managing your payments related to traffic violations and municipal citations. By allowing you to pay fines online, it provides a convenient option if you prefer digital transactions. Additionally, this can be particularly useful for people who may find themselves without cash when they need to settle a ticket. While cash remains an important payment method for many, having options like this can help ease the transition towards a more digital payment environment. This, in turn, can make it easier for you to handle obligations in a way that can suit your preferences.
Currently in the UK, only 30% of people have used Digital Wallets, on their mobile devices, however 65% of people do prefer using contactless, tap-and-go services for small amounts instead of cash, whether that’s on a mobile device or using their bank cards. So it seems we are happy with the ease of these payments, just not on using mobile technology for all of our banking and payment needs. This in-depth study looking at becoming a cashless society and using our mobile devices for more and more tasks in our everyday life was conducted by online cartridge company, Cartridge Save.
They surveyed over 5,500 people in the UK, to find out how adaptable people are to technology advancements we have seen over the last few years. When chip and pin was introduced to replace signing for card payments, many people were sceptical and resistant to these changes, as they were when bank cards were first introduced. So it’s not surprising many people are also worried about contactless card payments and even digital wallets in their mobile devices. However as past history shows us, we do adapt over time to using new advancements. At the moment 33% of people in the UK have no concerns about using tap-and-go services. So 10 years down the line we probably won’t think twice about using this technology. In fact, retail stores now can even go further with this type of technology by checking out the best EFTPOS machines for their business, as well as other types, so they can see which would suit them best for their needs.
One of the issues which probably concern most of us when it comes to any type of new technology especially around our money is security. As when bank cards were first introduced and later chip and pin, security was an issue. Whether it was someone being able to withdraw cash by forging your signature or stealing you chip and pin details and card, there has always been a cause for concern around security. Even now with using our cards online to shop and bank, people do find themselves caught by criminals who steal their data and bank details, draining their accounts.
So security will probably always be an issue. The research found that 31% of people are concerned about security around contactless, tap-and-go payments, whilst 19% are worried about fraud, so people illegally taking money from your card using this technology. Also even though there is a 30 max spend per transaction when using these payment options, 14% of people are concerned about how much could be spent if a card is stolen, at least before they have the chance to cancel the card.
The question is when will it become norm for us to just use this technology for payment and when will we be a cashless society?
