Report: Fall in gamers using credit cards, pre-paid on the rise

NewZoo research concluded 26 percent of consumers in 2010 used credit/debit cards when paying for games, but that fell to around 20 percent last year. Pre-paid methods are gaining ground.

One such firm for pre-payment, Ukash, echoed similar findings where 9 out of 10 customers preferred cash alternatives to credit/debit cards.

Sales are up year-on-year for the pre-paid market. ”It’s far from game over for cash,” said Ukash’s David Hunter. “We’re seeing demand from publishers and gamers for alternative payment.”

Do you prefer pre-paid methods over credit or debit cards? Hacking of services recently has certainly done consumer confidence no favours when it comes to storing credit/debit card details online. Pre-paid spending was at £125m in 2011, up from 2010’s £90m.