Bristol is leading the way as the contactless capital of the UK and could be among the country's first cashless cities as a result.
The city is where the largest percentage of contactless card payments are made in the whole of the UK, it has been revealed.
Close to 75 per cent of card transactions were completed by simply tapping in 2018, a 14 per cent increase on the previous year.
Behind Bristol in the top five are Hull, London, Durham and Hemel Hempstead.
How I went cashless in Bristol - and it was absolutely fine
The research was carried out by payment specialists Paymentsense, and they believe the towns and cities in the top ten will be the first to go completely cashless, while Manchester and Newcastle lag behind.
Top ten cities for contactless card transactions
- Bristol - 73.14%,
- Hull - 72.84%
- London - 72.48%
- Durham - 71.64%
- Hemel Hempstead - 70.48%
- Slough - 70.17%
- York - 69.49%
- Birmingham - 68.52%
- Sunderland - 68.36%
- Leeds - 68.32%
Work to begin on final phase of Paintworks development after 15 years
The experts believe this could give Bristol an edge in attracting profits and business because it shows an adaptability in the digital era.
Guy Moreve, chief marketing officer at Paymentsense, said: “As a society, we’re close to becoming cashless, with contactless transactions reaching over £5.6 billion in 2018 and set increase even further in 2019.
"There are areas of the country such as Bristol that are adapting to the shift in payments, while other large towns like Manchester and Newcastle are struggling to keep up according to our data.
"These cities must move with the times to stay competitive in our current digital era."
He added: "For the many businesses that have embraced the cashless society, the prospect of the increase in contactless payments is a positive move and likely to lead to business success ”
