Latest study shows that where we live shapes how we pay

23 Dec 2009

The Payments Council has created an online, interactive map to demonstrate the varied payment attitudes, preferences and behaviours that can be seen in the different regions across Great Britain.

Payments Council research reveals:

Plastic cards: If you live in the South East you are most likely to have a plastic card (97%), whereas if you live in the West Midlands you are least likely to have one (86%).
Phone or internet banking: If you live in the South East you are most likely to use phone or internet banking (59 per cent), whilst if you are in the North East you are least likely to (46%).
Cash: Adults in East Anglia make the lowest number of cash machine withdrawals (51 per person annually).
Cheque usage: Fewer Scots write cheques* than in any other region (20% compared to the average for Britain of 31%), whilst Londoners depend on cheques the most (39%). The national average of people using cheques regularly fell by 6% between 2008 and 2009.

Taking a broad North-South** view, more Southerners hold plastic cards (95%) compared to their northern neighbours (91%); when it comes to cash withdrawals there isn’t a significant North South divide - Northerners and Southerners tend to make a similar number of cash withdrawals, both in terms of volume (59 and 58 respectively) and value (£3,855 and £3,920 respectively). There are however, more cheque users in the South as 35% of adults regularly use cheques for spontaneous payments, compared to 27% in the North.

Sandra Quinn, director of communications, says:

"This research, on the whole, confirms long standing trends; increasing reliance on debit cards and phone or internet banking and a noticeable decline in use of cheques. That said, while there are clear nationwide trends there are also parts of the country which stand out in comparison to the national statistics, for example the proportion of adults in the North East using internet or phone banking, which at 46 per cent is 7 per cent below the national average.

“Payment Regions brings together these regional variations and offers a fascinating insight into how our payment habits compare with those of our neighbours. It also demonstrates how as a nation our payment habits have evolved to take advantage of new technology and to meet the needs of our ever more demanding lifestyles."

To access the digital map, please click here.

For further information contact:

T: 020 7711 6316 E: press@ukpayments.org.uk

ENDS

NOTE TO EDITORS

The Payments Council is the organisation that sets strategy for UK payments. It has been established to ensure that UK payment systems and services meet the need of users, payment service providers and the wider economy.

The Payments Council has three core objectives: to have a strategic vision for payments and lead the future development of co-operative payment services in the UK; to ensure payment systems are open, accountable and transparent; and to ensure the operational efficiency, effectiveness and integrity of payment services in the UK.

The Payments Council is a membership organisation funded by its members, with an independent chairman. It was set up in March 2007 as a membership organisation funded by its members and currently there are 26 members; the Board has 11 banking representatives, four independent Directors and an independent Chairman. The principal UK payment schemes – Bacs, CHAPS and Cheque & Credit Clearing Companies, LINK Scheme as well as the UK Domestic Cheque Guarantee Card Scheme, the Belfast Bankers' Clearing Company Limited and the Currency Clearings – have entered into a contract with the Payments Council to set out their respective rights and duties towards each other. Under the contract, schemes are required to report regularly to the Payments Council Board: the Board is able to make decisions that are binding on scheme members in order to implement its strategy. Payments Council also has 10 associate members.

Payments Council undertakes annual consumer research to understand and track how the nation makes payments. It is the most comprehensive ongoing study of its kind. These regional comparisons were based on research undertaken with 3,859 adults.

* Spontaneous payments are those that don’t arise from an existing commitment to pay, and include payments in the retail, travel and entertainment sectors and payments to other individuals and tradespeople.

** Regional split: • North: North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands and Scotland. • South: South West, South East, East Anglia, Greater London and Wales