Using contactless payment speeds up the buying process and reduces the risk of your PIN falling into the wrong hands. Contactless payment is made by holding a contactless card or sticker close to a POS terminal. When your purchases add up to a maximum of 50 euros, a PIN or signature is not required.
You cannot accidentally pay for someone else's purchases, because you will hold the contactless card or sticker at a couple of centimetres distance from the terminal until it informs you of a successful payment transaction with a text, indicator light or sound.
Random PIN request
When you pay for the first time with a new contactless card or sticker, you will need to enter your PIN on the payment terminal as usual. This simple operation activates your card and enables you to use it for contactless payments.
Later, your PIN will be requested occasionally in order to ensure that you are the card's legitimate holder. You can only make a certain number of consecutive contactless payments, after which contactless no longer works. The number of contactless payments is reset and contactless works again after having paid your purchases once by inserting the card into the chip reader and confirming with your PIN without trying contactless payment first. Make the payment on the debit side and confirm the purchase with your PIN.
With a contactless-enabled card, you can always pay conventionally by inserting the card into the POS terminal and entering your PIN.
This is how contactless payments works
- Take your card at a couple of centimetres distance from the POS terminal. Wait until the terminal indicates with a sound or light that your payment was successful.
- You can recognise contactless-enabled POS terminals and cards from the contactless symbol representing radio waves.
- You can use contactless payment for purchases up to 50 euros.
- If, for security reasons, the POS terminal requests a PIN, follow the terminal's instructions.
- The merchant will give you a receipt, as usual.