By Contactless limit to be raised in light of Covid-19
In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, the contactless payment limit for in-store spending is to be raised from £30 to £45 at the beginning of April.
This will enable retailers to minimise the need for physical contact in shops, and therefore reduce transmission of the virus.
However, some retailers have warned that it may take some time for the new limit to come into force everywhere.
A spokesperson for the British Retail Consortium said:
“The last contactless limit increase to £30 took two years to implement, but, given the extraordinary circumstances we face today, this new £45 limit will be rolled out from next week.
Some shops will take longer to make the necessary changes, given the strain they’re under. In the meantime, most customers can continue to make contactless payments for higher amounts using their smartphone.”
There is no universal limit on the amount a customer can spend when using Apple Pay, so iPhone users can already make contactless payments above £30. Although some retailers put their own upper limits in place.
Some have already expressed concerns that the virus will simply be spread from cards to readers, instead. Many stores are also still not able to accept contactless transactions, and not all card users have contactless features.
Gareth Shaw, Head of Money at Which? said:
“Both the Government and retailers need to find a way to ensure that the millions of people who rely on cash, and may not have a bank card, can still pay for essentials during this difficult time.”
Other countries have also announced similar increases to minimise the handling of cash.
In the Republic of Ireland, the contactless limit will rise from €30 to €50.
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