card payment

The spending limit for contactless card payments has increased to £100.

The decision to raise the contactless limit from its current limit of £45 to £100 was made by HM Treasury and the Financial Conduct Authority following a public consultation and discussions with both the retail and banking sectors.

 
 

Chief executive of UK Finance David Postings explained why the contactless limit will be increasing to £100. “Contactless payment has proved very popular with consumers and an increasing number of transactions are being made using contactless technology. The increase in the limit to £100 will allow people to pay for higher value transactions like their weekly shop or filling up their car with fuel. The payments industry has worked hard to put in place the infrastructure to enable retailers to update their payments systems so they can start to offer their customers this new higher limit.”

The Chancellor Rishi Sunak added: “Increasing the contactless limit will make it easier than ever to pay safely and securely - whether that’s at the local shops, or your favourite pub and restaurant. As people get back to the high street, millions of payments will made be simpler, providing a welcome boost for retailers and shoppers.”

UK Finance also published a guide debunking some of the common misconceptions about contactless card payments and fraud including what happens is a person’s card is stolen and used, mistakenly paying for someone else’s transactions and if a person has more than one contactless card.