A new app has launched that lets cashless Brits use their mobile phones to snap photos of charity logos to make donations.
Brits give around £1.6 billion in cash to good causes each year, but charities could miss out on a "chunk" of this as people increasingly leave home without notes and coins in their wallets, according to the Charities Aid Foundation and the Payments Council.
The SnapDonate Android and iOS app aims to tackle this "cash timebomb" by making it easy for people to make spontaneous donations. The app uses a "magic lens" to recognise charity logos - users just snap the image and pick how much to give.
The system currently recognises dozens of logos, including those belonging to Age UK and Save the Children, but users can donate to around 13,000 charities by searching within the app. There is no fee and donations are handled by JustGiving.
Nick Georgiadis, head, direct giving, Cancer Research UK, says: “In a society that is increasingly moving away from cash as a way of conducting payments, it's important charities make use of innovative ways for supporters to donate. Any technology solution that makes charity giving easier and straightforward is welcomed."