The vast majority of consumers say they aren’t likely to start using mobile wallet services in the next three months, reports Compete. That is not surprise. Other surveys suggest that is the case. Lightspeed Research surveyed 10,000 credit card customers, including some 2,400 smartphone users, and found that half of those with smartphones described the ability to make mobile payments as “very unimportant” to them. Americans greet mobile payments with a yawn

Only 15 percent of those surveyed said mobile payment was very or somewhat important. The findings should come as no surprise. The payments process is not broken. Cash, check, credit and debit card payments are well understood, reliable, safe and easy to use.

Optimists might think mobile payments will be a significant business in as little as two to four years.

Some might argue from history that it will take a decade or so for mobile payments to be adopted by a significant number of users. By “significant” we might say half of households using mobile payments. KPMG survey

History suggests why that might be so. After 20 years, the percentage of U.S. households using automatic bill paying is still only about 50 percent. Likewise, after 20 years, use of debit cards by U.S. households is only about 50 percent. Mobile payments adoption

In fact, about two-thirds of deposit account and credit card owners who aren’t currently using mobile services say they aren’t planning to start anytime soon, says Compete.

Just seven percent of banking consumers indicated that they would be very or extremely likely to start using their phone or tablet to make a bill payment. And only five percent of banking consumers said they would be likely to start using their mobile device to make a deposit, according to Compete. None of that is inconsistent with past consumer attitudes or behavior very early in a technology adoption cycle. Mobile wallet resistance

Same goes for credit card consumers, most of whom say they aren’t likely to start managing their credit card or using their mobile device to make a point-of-sale purchase.

when credit card owners are asked to share their reasons for not adopting, top reasons were slow wireless connection (52 percent) and lack of need (48 percent). Contrary to popular belief, only 15 percent of credit card consumers responded that they didn’t trust the security of their mobile device in context.

Some 48 percent of card owners and deposit owners said they don’t have a need manage those accounts with a mobile device.

Although current use and intended adoption rates for mobile services are low, once consumers adopt mobile financial or money services and start using their phone as a mobile wallet, they use the services frequently, Compete says. Some 16 percent of consumers using “mobile tap and pay” do so daily and another 36 percent use it weekly. A full 87 percent of consumers using mobile couponing do so at least once a month.