UK Banks Wary as Contactless Payment Limits Are Lifted

The UK’s £100 limit on contactless payments is being scrapped this week, potentially allowing shoppers to tap for purchases of any size. But whether consumers will actually be able to do so depends on their banks—many of which appear reluctant to loosen the cap.

Currently, any contactless purchase above £100 is automatically converted into a chip and PIN payment. Allowing higher-value taps could expose banks to larger instances of fraud, so payment providers will need robust monitoring and security measures in place before lifting the cap.

Contactless payments have already become the dominant way UK shoppers pay in stores. According to Barclays, 94.6% of eligible in-store card purchases were contactless in 2024, suggesting that expanding tap-to-pay capabilities could benefit many players in the payments ecosystem.

“It’s a win for card issuers and certainly networks like Visa and Mastercard who are still very much tied to physical card products,” said Ben Danner, Senior Analyst of Debit at Javelin Strategy & Research. “It’s more convenient for those wishing to use a physical tap to pay. However, fraud monitoring will continue to be extremely important.”

Banks Likely to Keep Limits

Early indications show banks are wary of the added responsibility. While the elimination of the cap was announced in December, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said feedback indicated that most banks and payment service providers are likely to maintain their existing contactless limits for the foreseeable future.

“I expect banks to still implement some type of trigger controls, especially for flagged transactions or payments that look suspicious,” said Danner. “However, it does encourage larger value physical card use more.”

No Caps on Mobile Phones

The £100 cap has applied only to physical cards, which typically require a four-digit PIN for higher-value transactions. Mobile payments, by contrast, have no such limits because devices usually rely on built-in authentication such as PINs or biometrics.

Data from UK Finance found that more than half of UK adults surveyed now use mobile wallets for both online and in-store purchases. Although physical cards lack these built-in defenses, consumers are protected because card issuers must reimburse funds in cases of fraudulent use.

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Tags: BarclaysContactless PaymentsFCATap to PayUK