Could enterprising Big Issue sellers start changing public perception?

One Big Issue seller has become the first to accept payments by card, after finding many people wanted to buy an edition of the magazine but did not have any spare change.

The Big Issue gives homeless people the opportunity to earn their own money and Simon Mott, who sells the £2.50 magazine in South Kensington, has to be one of the most enterprising sellers out there. A former London Underground driver, Mr Mott suffered an injury at work which left him unable to work and eventually became homeless. He has since successfully found privately rented accommodation earlier this year.

In a bid to overcome the problems of our increasingly cashless society, Mr Mott, 49, purchased a portable card reader which could be attached to his smartphone, in order to accept payments by card.

“I got a smartphone in April, specifically with the purpose of getting a card reader attachment,” Mr Mott said. “There were many times where people were saying to me, ‘Oh, I’d like to buy the magazine but I haven’t got any change’, or ‘I’ve only got a £20 note'” he said.

Mr Mott hopes to sell at least four copies a week using the new handheld device. He said of the Big Issue: “It is a lifeline. It gives you a sense of purpose.”