The contactless limit in the UK has increased to £100 from £45 as of October 15th, allowing customers to make larger purchases without using a chip and PIN. In the UK, 88% of debit cards and 81% of credit cards have contactless functionality, making contactless technology a feature of the majority of bank accounts worldwide.1
The previous maximum payment of £45 that was implemented in April 2020 has been more than doubled to the new contactless limit. The following infographic was made to illustrate how contactless limits vary globally as a result of recent increases in contactless card limits in other nations.
The highest contactless limit in Europe: UK
The UK currently boasts the largest contactless card limit in all of Europe, according to the infographic. The £100 restriction in the UK is more than twice as much as the €50 (£42) cap that applies to nations in the eurozone including Spain, Germany, and Portugal.
With a contactless maximum of 80 Swiss Francs (about £63), Switzerland has the second-highest restriction in Europe behind the United Kingdom. While their Scandinavian neighbors, Norway, have a limit of £43 that is comparable to the rest of Europe, Sweden has a contactless limit of £34.
The lowest contactless limit in Europe is £18 in Poland, while the next-lowest restriction is £27 in North Macedonia.
The top contactless limit globally: Canada
With a contactless maximum of 250 CAD, or slightly under £150, Canada narrowly defeats the United States to claim first place. While in the US, the limit is 200 USD (£146).
Meanwhile Australia and New Zealand are slightly beyond the UK’s contactless card maximum of £100, Asian nations Singapore, China, and Japan all have contactless limitations of £105.
| Canada | 250 CAD | £146.93 |
| USA | 200 USD | £145.62 |
| Japan | 20,000 Japanese Yen | £127.35 |
| China | 1000 Chinese Yuan | £113.14 |
| Singapore | 200 Singapore Dollars | £107.85 |
| Australia | 200 AUD | £107.64 |
| New Zealand | 200 NZD | £102.81 |
| UK | £100 | £100 |
| United Arab Emirates | 500 AED | £99.05 |
| Bahrain | 50 BHD | £96.74 |
The lowest contactless limit globally: Iran
On the other end of the spectrum, Iran has the lowest contactless limit around the world, with the country’s 200,000 Iranian Rial limit converting to just £3.43. Chile has the lowest South American limit of £12, while Brazil’s is similar to the African nations Kenya and Uganda who have a limit below £30.
| Iran | 200000 IRR | £3.43 |
| Chile | 12000 CLP | £12 |
| Poland | 100 PLN | £18.45 |
| Turkey | 250 TRY | £19.59 |
| Kenya | 3500 KES | £22.97 |
| South Africa | 500 ZAR | £23 |
| Brazil | 200 BR | £26.43 |
| Uganda | 135000 UGX | £27.17 |
| North Macedonia | 2000 MKD | £27.40 |
| Egypt | 600 EGP | £27.81 |
The contactless limit varies across other major countries as well, with Russia having a contactless limit of 5000 Russian roubles (£51) while India is just below with a limit of 5000 Indian rupees (£48).
Richard Lynch, Managing Director of Suits Me® said: “The UK was an early adopter of contactless payment technology, introducing the first contactless-enabled cards in 2007. Since then, the technology has come a long way and our research shows that the UK is leading in Europe with its new £100 contactless payment limit.”
“But we’re far from the biggest contactless spenders – across the Atlantic, the US and Canada both have contactless limits that convert to more than £145, and in Japan, consumers can spend up to £127 by simply tapping their card against a reader.”
