A third of Brits rate their mobile phone as most important personal item

Almost a third of British people rate their mobile phone as their most important everyday possession, over a purse or wallet, a new study reveals.

A new research from Nationwide Building Society has revealed how reliant we have become on our mobile phones.

When asked in a survey what people use their phone for the most, over two-thirds unsurprisingly said calls and texts took the biggest priority, followed by taking pictures (40%) and online banking (30%).

Mobile phones are now also a more and more used to listen to music (25%) and keep up to date with the news (21%).

Mobile payments are also dramatically on the rise with recent figures from Payments UK showing that usage of contactless payment methods almost tripled last year.

It has also been predicted that, by the end of 2018, the use of credit cards and smartphones combined would overthrow payment with cash, which is still Britain’s most frequently used payment.

According to the study, only two years ago, contactless payments accounted for one in 20 Nationwide credit card payments, whereas the ratio is now of one in three.

To get an idea of the evolution of mobile phones up until this year, watch the video above.