A report has found that UK mobile gamers are spending almost double the global average on online game microtransactions.

The report focused on carrier billing, which is growing in popularity as more gamers choose the convenience of paying on their mobile phone bill over the traditional payment methods such as credit cards or PayPal.

The report by Onebip, Neomobiles mobile payment service, analysed millions of transactions across 65 different countries, and found that UK gamers spent an average of €8.94 (£7.10) per transation, compared to the global average of €4.73. Only Switzerland and Austria ranked higher in average spend, with the average Swiss gamer spending €15.09 per transaction, over three times the norm.

The report found that gamers see value in higher priced in-game transactions when given the option of multiple price points. There was a direct correlation between the countries that allowed higher price points and their average spend per transaction, with Swiss carriers giving gaming companies the ability to offer much higher price points compared to every other country.

The report found a number of other trends in mobile gaming spending, including that while spending saw a predictable spike in the winter holiday period, the summer months of June, July and August were also high spending periods, with 10 per cent of transactions happening in each month, compared to only four per cent in April and May.

“While the maturity and penetration of mobile carrier billing varies from country to country, the overall statistics make for very interesting reading into the buying trends of gamers around the world,” said Massimiliano Silenzi, head of Onebip by Neomobile. “Onebips data demonstrated the growing adoption of carrier billing globally as a fast and safe payment method for gamers and an effective way for online gaming brands to maximise their revenue.

“As carriers introduce more advanced billing technologies and more flexible and high pricing options, the payment system gains further traction for game companies as a key payment channel. We predict that in markets such as Turkey and Spain where carriers have introduced higher price points recently, our online gaming partners will see an increase in their revenue and average transaction values.”