Contactless allows customers to pay for transactions of GBP15 or less by holding their card over a special reader, without the need to enter a PIN or insert the card into a terminal.
The transaction is debited directly from the customer’s current account or applied to their credit card account in the same way that a standard card transaction is. The cards still operate as normal debit and credit cards with chip and PIN security and periodically prompt for the PIN to be entered to verify the customer’s identity.
Brian Cunnington, head of debit cards for Barclays, said: “More than two years after the first customers were issued with contactless cards it is the right time for the industry limit to increase to GBP15, in line with demand from consumers and retailers alike. The new higher limit gives customers the flexibility of paying for even more transactions quickly, securely and conveniently via a contactless card payment and will lead to more retailers implementing the technology.”
