Participants of a recent NFC payments trial in New Zealand have given the service overwhelming positive reviews, with 100% reporting a positive experience and 97% saying they will likely use the service again in the future.

The four-month trial, conducted by Bank of New Zealand (BNZ), Vodafone, Visa and Paymark, saw participants using NFC-enabled mobile phones to make contactless payments at two downtown cafes in Auckland and Wellington. The trial, which began in November 2011, was the first in New Zealand to introduce NFC SIM cards used in actual NFC-enabled phones, according to Vodafone.

“Even in the few months since we did this first-in-New Zealand trial, we’ve seen huge advances in both the technology to support contactless payments and the overall infrastructure which will allow widespread adoption of it,” said Steve Rieger, Vodafone’s general manager of business development. “As more and more smart phones come onto the market with NFC capability, we are getting ever closer to a future where New Zealanders can leave their wallet at home for good and live life on their smart phone.”

A survey conducted by the partners found that 95% of participants liked the convenience of not having to enter a PIN, 78% liked receiving a digital receipt on their phone instead of in paper, and 81% enjoyed not having to carry a wallet. According to the survey, 100% of users said they would recommend the service to a friend. Also notable is that a majority (62%) of participants expect the service to be free, while only 14% said they were willing to pay up to $3 per month.

“People really enjoyed the ease of not having to carry around cards or cash to pay for such small amounts,” said BNZ’s Director of Retail, Andy Symons. “Since our trial was limited to small transactions for which no PIN was required, it really sped things up at the point of sale. This is something both the customer and the retailer said they loved. We look forward to working with all parties to help make this a reality.”