CONSUMERS are turning to their debit and credit cards more often to make small purchases amid the growth of online shopping and contactless payments, the cards industry's trade body has reported.

The typical value of a purchase made using a debit card was £43.70 in June, 96 pence less than it was 12 months earlier, according to data from the UK Cards Association.

Meanwhile, the average value of a payment made by credit card has fallen by £2.71 year-on-year to £60.13.

The association said the volume of purchases using cards was on the rise. The number of purchases grew 9.2 per cent year-on-year in June, to 993 million in total across the month.

But because cards are increasingly being used for low-value purchases, the overall value of spending on cards has increased more slowly than the volume.

Richard Koch, head of policy at the UK Cards Association, said: "The use of contactless cards for lower, everyday sums is partly behind this trend."