Contactless payments will now be declined if used five times in a row - here’s why

Shoppers who have grown accustomed to using contactless payments for their goods may now see their card declined more often, as new measures have been introduced to crackdown on fraud.

The new rules mean that your card will be declined if you use contactless on five transactions in a row - even if you have plenty of money in the bank.

Contactless limits

If contactless is used to pay for items five times in a row, shoppers will now be prompted to put their card into the machine and enter their pin to make a payment.

Your card will now be declined if you use contactless on five transactions in a row

Cards will also be blocked from working contactlessly if you spend £137, even if that is in fewer than five transactions.

Your card may also be declined if you are shopping in an unusual location, in which case you may be prompted to enter you pin.

Christo Georgiev, chief executive of UK payment solutions company myPOS, warned customers to have their PIN handy over the festive period, even when paying for low-value items.

He told The Sun: “You shouldn’t panic when your card is declined once the limit has been reached.

Shoppers will be prompted to enter their PIN after five contactless transactions

“Just continue using your card, but make sure you can enter your PIN to complete the transaction.”

Preventing fraud

The limit on contactless payments has been introduced in an effort to crackdown on fraud.

Although the new regulations do not apply to Google Pay or Apple Pay.

Shoppers who use these payment methods will still be able to use them as normal.

Online shopping is also set to become more complicated, with text authentication due to be introduced in an effort to make transactions more secure.

Text authentication is currently being phased in, but retailers must comply by March 2021 at the latest.

However, concerns have been raised that this measure could prove problematic, as not all online shoppers may use a mobile phone.