Michelle Whiteman, spokeswoman for payments processing authority the UK Cards Association, explains that contactless cards were always intended to be the first step in the process.
However, as more people become accustomed to using NFC for payments, she says other portable devices - such as mobile phones and laptops - could be equipped with the chips needed to communicate with the contactless sensors used to process transactions.
"It's highly possible that, in the future, we could be talking about fob, or mobile phone, or other formations of that," she says.
"It will be with cards that people first get to know contactless before other, different types of technology."
At present, almost ten million cards are equipped with contactless capabilities, interacting with the sensors installed at retail outlets for transactions of up to £15 - such as the purchase of a magazine or a cup of coffee.
