Popular FAQs

Is a faculty required for a contactless machine?

No. No faculty is required to introduce equipment for card payment systems – as long as they are not fixed to historic fabric (included in list A of the Faculty Jurisdiction (Amendment) Rules 2019).

What about Gift Aid?

All contactless donations up to £30 are eligible for the GASDS, just as anonymous cash donations are, up to the annual limit. See www.parishresources.org.uk/giftaid/smalldonations

Some solutions offer an onscreen Gift Aid declaration and provide churches with the necessary declaration information by way of a report. Any subsequent donations made by the Giver will be included in the report without the need for a further declaration.

For donations not eligible for GASDS, and where there is no onscreen option, churches can offer paper declarations for a giver to fill in. A template is offered here which is different from the usual declaration since it includes the amount of the gift.

Contactless is treated by HMRC like cash, and so if you use paper declarations – as with Gift Aid envelopes – one declaration needs to be filled in for each gift, so that there is an audit trail.

 
 
What about security?

Sensible security measures can be taken, including the use of Velcro tape, Kensington locks and other appropriate physical measures. It is worth mentioning that the positioning of donations units is important – visibility and accessibility are important factors in successful use of the technology.

Some units are ideally-suited to being used in a self-service environment, and these are identified on parishbuying.org.uk/contactless.

You should inform your insurer about the addition of the unit. Cover will depend on the Excess on your policy.

Once we’ve bought the donations unit, are there any other costs?

Companies providing the systems have different ways of charging for providing the service.

Some providers charge only a percentage charge on the transaction itself.

Some providers also charge a fee to open an account.

Generally, specialist providers of Giving software and services linked to the equipment also charge a monthly fee. This allows them to maintain and improve the systems. This also means that as a church you must have a clear plan to use the equipment to best effect.

 
What happens if the person managing it for our church changes and someone else takes over? Do I need the PCC’s agreement?

Ideally, the account should be registered in a church-controlled account which is assigned to the new person. If the account is in the personal name of the previous person see this advice in a short video.

You can download a short guide on Good Governance here.

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