Get you up to speed: £100 Contactless Payment Limit Removed Today – What Does It Mean for You?
Britain’s major banks, including Barclays and NatWest, will maintain the £100 contactless payment limit while allowing customers to set their own lower limits.
Nationwide Building Society officials announced they currently have no immediate plans to increase the £100 contactless transaction limit while reviewing its options periodically.
Britain’s major banks, including NatWest and Santander, have confirmed they will maintain the £100 contactless card limit for the foreseeable future.
What we know so far
Starting today, banks and payment providers with fraud controls have the option to set higher contactless card payment limits. However, Britain’s major banks have opted to maintain the current £100 limit for the time being, allowing customers to adjust their limits to lower amounts.
This decision reflects ongoing caution in the banking sector, as institutions prioritise customer security. Several banks, including NatWest and Santander, confirmed they have no immediate plans to increase their limits, but customers retain flexibility in setting their own maximums.
The trend towards contactless payments continues to grow, with Barclays reporting that 94.6% of eligible in-store card transactions were contactless in 2024. Banks will review their limits periodically, but for now, the £100 cap remains the standard across many institutions.
As customers adapt to these banking features, they are encouraged to check their banking apps for specific options regarding contactless payments. Some banks, like Starling and Monzo, already allow users to modify their payment limits, promising further reviews in the near future.
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£100 contactless payment limit is scrapped today – how will it affect you? | News UK
Beginning today, banks and payment providers with fraud controls can set their own higher contactless card payment limits.
Britain’s major banks have said they will keep the £100 card limit for now, with many also allowing customers to set their own limits for lower amounts.
This means that they will have the flexibility to make changes in future if they want to.
The contactless card limit has been raised several times over the years, and in December last year, but it is still up to firms to decide if and when they want to take up the flexibility to change their limits.
The popularity of contactless payments has surged over the years, with contactless card transaction limits having previously been increased in a series of steps.
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According to consumer spending data from Barclays, 94.6% of eligible in-store card transactions were contactless in 2024, and contactless payments accounted for 67% of credit card and 76% of debit card transactions as of December.
So, what do these new higher contactless card payment limits mean for you and your bank?
Here is how banks’ and building societies’ contactless card features currently work:
NatWest
NatWest has no immediate plans to change the contactless limit. If anything changes, its customers will be made aware.
The bank already allows customers to switch on and off contactless and amend their limit below the standard £100, if they want to.
Customers can set their payment limit through their banking app.
Santander
The bank does not have any current plans to change the contactless limit from £100.
Santander’s customers can already switch off contactless or set their own limits, in £5 increments.
Lloyds
Customers of Lloyds and the banking group’s Halifax and Bank of Scotland brands can already set their own contactless payment limits in their apps, in £5 steps, up to £100.
The bank has said it is committed to keeping that flexibility. It currently does not have plans to change the limits.
Barclays
Personal banking customers with a Barclays debit card can set their own contactless limit, up to £100, within their Barclays app. The bank will continue to apply the £100 card payment limit.
HSBC UK & First Direct
The contactless limit will remain at £100 for both brands. Customers are currently not able to set lower limits within their app.
Nationwide Building Society & Virgin Money
A spokesperson said: ‘We do not have any immediate plans to increase the current £100 contactless transaction limit, although we will continue to keep this under review over the coming months.’
Nationwide customers already have the ability to set contactless card limits below £100 if they want to within their banking app.
TSB
TSB is not increasing the cap beyond the £100 level it is currently set at.
Its customers can already use the TSB app to lower the £100 limit if they wish or remove the contactless option altogether.
Starling Bank
The bank is currently reviewing the limit increase changes, and no decisions have been made yet.
Its customers are already able to set their own single transaction contactless limit, and this will continue.
They can change their cap by setting the amount in their Starling app, sliding the scale from £100 all the way down to £0.
Monzo
The bank’s customers can already customise their contactless limits in the Monzo app, including lowering their limit or turning off contactless payments.
Monzo regularly reviews payment limits. There are no changes to its contactless payment limits at the moment, and customers will be informed if there are any changes to products or features.
Revolut
The bank is not currently planning to raise the contactless transaction limit but plans are being kept under review.
Revolut customers cannot currently set lower contactless limits than £100, but they can set monthly spending limits, capping the total amount that can be spent on that card via all payment types.
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Interesting read, though I think there are some points that could have been explored further. Would love to see a follow-up on this topic.
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