In December, spending on debit and credit cards overtook cash payments for the first time.
£268 billion was spent in cash last year, while £269 billion was spent on plastic, according to the Association for Payment Clearing Services.
Over three quarters of people now have chip and pin cards, which is seen as a factor in the switch over to Britain becoming a plastic society.
Our view
Cards are more convenient than cash and safer generally. However, we hope that the trend is for current account debit cards rather than credit cards! No more debt please.