Using your contactless card

It’s quick and easy with contactless

Pay up to £100 by holding your card against a reader if your card is contactless. There’s no need to enter your PIN.
Your contactless cards still have the same anti fraud protection as chip and PIN.
Change your contactless limit to anything between £30 and £95.

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.

Change your limit expandable section
Log on to our app and select Cards on the bottom right of the app.

Choose Card freezes and limits and scroll down to find Change your contactless limit.

Select the drop-down menu and then choose an amount between £30 & £95. Select Save Limit to finish.

That’s it, you’ve updated your contactless limit. You will need to follow these steps again if you want to reset to the maximum limit.

Getting started in our app

If you don't use our app expandable section

If you don't use our app, you can call us. If you prefer to bank in person, there’s a range of services in your local area.

Let’s look at the details

How does contactless work? expandable section

How contactless works

Contactless is a way of making paying for things swifter and simpler. If you have a contactless card and are paying for something in a shop, restaurant, or business that has a contactless reader, all you need to do is hold your contactless card over the reader to pay.

The first time you use your contactless card for a transaction, you’ll be asked to use chip and PIN or sign for your purchase. Once you've done that, all future transactions can be contactless. You need to hold your card very close to the reader (around 2 – 4 centimetres) for it to work. If the price of the transaction is over £100, you will need to use chip and PIN as normal.

For added security, every now and again you might be asked to enter your PIN for transactions under £100. This is likely to happen if you make several contactless transactions in a row.
How will I know if my card is a contactless card? expandable section

Check for contactless

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.
Where can I use contactless? expandable section

Where to use contactless

You can make payments anywhere that displays the contactless symbol.
How many times can you use contactless in a day? expandable section

Daily contactless limits

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.
Can I use my contactless card outside the UK? expandable section

Contactless outside the UK

Yes, contactless cards can be used outside the UK. Just look out for the contactless symbol.
Are contactless payments secure? expandable section

Contactless security

Yes. Your contactless card has the same anti-fraud protection as regular ‘chip and PIN’ cards.

If your card is lost or stolen, you are also protected against fraud loss, as long as you inform us as soon as you realise your card is missing.

For added protection, you may be asked to insert your card into the card reader and type your PIN. Your PIN will always be needed for payments of over £100.
Will I be charged twice if I accidentally double tap on the reader? expandable section

Multiple charges

No. The reader and card are set up to ensure that you will only be charged for one transaction.
What happens if I try to pay for goods over the contactless limit of £100? expandable section

Contactless maximum payment

You cannot make a contactless payment of over £100 using your card. You will need to insert your card into the card reader and type in your PIN or complete a swipe transaction.

Different limits may apply if you are using Apple or Google Pay.
When do contactless payments appear on my statement? expandable section

Contactless payments on my statement

Most contactless payments will show on your statement after a few days.

You should also check your pending transactions as payments may show there first.
What if I don’t want a contactless card? expandable section

Opting out

Our cards are now contactless as standard. If you don’t want a contactless card, you can now use our app to freeze contactless transactions.

The quickest way to stop contactless transactions is to freeze them in our app.
Can I use contactless on Transport for London (TfL) services? expandable section

Paying with contactless on TfL

Yes, you can use contactless to pay for all Transport for London services.

More about paying for TfL services with contactless

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