While some observers agree that the risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 by touching coins or banknotes remains low, contactless payment is nevertheless seen in many countries as a new barrier gesture in the face of the pandemic. Twenty-nine countries around the world have now raised their contactless payment limits, including 17 European countries.
In a statement published on Wednesday 25 March, the European Banking Authority (EBA) called on payment service providers to facilitate contactless payment, in particular by increasing the maximum amount allowed without the need to enter a PIN code to the amount provided for by EU legislation, i.e. €50 per transaction.
On the same day, Mastercard pledged to allow contactless payment limits to be increased across Europe. A decision that comes at a time when 29 countries around the world have already announced new limits.
Among them, 17 European countries (Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Sweden) have almost all decided to increase their current limits, which range between €20 and €30, to €50.
While countries such as Ireland, Estonia and Poland announced permanent increases in limits for contactless payment, other countries, such as the Netherlands and Greece, only made temporary increases, in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)