LAS VEGAS – Contactless payment systems are largely unfamiliar to U.S. consumers despite a high level of satisfaction with the technology’s speed and ease-of-use, according to a study commissioned by NXP Semiconductors N.V. By contrast, adoption of contactless card payment is high in Australia and the U.K., but mobile payments remain limited.

The study, conducted by Creative Strategies Inc., found that only about 20% of U.S. consumers have used contactless payment systems such as Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Android Pay to make retail purchases, while more than 85% of consumers in Australia and nearly 80% of consumers in the U.K. reported having used contactless payment systems in retail transactions.

“More than half of U.S. consumers have little or no familiarity with various forms of contactless payment technology. We feel this is largely because retailer implementation has been lackluster,” said Ben Bajarian, director of the consumer technology practice at Creative Strategies. “Lack of education remains the largest barrier to widespread adoption in the United States.”

Many U.S. consumers reported they would use contactless payment for more than half their purchases if they knew that form of payment was supported, with 45 to 59-year-olds saying they would use contactless for every single transaction. In contrast, 30 to 44-year-olds in Australia and the U.K. are most likely to use contactless for every single purchase.

“The new research from Creative Strategies demonstrates that consumers who use contactless payment systems are overwhelmingly satisfied with the convenience and speed of the experience. It’s doing away with the need to carry cash or a checkbook—just wave your smartphone or card in front of the payment terminal. Plus, it’s more secure,” said Richard Char, senior vice president, business development, Verifone. “This is great news to us as we are focused on leveraging global adoption of consumer smart devices with meaningful and valuable commerce and payment transactions in a world that gets more and more connected.”

The survey also found that 40% of US consumers would be likely or highly likely to use contactless payment more often if they were offered exclusive loyalty points/perks or exclusive discounts. In all three markets, consumers said they were looking to the retailers to educate them on the security benefits of contactless payments.

Among U.S. consumers who do use contactless payment technology, 77% reported that they were satisfied or very satisfied with the experience.