This Christmas drinkers in one London pub will be spared the ritual of frantically waving £20 notes at bar staff in an effort to grab their attention, thanks to a self-service beer pump with built-in contactless payment capabilities.
Dreamed up by Barclaycard, Pay@Pump lets drinkers order their pints on a touchscreen, pay for it with a tap of their contactless cards or NFC-enabled devices, and then, once payment is confirmed, pour.
Photo credit: PA
The average wait time at the bar over the festive period is 12 minutes, according to Barclaycard research, with a quarter of customers considering abandoning their purchases. Pump@Pay takes 60 seconds.
"I’m sure everyone has been stuck behind the person who orders the most complicated cocktail on the menu or a round of 10 drinks for their group of friends," says Tami Hargreaves, commercial director, digital consumer payments, Barclaycard.
"When people told us that waiting time was one of their biggest annoyances, we wanted to help solve a common problem with a simple solution."
The pump will be trialled over Christmas at London's Henry’s Café Bar and, with one in five UK card payments now contactless, Barclaycard is aiming for a larger rollout in the New Year.