From 1 April 2020 the spending limit for contactless card payments increases from £30 to £45.
This increase follows action by the payments industry to increase the contactless limit as part of the financial services industry’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The decision to raise the limit was taken following consultation between the retail sector and the finance and payments industry and follows similar increases in several other European countries over the past few weeks. The process, however, has been expedited as part of the industry’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak to support consumers who choose to pay using contactless at this time
Stephen Jones, CEO of UK Finance, said:
The payments industry has been working closely with the retail community to increase the contactless limit and we are pleased that we can launch this today after a short turnaround period.
We know this is a challenging time for many retailers and so the new limit will not be universally available straight away. However, the payments industry has worked hard to put in place the infrastructure to enable retailers to update their payments systems when they are ready, allowing their customers to make contactless payments up to the new limit of £45.
The increase in the limit will not only give people the choice to opt for the speed and convenience of purchasing goods up to £45, helping to cut queues at the checkout, but it will also help to limit physical contact during this uncertain time.
