The change comes into effect today, March 19 (Image: Olga Rolenko via Getty Images)
From Thursday, March 19, 2026, new regulations mean that banks and payment providers with robust fraud controls can now establish their own higher limits for contactless card payments in the future. While the UK’s leading banks have confirmed they will maintain the £100 card limit for the time being, many also permit customers to set their own lower limits, providing them with the flexibility to make adjustments in the future if desired.
Several account providers have suggested they are monitoring the situation and will inform customers of any changes. The contactless card limit has seen multiple increases over the years, and in December last year, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced that these rule modifications would come into effect from March 19.
The decision to alter their limits is at the discretion of individual firms. The objective is to enable companies to better adapt to evolving consumer needs, inflation, and emerging technology.
Those who choose to implement changes will need to clearly communicate these to their customers, as stated by the regulator. Firms are also encouraged to allow customers to set their own limits or completely disable contactless functionality, with numerous banks already offering this capability to their customers.
The rule changes would also permit firms to consider altering their cumulative contactless approach in future if they wish to. Background limits have required people to enter their PIN after a certain number of transactions or spending.
The popularity of contactless payments has soared over the years, with contactless card transaction limits having previously been raised in a series of steps. According to consumer spending data from Barclays, 94.6% of eligible in-store card transactions were contactless in 2024, with 10 times as many contactless transactions per month than there were in 2015.
Figures from UK Finance show that as of December 2025, contactless accounted for 67% of credit card and 76% of debit card transactions. The average value of a contactless payment is just under £18, according to UK Finance’s figures.
The FCA believes the option of greater flexibility will encourage firms to enhance their fraud prevention, giving consumers stronger protection. Existing protections will remain in place, meaning consumers must be reimbursed in unauthorised fraud cases, such as if their card is lost or stolen.
Higher payments through mobile wallets also remain possible, with the phone verifying the person’s identity, for example by face identification or a thumbprint.
The popularity of contactless payments has surged over the years (Image: Alamy/PA)
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Peter Harmston, head of payments consulting, KPMG UK, said: “Over the course of nearly a decade, contactless has become the nation’s default way to pay. People value speed and ease above all else so removing the contactless limit takes us a step closer to meeting those demands.
“I don’t expect to see any drastic changes on day one, but over the next few years, we will see banks and card providers adjust their own contactless limits or remove them entirely. Banks’ top priority will be security. They already pay a heavy price for fraud, so they will work hard to ensure contactless limits don’t expose their customers to greater risk.”
The examination of the contactless card ceiling was among approximately 50 initiatives the regulator set out in correspondence to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in January aimed at supporting economic expansion.
Current contactless card features depending on your bank
NatWest
NatWest has no immediate plans to alter the contactless ceiling. Should anything change, its customers will be informed.
The bank already permits customers to activate and deactivate contactless and modify their ceiling below the standard £100, should they wish to. Customers can establish their payment ceiling through their banking app.
The bank does not have any current plans to modify the contactless ceiling from £100. Santander’s customers can already deactivate contactless or establish their own ceilings, in £5 increments.
Lloyds, along with its Halifax and Bank of Scotland brands, already allows customers to set their own contactless payment limits in their apps, in £5 increments, up to £100. The bank has pledged to maintain this flexibility and currently has no plans to alter the limits.
Barclays’ personal banking customers can establish their own contactless limit, up to £100, within their Barclays app. The bank will persist in enforcing the £100 card payment limit.
Both brands will retain the contactless limit at £100. At present, customers cannot set lower limits within their app.
Nationwide Building Society/Virgin Money
A spokesperson stated: “We do not have any immediate plans to increase the current £100 contactless transaction limit, although we will continue to keep this under review over the coming months.”
Nationwide customers already possess the capability to set contactless card limits below £100 if desired within their banking app.
TSB will not raise the cap beyond the current £100 level. Its customers can already utilise the TSB app to reduce the £100 limit if they choose or eliminate the contactless option entirely.
The bank is presently examining the limit increase modifications and no final decisions have been reached. Its account holders can already establish their own individual transaction contactless ceiling and this facility will remain. They can alter their threshold by adjusting the figure within their Starling app, moving the slider from £100 right down to £0.
The bank’s account holders can already tailor their contactless ceilings within the Monzo app, including reducing their threshold or disabling contactless transactions. Monzo routinely assesses payment ceilings. There are no modifications to its contactless payment thresholds at present and account holders will be notified if there are any alterations to products or features.
The bank is not presently planning to increase the contactless transaction ceiling, but arrangements are being kept under consideration. Revolut account holders cannot presently establish lower contactless thresholds than £100, but they can establish monthly expenditure ceilings, restricting the total sum that can be spent on that card through all payment methods.
