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COVID-19 has accelerated shifts in social and economic patterns that pre-date the crisis, including those in the retail payments sphere. Last year, there were 4.7 billion card transactions at the point of sale (PoS), up 4.4% from 2019. This is despite the overall drop in the volume of transactions due to strict lockdowns and social distancing requirements. Although the growth rate in card payments is lower than seen in previous years, the contraction in cash sales was considerably more pronounced in 2020. Evidence also shows an increased willingness of consumers to use alternative digital payment options. For example, the percentage of the population that made a payment from their mobile handset increased from 55.66% before the pandemic to 63.22% during the final months of 2020. Meanwhile, the percentage of the population using P2P applications to transfer money increased from 62.79 % to 75.26% over the same timeframe. Looking forward, QR codes and biometric payments are expected to grow in popularity due to their user-friendliness, security and speed. Nevertheless, it will not be possible to determine the extent of the shift in consumer preferences for payment technologies until some degree of normality returns.