Contactless card payments


Your contactless payments will still be very secure thanks to:

  • Contactless uses the same security features as Chip and PIN. We'll sometimes ask for a Chip and PIN transaction to confirm that it's still you using the card. So, if a contactless transaction is declined, try Chip and PIN instead. 
  • You'll always need to complete a Chip and PIN transaction on any new card before contactless will work. 
  • If you don't want to make contactless payments, you can just use Chip and PIN instead. Take a look at our instructions below to learn how to switch off contactless payments or set a lower limit than £100 for your card.

For Mastercard customers

You can turn off contactless payments on your debit or credit card at any time in our mobile app. Follow the steps below to get started. 

  • Log on to Mobile Banking. 
  • Tap ‘More’ in the bottom-right corner.
  • Choose your card and tap ‘Freeze and manage card’. 
  • Switch on ‘Block contactless’. 

You can also change the £100 maximum contactless payment limit using our chat service in Mobile or Online Banking, to a lower preferred limit. 

For our mobile banking app: 

  • log on to Mobile Banking
  • tap ‘More’ in the bottom-right corner
  • choose ‘Help and contact us’ and then tap ‘Need Help?’ 
  • a new chat will open, type ‘Change contactless limit’ and follow the on-screen prompts to change your contactless card payment limit. You can change it from £100 to any multiple of £5 up to £95. 

For Online Banking: 

  • log on to Online Banking
  • click ‘Chat with us’ on the right-hand side of the screen to open a new chat
  • a new chat will open, type ‘Change contactless limit’ and follow the on-screen prompts to change your contactless card payment limit. You can change it from £100 to any multiple of £5 up to £95. 

Any changes to your contactless limit will impact additional card holders and your mobile payment limits.

If you'd like more support, please visit our contact us page. 

For Visa customers

Turning off contactless payments and amending your contactless payment limit is only available for Mastercard customers. If you have a Visa card and would like to switch off contactless payments, please contact us as we’ll need to update your card to a Mastercard and send a new one out to you.

Want to learn more about our mobile banking app? Visit our Mobile Banking page for more information. 

We'll automatically send you a contactless card when your current card expires, or if you apply for an eligible Santander current account or any Santander credit card. 

Top-up debit cards issued on the Basic Current Account are not contactless. 

  • To see if you’re eligible for a new contactless debit card on your Santander current account, please visit your local branch or contact us
  • To get a new contactless credit card before automatic renewal, please contact us

When you get your new contactless card, you must use it for a Chip and PIN transaction or an ATM cash withdrawal before making a contactless purchase (so we know you’ve received your card). Once you’ve done that, you’re ready to make contactless payments. 

Any retailer who displays the Contactless Indicator can accept contactless payments. 

You must use your new contactless card with your PIN at least once then follow the steps below to start making contactless payments: 

  1. When paying for purchases of up to £100 look for the Contactless Indicator
  2. Touch the reader with your contactless card 
  3. Confirm successful payment when you see the green light and hear the beep 
  4. The reader will confirm that your payment is approved 

If you touch your purse or wallet containing more than one contactless card (including an Oyster card, contactless debit or credit card) on a reader you could experience card clash. Therefore we strongly recommend that you remove the card you want to use from your wallet or purse when touching the reader to make sure the right card is used. But don’t worry, if you do present two cards to the reader by mistake, only one payment will be taken. 

If you've used contactless multiple times in a row, for extra security you may sometimes be required to insert your card and enter your PIN to make the transaction. 

The Contactless Indicator mark, consisting of four graduating arcs, is a trademark owned by and used with permission of EMVCo, LLC.

Security is our priority

Making payments without entering any security details or a PIN may raise some concerns. We’d like to reassure you just how safe and secure contactless payments actually are.

Protecting you

Contactless uses the latest secure encryption technology (the same as Chip and PIN) so you can feel confident when using it to pay for things. It only works when a card is close to the card reader. This makes it virtually impossible for any details to be intercepted while in use. For extra protection, sometimes you may have to enter your PIN during a contactless transaction just to make sure it’s always you using the card.

When you pay with contactless:

  • You’ll have a record of all your everyday purchases on your account statement. 
  • The contactless card readers can only carry out one transaction at a time; each transaction must be complete or void before another can take place. 
  • You can’t unknowingly make a purchase as you walk past a reader because the retailer must have entered the amount for you to approve first, and then your card has to be held within a few centimetres of the reader for longer than half a second.

Lost or stolen cards

If your card is lost or stolen, you’re protected against fraud provided you let us know as soon as you realise your card is lost or stolen and you have taken the proper precautions to keep your card and security details safe, as outlined in our terms and conditions. 

For more information, please take a look at our lost, stolen or damaged cards page. Alternatively, please contact us

Was this helpful?

Ask us a question

We'll help you get the
answers you need

Do your banking online

Ways for you to manage your
money without leaving home