Tech-savvy buskers now accepting card payment
Don’t worry, you can still pay by coin too.
- Best New Journalist 2019 Australian IT Journalism Awards
London has taken another step toward a cashless future.
Companies Busk and iZettle, a Swedish tech firm recently bought by PayPal, are making it possible for people to support buskers and street artists in London with contactless payments over the coming months.
The scheme will let buskers plug an NFC-based card reader into their phones for you to tap with your credit card and pay a fixed donation. The companies trialled the system for two weeks and trial-member Charlotte Campbell, a full-time busker, said it "had a significant impact on contributions", according to the BBC.
The world has been embracing contactless payments, with Canada as the No. 1 cashless country. Sweden is at No. 2, with 80 percent of transactions cashless. The US has been a slower adopter however, with mobile payments making up only 1 percent of in-store transactions, according to 451 Research.