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Pay with contactless
It’s quick and easy with contactless
- Pay up to £100 by holding your card against a reader if your card is contactless.
- No need to enter your PIN.
- Your contactless cards still have the same anti fraud protection as chip and PIN.
Sometimes you’ll need to enter your PIN when using your contactless card, especially if you’ve used it a few times in one day. This helps us make sure it’s you making the payment.
- Use it where you see the contactless symbol.
- Hold your card against or close to the reader.
- Listen for the beep or wait for the light to turn green.
Let’s take a closer look
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Contactless technology makes paying for anything up to £100 smooth and simple. Just look out for the contactless symbol when you’re ready to pay, then hold your card close to the reader within - 2-4 centimetres. As soon as you hear the beep or see a green light, the payment should be complete.
When you first use your contactless card, you’ll be asked to set it up by paying with chip and PIN or signing for the purchase. This is a one time confirmation for security reasons. Once you’ve done that, your future transactions can be contactless. If the cost of the payment is more than £100, you’ll need to use chip and PIN instead.
As a security measure, you might sometimes be asked to type in your PIN for a transaction under £100. This can happen if you’ve made several contactless transactions in a short space of time.
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To check whether your credit or debit card is contactless, look out for the symbol on the card. It’s four lines, curved and increasing in size from left to right, on the front or back of your card. You might notice it’s similar to the Wi-Fi symbol.
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You can use contactless cards anywhere you see the contactless symbol which is the same as the symbol on your card. Many shops, restaurants and businesses will have this clearly displayed at the till, or on their card readers.
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You can use a contactless card as many times as you like within a day so long as each purchase is under £100. Just bear in mind that you may be asked to use chip and PIN after using contactless a few times in a row. Don’t worry, it’s just an extra security measure to check it’s you making any payments.
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Yes, you can use your contactless card abroad. The technology is used globally, so wherever you see the contactless symbol, it should be available.
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Any debit or credit card with the contactless symbol has the same anti-fraud protection as your regular chip and PIN cards.
If you lose your card or it is stolen, you are protected against fraud loss. You’ll just need to let us know as soon as you realise your card has gone missing.
You might also be asked to insert your contactless card into the reader and enter your PIN every now and again. This is a security measure that can help make sure the card is being used by the right person.
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No, there’s no need to worry about mistaken double payments. Contactless technology is set up to make sure a second tap isn’t registered, and you’re only charged for the transaction once.
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It’s not possible to make a contactless payment of over £100 with a contactless card. You have to insert your credit or debit card into the reader and type your PIN number, or you might be asked to do a swipe transaction.
Different limits might apply when using Apple Pay or Google Pay.
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Usually, contactless card payments will show up on your bank statement within a few days after the transaction. You can check to see if it’s showing up in your pending transactions before then.
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Our bank cards are sent out contactless as standard. But, if you prefer, you can use our app to freeze contactless transactions. This is the quickest way to limit contactless transactions.
If you want to request a card without the ability to make contactless payments, you can call us on 0345 728 3848.
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Yes, contactless can be used on Transport for London services.
Find out more about how to use contactless on TfL services.
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