Increasing The Contactless Limit: 6 Quick Tips To Stay Secure With Contactless Spending 

From the 15th October 2021, the contactless spend limit will be increased to £100 from £45 across the UK, the highest contactless spend limit in Europe. Nick Fryer, Chief Technology Officer at card machine provider, Dojo, has provided his tips on how people can stay secure with contactless spending. on what this means for customers’ safety.

The increased use of technology has caused the number of scams to increase, in particular during the pandemic. It is essential to protect yourself from falling victim to fraud. Below are five tips to follow to ensure you feel safe and secure with your finances.

Check your bank statement regularly

Something that we have access to, yet almost always forget. Often with contactless payments we forget to check our bank statements, so can lose track of our outgoings. A good tip is to make sure you keep a log of your transactions, so if you have a statement of money that looks odd, you can check it straight away. Ensure you set up biometric login on your devices if possible, this reduces the chances of your passwords being compromised.

 Check if your bank allows you to set a contactless limit 

The Lloyds banking group, Halifax and Bank of Scotland are allowing their customers to choose their own contactless spend limit. This is helpful for consumers that want tighter control over their spending limits for budget control especially, as contactless allows consumers to spend more, faster. If you’re concerned about how the £100 limit may affect your spending habits, check if your bank sets a limit. If not, there are debit and credit cards that allow you to set budget goals.

Turn your online banking notifications on

Most online bank providers allow you to turn on notifications to notify you when a payment is taken from your bank account, this is a great way to stop any unwanted surprises when you go to check your bank statement. It is also a great way to keep track of your spending and outgoings on a monthly basis.

Spread your money across different accounts

Once you have your salary for the month, try splitting it across different accounts. Bills can go into one account whereas shopping and socialising can go into another. If money going missing is a concern, and if this does happen, you will have money in these other accounts, so you’re not losing months’ worth of salary in one go.

Know the signs of a scam 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a rise of scammers targeting people online. Through impersonation scams, romance fraud and investment scams, consumers have been at even more risk than before to be victim to an online scam. Therefore, it is essential to know the signs of a scam to keep your finances secure. For example:

• If someone you don’t know randomly contacts you

• You are pressured into buying something

• You are asked to pay in an unusual way, such as cryptocurrency, gift cards or wire transfer.

Use a protective cardholder

Purchase a protective cardholder that blocks out radio signals used by fraudsters to activate your contactless when they walk past you. With fraud on the rise during COVID-19, criminals have become more tech-savvy and while it’s an unlikely event, there’s a small possibility they could steal your card details just by being in your close proximity. The physical card does not even need to be stolen, the details of the card can be taken from you and used elsewhere on the internet.