MSE Poll: Should the contactless spending limit be increased?

Poll started 3 September 2019
Two in five debit card payments were made using contactless last year. Yet at the moment, the maximum amount you can spend using contactless is just £30 (barring some using Apple Pay), which is done to cap spending if someone takes your card. Did you vote? Are you surprised at the results so far? Have your say below.

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Comments

  • Having a card that doesn't require a signature or PIN encourages theft and abuse of that card.
    Knowing that at night these cards are likely to be accessible during a burglary encourages burglaries.
    Whilst contactless may be helpful to a relatively small percentage of card users who have a disability that prevents them from entering a PIN I don't believe that entering a PIN in a retailer's card machine is so difficult that banks prefer contactless with all the monetary and investigation time costs involved. Why do they really want us to use contactless?
  • Murphybear
    Murphybear Posts: 7,256
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    Unfortunately one of the problems with an ageing population is that memory starts going.

    Now what was my PIN number again :rotfl:
  • bsms1147
    bsms1147 Posts: 2,261
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    Contactless is like carrying around cash, with some extra safety nets. I quite happily carry around £30, and I’d quite happily carry around £50 so o wouldn’t mind the limit reaching that, but any more than that and I’d probably only want to use contactless combined with further identification (facial, fingerprint)
  • jen49
    jen49 Posts: 192
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    edited 4 September 2019 at 9:46AM
    Having a card that doesn't require a signature or PIN encourages theft and abuse of that card.
    Knowing that at night these cards are likely to be accessible during a burglary encourages burglaries.
    Whilst contactless may be helpful to a relatively small percentage of card users who have a disability that prevents them from entering a PIN I don't believe that entering a PIN in a retailer's card machine is so difficult that banks prefer contactless with all the monetary and investigation time costs involved. Why do they really want us to use contactless?



    Given that my handbag and purse was recently stolen:mad: and the b****ds went on a spending spree but kept the amounts spent to just under £20 resulting in over £100 spent not sure anymore if contactless is a good thing (i fall into the category of sometimes forgetting my pin number so contactless is good in that respect)and I'm not old just have a few cards

    Unfortunately one of the problems with an ageing population is that memory starts going.

    Now what was my PIN number again
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  • db2016
    db2016 Posts: 343
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    im 33, never used contactless really (maybe half a dozen times max).

    i carry cash, easier to see it go out that way, as the act of reaching for it, taking it out etc.

    but £50 would be a fair reasonable round amount, and covers most things i guess people would do. such as a weekly shop, or a couple of clothes, or a meal. £50 would cover them things.
  • michaels
    michaels Posts: 27,949
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    Try Amex in Aldi - record so far on contactless is £115.....

    Phoned Amex but they weren't worried.
    I think....
  • pollypenny
    pollypenny Posts: 29,392
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    Two issues - it must be harder to keep track of spends and £3 or £4 could easily dribble away.

    Secondly, a clever thief could quickly spend a good deal in a number of different shops before anyone missed the card.
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  • Nick_C
    Nick_C Posts: 7,442
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    Coupled with the ability to freeze your card from an app or online banking, I would be happy with a contactless limit of £100.

    Maybe the answer would be to allow people to set their own limits.

    And yes, no limit contactless in Aldi with an Amex is very useful.
  • I think a £30 no-pin limit is fine, but why not allow contactless for any amount, but for those larger amounts still require a pin?

    This is how it works in Spain (contactless over €20 requires PIN entry), at least.

    You still tap the reader with the card, but it'll ask for your pin, as if you'd inserted the card. Saves the effort of thinking whether you can tap or have to insert.
  • Should just do what they do in Spain as someone mentioned earlier. Keep a limit for non-pin contactless but for any amount more it asks for a pin. This works pretty well, doesn't make sense to have contactless otherwise.
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