Wombwell has been chosen as the centre of a national trial using cashless payment on mobile phones to tackle deprivation.
The project is being led by the South Yorkshire Credit Union and telecommunications company O2, using its 'digital wallet' technology, and is backed by the Government Digital Service, South Yorkshire Public Services Partnership and Sheffield University.
The O2 Wallet enables people to transfer cash, compare prices, track their spending and shop - all through an application on their mobile phones.
Now Wombwell has been chosen for a trial analysing how the technology can be used to help people in deprived areas, who may not have bank accounts or access to computers, better manage their money with the 'app' and a linked payment card.
Four High Street shops and 15 Credit Union members are taking part in the trial.
Ian Guest, CEO of the Credit Union, said: "Currently, most members have their benefits or their wages paid into the Credit Union and they then come into the office and the branch to collect their cash once a week or twice a week.
"That increases queueing and it involves them coming in on buses. What we're hoping to do is to get the members to put their money on the O2 Wallet card.
"We will send that every morning onto their card and then they've no need to come into our offices to collect - they can go straight to the shops and maybe they can do some of this at home from the internet.
"It means they can pay their bills online but still being able to go to the fish shop and be able to pay for their fish and chips with their O2 Wallet card."
One of the four High Street shops to take part in the trial is Cole Bros Café, which now benefits from a card reader that not only reads O2 Wallet cards, but debit and credit cards, too. Co-owner Andy Cole said it made payment easier for customers and staff.
Bronwyn Mitchell, a Credit Union customer, said she was finding it easier to manage to money after bills, car insurance and other expenses had been deducted from her wages because she was able to see how much she had remaining.
She said: "The benefit of having the phone as a wallet is everyone carries a phone nowadays so you can have them as an app. It's simple to go on, click it, and you can see exactly what's in it."
