Two-thirds of UK shoppers prefer physical payment cards, survey finds

According to findings from the Zilch poll, UK shoppers refuse to be parted from physical payment cards, despite the availability of digital services such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. 

Two-thirds of customers (66%) prefer to carry physical cards daily instead of relying only on their phones for payments. Only 1% say they never take a credit or debit card.  

A key reason for choosing a physical card is that a phone's battery may run out, or the device might be lost or stolen. This highlights that even young shoppers rely on credit and debit cards. More than half (52%) of Gen Z consumers carry physical cards, first introduced in the UK in the 1960s, daily. Almost two-thirds of them (6.3%) refuse to depend solely on digital payments, finding it very important to have either cards or cash as a backup. 

Older shoppers are even more committed to cards, with more than three-quarters of baby boomers (77%) carrying them daily.  

Zilch’s physical card 

The survey results follow the launch of Zilch's first physical card, providing benefits to customers regardless of their payment method.  

In June 2025, Zilch partnered with Visa in a strategic, multi-year agreement aimed at advancing its growth and introducing a physical card offering.  

Through this agreement, Zilch aimed to accelerate its expansion by introducing additional products and launching its first physical payments card offering, which in turn captured a wider customer base.  

The new physical card aimed to function similarly to Zilch’s virtual payment card, allowing customers to earn rewards and flexible repayment options with just a tap at checkout.