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UK Cards and Payments: Opportunities and Risks to 2030

Publisher GlobalData
Published Apr 01, 2026
Length 115 Pages
SKU # GBDT21151363

Description

UK Cards and Payments: Opportunities and Risks to 2030

Summary

GlobalData’s ‘UK Cards and Payments: Opportunities and Risks to 2030' report provides detailed analysis of market trends in the UK cards and payments industry. It provides values and volumes for a number of key performance indicators in the industry, including cards, credit transfers, direct debits, cash, and cheques during the review-period (2021-25e).

The report also analyzes various payment card markets operating in the industry and provides detailed information on the number of cards in circulation, transaction values and volumes during the review-period and over the forecast-period (2026f-30f). It also offers information on the country's competitive landscape, including market shares of issuers and schemes.

The report brings together GlobalData’s research, modeling, and analysis expertise to allow banks and card issuers to identify segment dynamics and competitive advantages. The report also covers detailed regulatory policies and recent changes in regulatory structure.GlobalData’s ‘UK Cards and Payments: Opportunities and Risks to 2030' report provides top-level market analysis, information and insights into the UK cards and payments industry, including:
  • Current and forecast values for each market in the UK cards and payments industry, including debit, credit and charge cards.
  • Detailed insights into payment instruments including cards, credit transfers, direct debits, cash, and cheques. It also, includes an overview of the country's key alternative payment instruments.
  • Ecommerce market analysis.
  • Analysis of various market drivers and regulations governing the UK cards and payments industry.
  • Detailed analysis of strategies adopted by banks and other institutions to market debit, credit and charge cards.
  • Comprehensive analysis of consumer attitudes and buying preferences for cards.
  • The competitive landscape of the UK cards and payments industry.
Key Highlights
  • Ecommerce is thriving, fueled by the growing availability of fast delivery options and developing logistics infrastructure. In October 2023, Amazon announced plans to launch its drone delivery service Prime Air in the UK. In January 2025, Amazon confirmed that its Darlington fulfillment center in North East England will be the first UK site for Prime Air deliveries. The initiative targets delivery of small parcels (up to five pounds) within two hours. In January 2026, Amazon’s MK30 drone received Civil Aviation Authority approval to operate. While deliveries have not yet begun, the service is expected to launch officially in 2026.
  • Open banking is gaining traction. To capitalize, in September 2025, payments orchestration platform Paytently teamed with Mastercard to launch Paytently Open Banking. Powered by Mastercard Open Finance, this account-to-account (A2A) checkout payment solution allows UK customers to pay directly from their bank, which helps merchants boost conversion rates and improve cash flow. Leveraging Mastercard’s open banking infrastructure and Paytently’s orchestration engine, the solution offers end-to-end secure bank authentication, payment initiation, and streamlined reconciliation, routing each transaction over the most efficient rail for instant confirmation and faster settlement.
  • Contactless payments are popular in the UK. In May 2025, Edinburgh launched a multimodal, multi-operator account-based ticketing system known as Tap-on, Tap-off (ToTo). Under this scheme, passengers simply tap a contactless debit or credit card (or compatible device) against a platform validator before boarding a tram and tap again upon arrival to complete their journey. Developed by Flowbird, the ToTo system was integrated with Lothian Buses’ existing TapCap platform. By October 29, 2025, Edinburgh Trams had logged over 1 million journeys using the ToTo system.
Scope
  • Card market size in terms of number of cards, value and volume of transactions in the UK along with detailed card segmentation of debit, credit and charge cards available in the country.
  • Market sizing and analysis of major payment instruments including cards, credit transfers, direct debits, cash, and cheques.
  • Payment market trends and growth for both historical and forecast period
  • Competitor analysis with detailed insights into leading card issuers and schemes.
  • Comprehensive analysis of consumer attitudes and buying preferences for cards.
  • A detailed snapshot of country's key alternative payment brands.
Reasons to Buy
  • Make strategic business decisions, using top-level historic and forecast market data, related to the UK cards and payments industry and each market within it.
  • Understand the key market trends and growth opportunities in the UK cards and payments industry.
  • Assess the competitive dynamics in the UK cards and payments industry.
  • Gain insights into marketing strategies used for various card types in the UK.
  • Gain insights into key regulations governing the UK cards and payments industry.

Table of Contents

115 Pages
1. Executive Summary
2. Market Overview
3. Macroeconomics, Regulation, and Infrastructure
4. Payment Instruments
5. Card-Based Payments
6. Card Payment Acquiring
7. Instant Payments
8.Digital Wallet Payments
9. Buy Now Pay Later
10. Retail Payments
11. In-Store Payments
12. Ecommerce Payments
13. Bill Payments
14. P2P and Remittances
15. Appendix
List of Tables
Key facts, 2025
Payment instrument transaction values (LCU), 2021-2030f
Payment instrument transaction values ($), 2021-2030f
Payment instrument transaction volumes (units), 2021-2030f
Payment cards in circulation by type (units), 2021-2030f
Volume of payment card transactions (units), 2021-2030f
Value of payment card transactions (LCU), 2021-2030f
Value of payment card transactions ($), 2021-2030f
Debit cards in circulation (units), 2021-2030f
Debit card transaction volumes, 2021-2030f
Debit card transaction values (LCU), 2021-2030f
Debit card transaction values ($), 2021-2030f
Debit cards in circulation by scheme (units), 2021-25e
Debit card transaction values by scheme (LCU), 2021-25e
Debit card transaction values by scheme ($), 2021-25e
Debit cards in circulation by issuer (units), 2021-25e
Debit cards transaction value by issuer (LCU), 2021-25e
Debit cards transaction value by issuer ($), 2021-25e
Credit and charge cards in circulation (Units), 2021-2030f
Credit and charge card transaction volumes, 2021-2030f
Credit and charge card transaction values (units), 2021-2030f
Credit and charge card transaction values ($), 2021-2030f
Credit and charge cards in circulation by scheme (units), 2021-25e
Credit and charge card transaction values by scheme (LCU), 2021-25e
Credit and charge card transaction values by scheme ($), 2021-25e
Credit and charge cards in circulation by issuer (units), 2021-25e
Credit and charge cards transaction value by issuer (LCU), 2021-25e
Credit and charge cards transaction value by issuer ($), 2021-25e
Credit card in circulation (units), 2021-2030f
Credit card transaction volumes, 2021-2030f
Credit card transaction values (LCU), 2021-2030f
Credit card transaction values ($), 2021-2030f
Credit card in circulation by scheme (units), 2021-25e
Credit card transaction values by scheme (LCU), 2021-25e
Credit card transaction values by scheme ($), 2021-25e
Charge card in circulation (units), 2021-2030f
Charge card transaction volumes, 2021-2030f
Charge card transaction values (LCU), 2021-2030f
Charge card transaction values ($), 2021-2030f
Charge card in circulation by scheme (units), 2021-25e
Charge card transaction values by scheme (LCU), 2021-25e
Charge card transaction values by scheme ($), 2021-25e
merchant acquiring transaction volumes (units), 2021-2030f
merchant acquiring transaction values (LCU), 2021-2030f
merchant acquiring transaction values ($), 2021-2030f
acquirers’ transaction volumes (units), 2021-25e
acquirers’ transaction values (LCU), 2021-25e
acquirers’ transaction values ($), 2021-25e
retail outlets and card-accepting merchants (units), 2021-2030f
debit card average interchange fees (%), 2021-25e
credit and charge card average interchange fees (%), 2021-25e
debit card merchant service charge and interchange fee (%), 2021-2030f
credit and charge card merchant service charge and interchange fee (%), 2021-2030f
retail market by product categories (LCU), 2021-2030f
retail market by product categories ($), 2021-2030f
List of Figures
Card penetration per inhabitant
Average number of monthly card transactions
POS terminals per 1,000 inhabitants
Inflation rate
GDP growth rate
Unemployment rate
Average annual wages
Total population
Banked population
Internet penetration
Mobile phone penetration
Number of ATMs and ATMs per 1 million inhabitants
Number of POS terminals and POS terminals per 1 million inhabitants
Payment istrument transaction volume (paper-based vs electronic payments)
Payment instruments transaction value
Payment instruments transaction volume
Cross-border payment value
Cross-border payment Volume
Payment cards number of cards in circulation
Payment cards card penetration per individual, by card type
Payment cards value of card transactions
Payment cards volume of card transactions
Payments card value physical POS vs. remote
Payments card volume physical POS vs. remote
Payments value domestic vs. cross-border
Payments volume domestic vs. cross-border
Debit card frequency of payments and average transaction value
Debit card ATM withdrawals frequency of use and average transaction value
Debit card issuers by number of cards
Debit card issuers by transaction value share
Credit and charge card frequency of payments and average transaction value
Credit and charge card ATM withdrawals frequency of use and average transaction value
Credit and charge card schemes transaction value
Credit and charge card schemes transaction volume
Credit and charge card schemes market share in terms of transaction value
Credit and charge card issuers by number of cards
Credit and charge card issuers by transaction value share
Credit card balances outstanding
Credit card balances outstanding repayment schedule
Number of prepaid cards, value and volume
Prepaid card usage drivers
Card payment acquiring transaction value and volume
Card Payment Acquiring - Debit card transaction value and market share by transaction value
Card Payment Acquiring - Credit and charge card transaction value and market share by transaction value
Debit card average interchange fees (%)
Credit and charge card average interchange fees (%)
Debit card merchant service charge and interchange fee (%)
Credit and charge card merchant service charge and interchange fee (%)
Instant payments transaction value and volume
Digital wallet transaction value and value
Mobile Proximity Payments usage drivers
Mobile Proximity Payments funding methods
BNPL online transaction value and transaction volume
BNPL share of overall ecommerce transaction value
Preferred BNPL brand/tool for in-store and online payments
Retail sales
In-store transaction value by payment method
In-store payment tool usage drivers
In-store transaction value by products and services
E-commerce transaction value and ecommerce breakdown by mobile vs. desktop/laptop
Ecommerce market by product and services
Ecommerce market by paymnet tools
Online payment tool usage drivers
Bill Payments - Breakdown by payment tools
Bill Payments- Frequency of bill payments
P2P Payments - Domestic and International P2P money transfers and top priorities for P2P tools
Value of inward and outward remittances
Top 10 countries for inward and onward remittances

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