MoneySavingExpert.com homepage
Cutting your costs, fighting your corner
Founder, Martin Lewis · Editor-in-Chief, Marcus Herbert
Search bar closed.
MSE News

How to set a contactless card spending cap to avoid the new £100 limit

hero-homepage-tip-shift-card-debt-balance-transfer.png
Sophie King
Sophie King
News Reporter
Created 28 September 2021 | Edited 2 December 2021

The contactless card payment limit rose from £45 to £100 on 15 October. But Bank of Scotland, Danske Bank UK, Halifax, Lloyds and Starling will let you set your own limit, with Santander becoming the latest to also do so. Some providers will also let you turn off contactless completely. Here's what you need to know.

The change, which came in following a public consultation and after discussions between the Treasury and the financial regulator, will be good news for many but some will want to set their own cap on the back of concerns over theft.

See the table below for a bank-by-bank explanation of what's happening.

Which card providers allow you to set your own contactless limit?

Card provider

Can I set my own contactless limit?

Can I turn off contactless completely? (i)

Does this apply to all debit and/or credit cards?

American Express

No

No

Yes

Bank of Scotland

Yes

Between £30 and £95. Via app, online or phone (ii)

Yes

Via app, online or phone (you must be registered for online banking to change limit)

No

Debit card only

Barclaycard

No

No

Yes

Barclays

No(iii)

No

Yes

Capital One

No

No

Yes

Danske Bank UK

Yes

Between £0 and £100. Via app, phone or in branch

Yes

Via app, phone or in branch (v)

Yes

Halifax

Yes

Between £30 and £95. Via app, online or phone (ii)

Yes

Via app, online or phone (you must be registered for online banking to change limit)

No

Debit card only

HSBC

No

No

Yes

Lloyds Bank

Yes

Between £30 and £95. Via app, online or phone (ii)

Yes

Via app, online or phone (you must be registered for online banking to change limit)

No

Debit card only

MBNA

No(ii)

No

No

Monzo

No

(iv)

Yes

Via app

Yes

Nationwide 

No(vi)

YesBy phone

Yes

 

NatWest

No

Yes

Via app

NoDebit card only

RBS

No

Yes

Via app

NoDebit card only

Santander 

Yes

Yes

Via app or phone

No

Mastercard debit and credit cards only

Starling

Yes

Between £10 and £90. Via app

Yes

Via app

Yes

TSB

No

Yes

Via app, phone or online

Yes

Data correct as of 2 December 2021. Info for children's accounts or business accounts may differ. (i) Some banks will allow you to turn off contactless functionality completely, while others will send you a new, non-contactless card. (ii) Will introduce contactless caps of between £30 and £95 for credit cards later this year. (iii) There is option to set spend limits across all transactions, which includes contactless transactions, via the app. (iv) Introducing this functionality in future. (v) Can set limit to £0, effectively turning contactless off. (vi) Considering introducing this functionality in future.

What's at risk if my card is stolen?

While many welcomed the added convenience of the contactless limit increasing, some people reported nervousness about the rise (see Martin's Twitter poll responses on the change below) as they worried about their exposure to theft on the back of this.

Currently, regulations state that providers will prevent contactless payments where you try to spend above the contactless limit, where you've made more than five contactless transactions in a row using the same card, or where the total amount spent since you last had to verify a transaction exceeds £300 (this was £130 prior to 15 October). However, payment providers do have the ability to set tighter limits than the FCA's maximum. 

So if you are concerned about fraud and what might happen if someone steals your contactless card, you should think about your contactless limit as if you were carrying cash. Consider how much cash you would feel comfortable carrying around at any one time and set that as your contactless limit if your provider allows you to do so.

Of course, if your card is stolen, cancel it as soon as possible and notify your provider. You should also monitor your statement for any suspicious transactions.

However, responding to concerns that raising the contactless limit could lead to increased levels of fraud, the Treasury said there was no significant rise in reported fraud when the limit was raised from £30 to £45 last year. It added that reported fraud equated to 0.02% of the total spent using contactless cards since April 2020.

There are no upper limits for mobile payments

According to banking trade body UK Finance, mobile payments, such as those made via Apple Pay or Google Pay, do not have an upper spending limit when verified through biometric technology, such as fingerprint or facial recognition. However, a retailer or your card provider itself – if you link mobile payments to your card – may still put limits in place that override this.

Apple Pay says that given it doesn't set the limits itself, you'd need to ask your card provider whether you can put a cap on this type of spending. We've also put this to Google Pay and we'll update this story when we know more. Of course, when you use such technology, the idea is that someone who's stolen your phone will be much less likely to be able to access your cash.

Tools and calculators

Clever ways to calculate your finances

Find your odds of getting top cards
Find your odds for getting a cheap loan
Compare broadband, phone & TV deals
Compares thousands of mortgages
Eight calcs to help you work out the cost
We ensure you’re on the cheapest tariff