From today (1st April) the contactless card payment limit in shops is increasing to £45 as part of measures to combat the spread of coronavirus.
Shoppers will now be able to make contactless card payments of up to £45 per transaction, an increase of £15 from the previous £30 limit which was implemented in 2015.
An increased limit was already being considered but the process has been accelerated as part of the industry’s response to Covid-19.
Findings from the 2019 Local Shop Report revealed that 88% of convenience stores offer contactless payments in store.
Shoppers will now be able to make contactless card payments of up to £45 in all the shops that remain open from Wednesday, as the software on card payment machines will be updated to accept the new £45 limit gradually.
ACS chief executive James Lowman: “The new increased payment limit will mean that more payments can be made without the need for customers or colleagues to handle cash or touch keypads, as customers will only have to input their PIN number on purchases over £45.
“We have developed a poster that retailers can use in store to communicate the new contactless payment limit to customers and to remind them of social distancing measures.”
The poster is available here,
