To help protect your account, your card may be subject to limits on how often or how much you can spend using contactless payments without additional authentication. These limits are applied in line with the strong customer authentication (SCA) requirement.
What is strong customer authentication (SCA)?
Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) is a regulatory requirement designed to make electronic payments more secure. It applies to electronic payments within the European Economic Area (EEA) and is part of the Revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2). SCA often requires you to verify your identity using two or more of the following:
- Something you know (e.g. password or PIN)
- Something you have (e.g. phone or card)
- Something you are (e.g. fingerprint or facial recognition)
What limits are applied to my contactless payments?
Contactless payments are subject to the following limits:
- Per Transaction Limit: Contactless payments are typically limited up to €50 per transaction (or the equivalent in your local currency).
- Cumulative Spending Limit: After your total cumulative contactless spending exceeds €150 (or the equivalent in your local currency), you may be required to verify your identity by entering your PIN.
- Transaction Count Limit: After five consecutive contactless payments without authentication (entering a PIN), you will be required to verify your identity.
What happens when I reach these limits?
When you reach the cumulative spending or transaction count limits, your next contactless payment will not go through automatically. In that case, you will be prompted:
- Either enter your PIN to verify your identity, or
- Insert your card into the terminal for a chip-and-PIN transaction.
Once you’ve authenticated, your contactless limits will reset, and you can resume contactless payments.
Can I customise my spending limits?
No, contactless payment limits are determined by regulations and cannot be changed or customised.