Today In Data: Cards Are Still A Cash Cow

Not every payment can be made by smartphone (yet), but for those that can’t, technology is still surging forward. EMV chip technology, virtual shopping security and contactless payments are making it easier than ever to spend money.

For customers still paying with plastic, here’s what’s possible (or will be soon) – by the numbers:

70 | Percentage of financial cards with a chip embedded

35.4 billion | Number of chip cards produced last year

80 | Number of cities where Mastercard carriers can tap to pay for public transit.

40 | Percentage of London transit system pay-as-you-go transactions made via contactless methods, including tap to pay

70 | Percentage of world population projected to live in cities by 2050 – making quick, easy payments more critical than ever