The trial commenced in September 2016, with the charity organisations using portable payment boxes in a number of different ways – from volunteers roaming with boxes at special events to placing them next to the checkouts in charity stores. The boxes, developed in association with Payworks, Miura and Sprout are fitted out to accept both Chip and PIN and contactless donations including those made by wearable and mobile devices

Although it was only a short trial, the charities took more than £20,000 in donations – including one for £1,000 given to the NSPCC – and reported positive responses from the public.

Paulette Rowe, managing director of Barclaycard Payment Solutions, says: “Feedback from the trial has been extremely positive; our charity partners told us the boxes were simple to use, adaptable to a variety of situations and vital in securing donations where it may not have been possible before.”

Charities may be missing out on more than £80m in donations each year by only accepting cash donations, according to research commissioned from Barclaycard, with rising levels of contactless spending substituting for cash-only transactions. According to the Barcalycard study, four in ten Brits say they carry fewer notes and coins now than they did three years ago.