The UK 100 pound contactless limit explained
The UK 100 pound contactless limit explained. Watch the full video above, or read the complete timestamped transcript below.
Transcript
[0:00] The UK 100 pound contactless limit explained. A 60-second plain answer.
[0:08] The UK contactless limit is 100 pounds per transaction, set by the card schemes since October 2021. It went up from 45 pounds. Above 100 pounds, a physical contactless card alone will not go through.
[0:16] That limit comes from Strong Customer Authentication. Over 100 pounds, the rules need a second factor. For a card, that is the PIN on the keypad.
[0:25] But a phone wallet changes the maths. Apple Pay and Google Pay use Face ID, Touch ID or a device PIN as that second factor. So they clear above 100 pounds, up to the card's daily limit, often 500 to 2,500 pounds.
[0:33] One common slip. Do not set the terminal limit below 100 pounds by mistake, it caps phone wallets too.
[0:42] Full UK card machine comparison on merchanthq.co.uk.
MerchantHQ is an independent UK comparison and introducer service, not a payment provider.