What were the rules?

When you paid for something in person using a credit or debit card there was a limit of £100 on each single contactless transaction, under rules set by the FCA.

There were also limits on cumulative spending. You could spend up to £300, or make five contactless taps, before you will be asked for verification – typically your four-digit pin number. Anytime you used your pin or pay online the total is reset to £0.

There continues to be no limit on payments using digital wallets, such as Apple Pay.

What has changed?

The FCA is allowing banks and card providers to remove the limits – on the single transaction and cumulative spending. Rising shop prices mean people were more likely to bump up against the £100 limit than they were when it was introduced in October 2021.

However, the FCA has said it does not expect providers to take up the offer in the foreseeable future as most consumers are content with the current limits. Many high street banks – including Nationwide, NatWest, HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds and Santander have said they are not making any changes. Challenger banks such as Starling, Monzo and Revolut are also keeping the £100 limit for now.

Isn’t this making life easier for fraudsters?

There is a concern that criminals who get their hands on a contactless card will be able to rack up more spending before they are stopped. The single transaction limit reduces the possibility to buy very expensive items and the cumulative limits keep a lid on the total spend.

The last figures from the banks’ trade body, UK Finance, show contactless fraud rates are low, at 1.2p for every £100 of transactions. The FCA says if card providers raise their single and cumulative limits to £150 and £450 respectively, as a worst-case scenario fraud could increase by 131% over the next three years.

But it has said it expects banks to have fraud checks in place before raising or scrapping their limits. This may mean you get a text or call if you make a large contactless payment, or that a card is stopped if a series of unusual contactless payments are spotted.

It has also said that banks should allow customers to set their own limits so, if you are concerned about fraud or your own spending habits, you can put guards in place.

What if I lose my card or have it stolen?

In theory fraudsters will be able to spend more before being stopped. But rules on reimbursement apply.

You should cancel your card and report it stolen as soon as possible – phone your bank or use its app. If you fail to do so you may be asked to pay up to £35 of the losses.

Otherwise all unauthorised payments made with your card can be claimed back from your bank. You should inform it of any transactions that were made by the criminal and must do so within 13 months.

It must reimburse you unless it can show you were complicit in the fraud or failed to protect your card details.

Will I end up spending more?

Another concern that has been raised about contactless spending is the lack of friction. Paying with plastic has already made it harder to keep up with how much is leaving your wallet, and using contactless means there is less of a pause for thought.

Even when the limit was £100, the average contactless payment was just under £18 , according to UK Finance, so there is no reason to think that everyone will rush out and spend up to any new limit their card provider sets.

But if you are concerned that you might overspend, you can implement your own limits or even turn off contactless payments.