cards Archives - APCA Blog

How Australians Make and Take Payments

20 September, 2017
Andy White
Payment System

The RBA recently published its 2016 Consumer Payments Survey. Key findings were that survey participants made 37% of their payments with cash (compared to 69% in 2007) and 52% of their payments with a card (compared to 26% in 2007). This…

Payments Industry Policy and Government Round-up

In recent months, the Commonwealth Government has announced a number of initiatives that touch on the world of payments. We are pleased to be working in a collaborative capacity with the government on the topics outlined below. If you would…

Milestones Report, May 2017: Cheque use plunges in the digital economy

Our latest Milestones Report looks at the payment choices Australian make. It’s clear that the vast majority are moving away from cash and cheques faster than ever before. This is happening because widespread use of new technology combined with a…

Infographic: The Digital Economy November 2016

25 November, 2016
Alice Markie
Payment System

Cheques now represent just 1.2% of all non-cash transactions as Australians show a clear preference for electronic payment methods. Over the past 10 years, cheque use has declined by nearly 73% and the rate of decline is accelerating. Simultaneously, cash…

RBA data suggests 40% of credit card values in Australia are now card-not-present

Change is pretty well the only constant when it comes to consumer payments. In Australia, we have seen a rapid uptake in contactless card use as well as increased use of online payments. Conversely, we have seen a rapid decline in personal cheque use as well as an ever-diminishing use of cash. Monitoring changing payment usage can be notoriously difficult. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) and APCA collect and publish statistics from industry participants on cheques, cards and electronic payments as well the number of ATMs and POS devices. However, other types of usage such as cash use and the split between card-present (point-of-sale) and card-not-present (internet, telephone and mail) transactions are more difficult to track. Consumers and merchants don’t regularly record or report their own payments activity – meaning we only get a partial picture of how payments use is evolving.