You can now choose to set your contactless spending limits to levels you’re comfortable with. Or turn contactless off entirely if you want to.
In October, UK banks (including us) and card providers upped the contactless spend limit from £45 to £100 to make paying more convenient.
Now, we’re giving you the flexibility to set restrictions that work best for you and help you feel in control. Because how you use your bank account is personal to you. Which is why it’s important that you can choose to tweak things from one day to the next.
Having the choice to set lower limits will mean different things to different people
Maybe you’re someone who misplaces their Monzo card more often than you like to admit. If that’s you, you might like to know that someone can’t go on a spending spree if your card fell into the wrong hands. (Don’t forget you can freeze your card in the app too!)
Maybe it’s you that you’re worried about. Adding some friction could save you from yourself.
It’s a known issue that spending with contactless doesn’t always feel like you’re spending real money. You may like the idea of capping how freely you can tap away on a night out or when you’re shopping.
Whatever the reason, the option’s there if you need it.
There are two limits you can customise
A single contactless tap. With a max limit of £100.
Maximum spend over multiple payments without having to enter your PIN. With a max limit of £200.
Set your limits in the Manage tab
We’ve given you two simple sliders to make choosing your limits nice and easy.
Here’s how to find and change your limits.
Update to the latest version of the Monzo app
Go to Home and select the Manage tab
Tap Customise contactless limits
Toggle Customise contactless limits on
Use the slider to choose your limits
When you’re happy, save your changes
Your new limits will apply straight away and you can go back and change them any time you like.
Set a limit of £0 to stop contactless payments altogether
We’ve made contactless payments as safe as possible (more on that later) but some of you might want to turn them off completely. And you can.
All you have to do is go to your limit slider and slide it right down to £0. If you do that, you won’t be able to make contactless payments from your account at all.
The limits don’t affect Apple Pay or Google Pay
That’s because those methods ask for proof that it’s you before they let you make a payment. Which means there’s friction there that you don’t get when you pay with your physical card.
They apply to all Monzo cards in your name
The limits you set will apply to all Monzo cards in your name, including joint accounts and business accounts if you have them.
In those instances, the limits apply to you and only you. The people you share those accounts with – like your partner or business partners – will have separate limits.
We keep your money safe while using contactless
You'll keep getting instant notifications whenever you pay with your Monzo card.
If you get a notification for a payment you don't recognise, you can immediately freeze your card in-app to stop any further payments (and defrost it if you end up recognising the payment!).
If you're the victim of fraud, or if you spot transactions you don't recognise on your account, please let us know by tapping on the transaction you don't recognise, then selecting "Something wrong? Get help" at the bottom.
We’re here to support you if you’re struggling
We offer other ways to control your spending too. If you want to, you can reduce your maximum daily limits for ATM withdrawals, bank transfers, and Monzo to Monzo payments. Send us a message through the app if you’d like to lower these.
If there’s something you’d like to tell us about, you can let us know discreetly, with no phone calls involved and no chat log history. We set up Share With Us to give you a safe way to get in touch and share sensitive information without worrying.