The Church of England has teamed up with payments firm SumUp to trial a 'digital collection plate' that lets members of church congregations donate with their card or phone, rather than cash.
The portable collection box is equipped with an embedded SumUp card reader and a smartphone, which can be passed around during the offertory part of a service.
This allows cashless parishioners to choose a donation amount (from four set by the Church itself), and pay in seconds with their contactless cards, Apple Pay or Google Pay, before passing the device on.
SumUp says it has received positive feedback from churches involved in the trial, with a doubling of donations. The firm is now planning to make the collection box available to churches throughout England and Wales via the Church’s Parish Buying service.
Reverend Margaret Cave, Vicar of Christ Church East Greenwich, says: "We’ve seen a younger crowd flocking to Christchurch East Greenwich over the past few years, with our morning meetings for parents and babies, as well as various youth groups trips.
"This means a new generation of churchgoers who don’t carry loose change. Our congregation love that we’re on the front foot when it comes to modern technology."