More than half or 54 % of the Latvian population think that contactless cards replace the necessity for cash when making everyday purchases. Among the population that uses contactless cards regularly, the confidence is even higher — almost 80% agree to the statement, shows Mastercard and Finance Latvia Association’s study.
A new generation — new habits. 37 % of the Latvian population age 25 to 34 don’t have or rarely have cash in their wallets. If we look at the situation in Latvia in general, 26 % of Latvian inhabitants on a daily basis don’t or rarely carry cash in their wallets at all.
The biggest part of Latvian inhabitants (70%) points out, that they feel dissatisfaction if at the point of sale it is not possible to pay with a bank card. An even larger proportion of dissatisfaction is among regular contactless payment users.
“We are now witnessing that the contactless cards are becoming the everyday life of the population of Latvia and the new norm. This research data clearly shows that according to the clients, what is the easiest way to pay for daily purchases, as well as, that a new generation is developing, that is reluctant to keep cash in their wallets. These habits are undeniably enhanced by the development of technologies. A contactless card is like having exact change on you at all times. Pay easily – “Beep and done!” Using a contactless card is safer than keeping cash in your wallet. Contactless cards are as secure as PIN-protected cards. For security purposes, contactless card payments without the PIN entry in Latvia and in the Baltics have a limit of 25 euros.”
– Ronalds Platkājis, Finance Latvia Association Payment card subcommittee, Co-chair, Head of cards at SEB banka
“The population of Latvia, like the population of other euro area countries, use both cash and non-cash payments for everyday purchases. The Bank of Latvia’s “Payment Radar” data show that a Latvian citizen on average makes 13 payments a week, of which 8 (or 63%) are non-cash. In the euro area cash is the most popular means of payment in terms of the number of payments at points of sale and payments of smaller amounts (up to € 45). Of course, there are big differences between countries as well as depending on the billing location – cash is very popular in markets and street stands because of the technical options for making the payments.
Technological development and accessibility of payments promote and will continue promoting the popularity of non-cash payments, but this transition is happening very gradually. Technological changes not only create convenience, but also will gradually make the use of non-cash payments possible in situations where till now it has been very burdensome, for example, instant payments between private persons – family members, payments in rural markets, and so on.”– Janis Blums, Member of the Board of Bank of Latvia
“Easy, fast payments is a part of the good service that a merchant can offer to his customer. And not only research, but also real life in stores shows that more and more clients choose non-cash payments. The possibility to pay by card, as well as the rapid development of self-service zones, has stimulated people’s choice in favor of payment cards. For example, in Rimi stores the number of people who choose to pay with a card instead of cash over the year has increased by 5%.”
– Noris Kruzitis, Chief Executive of Latvian Food Retailers Association’s
Mastercard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry. We operate the world’s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. Mastercard products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MastercardNews, join the discussion on the Beyond the Transaction Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau.
In order to raise awareness of contactless card payments benefits among shoppers and merchants, Mastercard in partnership with Finance Latvia Association organize the informative campaign “Beep and Done” from January to March 2019. During the campaign the main cooperation partners — Maxima, Narvesen and Rimi — were the first to join the “Beep and Done” movement, informing their customers about the advantages of contactless cards. Merchants are kindly invited to appreciate the advantages of contactless cards at their stores, to support the informative campaign and to join the “Beep and Done” incentive. For more information visit: www.piikungatavs.lv
Mastercard and Finance Latvia Association in cooperation with SKDS carried out the survey as a part of an informative campaign “Beep and Done” among Latvian residents in autumn 2018, interviewing 1’005 respondents aged 18–75 years.
Kristīne Mennika, Head of Strategic Communication (+371 26528533 , kristine.mennika@financelatvia.eu).
Ieva Lapiņa-Ennīte, Vīlands Associates (+371 29375689, ieva.lapina@vilands.lv)
Press release
26 March 2019
