Ali Paterson is a host on Fintech Finance TV and a big fan of new payment technologies, although he won’t be leaving his leather wallet at home just yet.
I’m all for payment innovation but any new technology must be better than what we have already and not a passing craze.
It is great the disruptors in the FinTech market give consumers more choice because companies should not dictate how people pay for goods and services.
The examples of London buses banning cash and the Dartford Crossing telling its customers how they must pay are indefensibly dictatorial in my view.
Consumers should be allowed to choose their payment method without being penalised for their decision.
I love Apple Pay and I have used it since its UK launch in July. Supermarkets find it easy to accept payments by phone and more shops will add the scheme to their payment options.
The UK is a more important market than the US to assess how consumers will react to paying for their frequent shopping using a phone. We can boast more NFC enabled terminals then our friends across the Atlantic
But as much as I adore new technology I will still be carrying my physical wallet around with me.
The payments environment is evolving rapidly but people worry about the security of their data. I would too if I had all my payment details and passwords on my phone.
The future of FinTech needs to be about choice. Disruptors must build trust and this will come if current payment options can co-exist alongside new methods for as long as customers want them to.