Church collection plate replacement

By Oliver Mackman · Reviewed 2026-04-26

UK churches replacing or supplementing the collection plate with contactless terminals at the door, in pews, or on portable handhelds for chip-and-PIN higher-value donations. The CofE alone reports tens of thousands of contactless devices deployed.

Best provider
Stewardship (charity-finance specialist) or SumUp via the CofE Giving programme.
Best terminal
Goodbox terminal (popular in CofE parishes) or SumUp Air for portable in-pew use.
Contactless share
~95% on dedicated giving terminals; the higher-value chip-and-PIN flow is separate.
Who uses this
Church of England parishes (Parish Giving Scheme alongside contactless), Catholic parishes, Methodist circuits, Baptist churches, independent evangelical churches.

Gift Aid treatment

Most UK churches are charities so Gift Aid applies. Parish Giving Scheme handles Gift Aid centrally for many CofE churches; for one-off contactless donations, the terminal flow needs to capture the Gift Aid declaration on the day. Some terminals integrate with Stewardship for automatic Gift Aid reclaim.

Cash handling alongside digital

Cash collection retained alongside contactless in almost every parish. Reconciliation of cash plus contactless plus Parish Giving Scheme is the parish treasurer's burden.

Watch-outs

  • · Single-cap default donation amounts (£3, £5, £10), set sensibly for the congregation; too high and donations drop, too low and average gift falls.
  • · Mid-service operation must not interrupt liturgy; floor-standing post-service is the usual deployment.
  • · CofE governance, diocesan-level guidance applies on payment-system choice in some dioceses.

Alternative providers worth considering

  • · SumUp (CofE Giving partner)
  • · Square (rare, generally for hybrid retail-mix)
  • · Stewardship's SumUp partnership

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Request charity-acquirer quotes via our team. We route to charity-aware providers and will not introduce providers that cannot offer the right Gift Aid treatment.

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Editorial only. We are not regulated charity-finance advisors. Confirm Gift Aid treatment and charity-finance compliance with your accountant or charity-finance specialist.