Church of England enlists SumUp and iZettle for cashless push

The Church of England has teamed with SumUp and iZettle to make contactless, virtual terminal and SMS mobile payments available to over 16,000 churches, cathedrals and religious sites.

The aim is to shake up how its congregations can make donations, as well as to offer various payment options for the likes of weddings, christenings, church fetes, concerts and funerals. Those involved will have access to portable card readers through the Church of England’s Parish Buying portal. These can be used to take contactless payments, Apple Pay and Google Pay, as well as chip and PIN and are capable of supporting 500 transactions without recharging.

John Preston, National Stewardship Officer of The Church of England, says: “There is a clear need for our parishes to introduce card and contactless facilities and we are excited to make this available through Parish Buying. How we pay for things is changing fast, especially for younger church-goers, who no longer carry cash, and we want all generations to be able to make the most of their place of worship. Installing this technology does mean that one-off fees can be done via card, as can making one-off donations. The vast bulk of regular giving will continue to be done by standing order as we continue our trial with various technologies.”

Marc-Alexander Christ, Co-Founder of SumUp, comments: “Working with an institution as prestigious as The Church of England is a real privilege. Whether it’s helping parishes streamline the wedding planning process or the running of the church fete, this relationship opens up all kinds of opportunities for the Church of England.”