How do British motorists prefer to pay for their fuel refills and why?

A recent study conducted by YouGov Surveys: Serviced reveals that half of overall Britons who drive say they use debit cards when purchasing fuel (51%). The proportion is halved for credit cards with around a quarter (26%) saying they prefer using this method when paying for petrol.

Overall, about a tenth of Britons choose mobile payment apps and cash, respectively (9%). However, Britons aged 18-24 are three times more likely to pay for petrol through mobile payment apps like PayPal or Apple Pay (27%).

While 9% of all Britons say they prefer paying for their petrol with cash, a slightly higher share of consumers between the age groups of 18 to 24 and 45 to 54 make cash payments (11% each).

Convenience is the biggest factor determining the mode of payment (65%). Nearly half of all Britons who drive also use their preferred payment method because it’s widely accepted at petrol stations (48%) and over two-fifths use it simply because it is their personal preference (44%).

Britons are slightly more likely to use their preferred mode of payment because they can budget and track their expenses (26%) than for security and fraud protection reasons (22%). 

While around one in eight Britons say availability of discounts or rewards is why they choose their preferred payment method (13%), fewer than one in ten consumers (9%) consider lower transaction costs when choosing their preferred mode of payment. This relatively low percentage is seen across all age groups, although younger Britons are slightly more likely than older consumers to look out for lower transaction costs – 14% of 18-24-year-olds, 10% of 25-34-year-olds, 7% of 35-44-year-olds, 8% of 44-54-year-olds and 9% of 55+.

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Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provides quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. This study was conducted online on June 28-29, 2023, with a nationally representative sample of 2,152 adults in Great Britain (aged 18+ years), using a questionnaire designed by YouGov. Data figures have been weighted by age, gender, education and region to be representative of all adults. Learn more about YouGov Surveys: Serviced.

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