Cash or card? The churches making donations more accessible

The sight of contactless card terminals in church buildings is becoming more and more common in Northern Ireland as attempts are being made to keep up with the digital revolution.

With cashless payments the norm in every day life, some churches are now giving their congregations and tourists the option.

The parish administrator of St Columb's Cathedral in Londonderry explained that since the Covid-19 pandemic, fewer people carry cash but "when they say that now, we just point them towards the card machine".

According to a recent survey, 13% of churches in Northern Ireland are now equipped with a device to facilitate digital donations.

St Columb's Cathedral's Robert McGonigle said he first encountered contactless card terminals in London's St Paul's Cathedral 10 years ago and despite his uneasiness with the idea at the time he has helped introduce that same technology into his own church.

Historically, congregations and church visitors expressed their goodwill in the form of physical money; either by dropping some cash in the collection basket or by placing an offering in an envelope and handing it to church officials.

In recent times, many churches began offering the option of donation by direct debit.

Some churches have said the offer of contactless payment has proved very popular.

"Tapping your card is not quite as a painful as dropping money in the box," said McGonigle.

After initially finding the juxtaposition of slick card readers in historic churches odd, McGonigle embraced the development as a matter of "moving with the times".

"The fact is churches need to do whatever we can to keep the doors open - within reason, of course - and the machines have been extremely valuable," he said.

"Since they were installed three or four years ago, almost a five figure sum has flowed into the church through them."

But dragging an almost 400-year-old cathedral into the future has not been without its challenges.

"The modem is up in the vestry, which isn't very far away from the machine," McGonigle explained.

"Because the walls are so big, the machine can struggle to pick up the signal sometimes.

"I suppose these are kinds of problems that arise when the old world meets the new."

Though the phenomenon is much more common in England - where almost half of all churches accommodate digital donations - it is becoming more popular in Northern Ireland.

In Scotland, 22% of churches are contactless-friendly. In Wales, the figure is 23%.

Other churches in Londonderry have been making the move towards contactless, too.

St Augustine's, another Church of Ireland institution, installed a terminal in 2023.

"We got them in because we have more than 20,000 visitors come in here off the walls during tourist season, and less and less have cash with them these days," said church treasurer, Drew Whyte.

He said they have become "a really useful asset to help the church keep generating money in the modern age".

Whyte said the company that provides St Augustine's Church with their contactless terminal, now also do 'digital donation plates'.

"It just looks like a normal plate, except if you've no cash, you can press a button that says a fiver and just tap to donate."

The three churches in the Derry's Catholic Three Patrons Parish were all recently fitted with contactless terminals.

Parish priest Fr Micheál McGavigan described the move as "common sense".

"If you're tapping for coffee on the way home from church because you don't have cash in your pocket, then why not tap to support your church?"

He said it is not about fazing cash out, but instead about giving people options.

"I don't think we'll see the envelopes disappear in my lifetime. But in the modern day, a lot of people don't carry cash anymore, so its about catering for everyone."

Jannet Fitton from Lancashire, who was visiting St Columb's Cathedral, said getting comfortable using a card is part of moving with the times.

"I fully understand why people want to use a card. There's more security, for example.

"That being said, I use both card and cash - but I do tend to use card mostly nowadays.

"The only thing is you never have any change, say if you need it for a car park."

Having travelled from Italy to Northern Ireland, Luca Aniello Ray has been pleased to see how card-friendly the visitor attractions have been.

"I think it's great that they have this option, because, as a tourist, carrying the currency of the country you are visiting is a bit inconvenient.

"This way, you just tap the car and go on with your day."

But Luca does not think a "cashless society" would ever be desirable.

"Cash donations can be easier to make, as in, 'I've got five pounds in my pocket, I don't need that, I'll donate it, whatever'.

"But yes, it's a great option to have," he added.