Majority of Cdns. comfortable with cashless future

June 28, 2011, Toronto – More than half of Canadians are okay with never
having to handle cash to make a purchase, a new Leger
Marketing study reports.

The survey, commissioned by PayPal Canada, shows that 56 per cent of Canadians feel comfortable making cashless purchases.

Majority of Canadians comfortable with cashless future, PayPal Canada study finds. (CNW Group/PayPal Canada)

“From avoiding the search for ATMs to finding easier ways to split
restaurant bills with friends or making payments anytime, anywhere and
from virtually any device, Canadians want easier, faster and safer ways
to shop, share expenses, send money or get paid back,” said Darrell
MacMullin, managing director of PayPal Canada.

Other key survey findings include:

• 34 per cent of survey respondents would rather carry a mobile phone to make a payment than a pocket full of change.
• 36 per cent of Canadians would make mobile payments for a wide variety
  of purchases, on average, saying they would use their mobile device to
  buy something as expensive as an iPod ($272.30) or as inexpensive as a
  latte ($5.50).
• 40 per cent of respondents say using a mobile phone to make a payment
  would be more convenient because they can make transactions whenever and
  wherever they want.
• 60 per cent of respondents would find it appealing to not have to find a bank machine every time they need to pay someone back.

The online survey ran May 9 to 12 using Leger Marketing’s online panel,
LegerWeb, with a sample of 1,512 Canadians 18 years of age or older. The
margin of error is +/-2.5 per cent.