Half of UK consumers would donate more to charity if they did not have to rely on having cash, new research reveals.

The poll, commissioned by Nationwide Current Accounts, shows that charity collectors and street artists could boost their takings by going contactless with Brits more likely to give twice as much if they use their phones or cards to pay.

Those who donate online give an average of £5.47 versus £2.34 for those who give cash. And with nine in ten Brits (91 per cent) claiming that they are generous, freeing up new ways to pay could add a significant amount to collection pots.

The poll highlighted that more than half (52 per cent) of those surveyed said that while they wanted to give cash, they did not have any loose change when it mattered most.

The launch of mobile payment platforms - Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay – now means many have replaced their wallets and purses with their smartphones. Nationwide’s research shows that around a third of people (29 per cent) today view their mobile phone as their most important everyday possession, further demonstrating why many see it as a natural choice for payments. This figure jumps to 54 per cent of those aged 18-24 years old.

Paul Horlock, Nationwide Building Society’s director of payments, said: “Mobile phones are increasingly becoming our go-to devices for living our day-to-day lives – helping us navigate, keep abreast on social media and make quick and easy payments.

“Such is the pace of technology that it is perhaps easy to forget than much of the functionality many of us take for granted is less than ten years old. Digital wallets were only introduced in the last few years and now Nationwide members make millions of payments with their phones each and every week, with usage more than trebling in the last year alone.”

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