Shoppers spent £9.27bn using contactless methods between January and June of this year, more than the total for the whole of 2015 of £7.75bn, according to The UK Cards Association.

There were 1.1 billion contactless transactions in the first half of the year, compared to 1.05 billion for the whole of 2015.

Contactless payments accounted for 18% of total purchases in June, up from 7% a year earlier, and the average contactless transaction was £8.60.

“Contactless cards are firmly entrenched as the preferred way to pay for millions of consumers, who expect to be able to use them for everyday purchases,” said Richard Koch, head of policy at The UK Cards Association.

“We anticipate the use of contactless cards will continue to increase, particularly as charities and transport operators outside London recognise the benefits this technology can bring.”

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The upper limit for contactless payments increased from £20 to £30 last September.