Contactless Big Issue Seller

A Big Issue seller has become the first in the UK to accept contactless payments and Apple Pay.

16:36 09 February 2016

Simon Mott, a Big Issue seller in London has become the first in the UK to accept contactless payments and Apple Pay. He has been selling outside South Kensington tube station for the past five years and he said he got fed up with people saying they didn’t have any spare change.

 

This pushed him to invest in a card reader from Swedish firm iZettle, which allows him to take payments using his smartphone.

 

He said: "A lot of young people are using contactless cards and wearable payment technology, so for me it’s about having the facilities to take those payments if they come to me.”

 

"Whether you have a contactless card or any of the wearable contactless bands like Barclaycard bPay or an Apple Watch, you can just flick your wrist and pay for The Big Issue that way."

 

"It is safer because you're not carrying cash. But obviously you are carrying expensive equipment, so there’s a trade off," he said

 

"The machinery's in your pocket, so you only get it out for the transaction and then you put it back in your pocket."