Nearly 25% of all card transactions are now carried out via contactless channel in the UK, according to the figures released by the UK Cards Association.

Almost 325 million purchases were done through contactless debit and credit cards in November 2016, which accounts for 25% of all card payments during the month.

In November 2015, 11% of card transactions were contactless, so this achievement represents a significant growth.

Due to the rise in contactless payments, the spending in November has hit a record £2.9bn, up by 184% compared to the same month a year ago when contactless spending passed £1bn mark, according to the data of UK Cards Association.

Currently, there are 101.8 million contactless debit and credit cards in circulation in the UK. Nine in 10 (88%) contactless transactions are made using a debit card, a higher proportion than for card payments overall (78%).

The UK Cards Association head of policy Richard Koch said: “With 125 taps every second in the UK, it’s clear that people are opting for contactless when they are at the till.

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“No longer is it just for the lunchtime sandwich, consumers are using their contactless cards wherever they go – for the grocery shop, in clothes stores, and, increasingly, for the commute too.”

The average contactless transaction stood at £8.95 in November, up from £8.03 a year ago.