Nearly one in three consumers (31%) never pay by contactless because they don’t trust the technology, according to new research.

A poll of more than 2,300 people found that only 36% of respondents use contactless payment, despite the payment limit increasing from £20 to £30 in September 2015.

Of those who don’t use contactless, a further 14% said their cards are not contactless enabled; 14% said they didn’t know if their cards were contactless; and 5% said they don’t shop anywhere that accepts contactless.

The Future Thinking poll also found that age played a key role in determining usage, with 43% of over 55’s saying they don’t trust contactless, compared to 22% of under 35’s.

Noreen Kinsey, senior research director at Future Thinking, said: “It is clear from recent figures that there has been a huge increase in the number of purchases using contactless technology. This reflects consumer desires for quicker payment methods and increased convenience. 

“As with all new technologies there is still some reluctance towards this technology, particularly amongst older age groups, who may be further isolated as we move towards mobile pay and other tech-enabled purchase solutions.”