Barclaycard has unveiled its latest payment innovation – ‘Contactless Cones’ – a self-service ice cream van designed to reduce the wait time for customers by introducing contactless technology to a typically cash-only service.

The new van consists of two separate queues, allowing ice cream fans who simply want a vanilla cone to pay and pour their own ice cream, freeing up the vendor to take orders simultaneously for ice lollies and other snacks.

According to Barclaycard research, two thirds of Brits make a purchase from an ice cream van at least once over the summer, while 32 per cent buy an ice cream at least once a month. Almost half of ice-cream lovers (40 per cent) report becoming frustrated by long wait times at ice-cream vans and over a quarter (26 per cent) have given up on the queue altogether.

Tami Hargreaves, director of innovation and partnerships at Barclaycard mobile payments, said: “Ice-cream vans have long been a real staple of British summertime and to mark the 10th anniversary of introducing contactless to the UK, we wanted to celebrate this popular tradition with a prototype that gives it a modern makeover. ‘Touch and go’ payments are continuing to soar in popularity, so that’s why we developed ‘Contactless Cones’.”

The latest innovation follows previous initiatives from Barclaycard, including a range of wearable devices designed for donating small amounts to charity. The payments firm has also previously partnered with fashion brands to incorporate their technology into accessories such as watches, jewellery and stickers.

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