Contactless PIN limit increase under fire

John Kavanagh

The temporary increase in the contactless card payment limit from A$100 to $200, which was due to end on December 17 has been extended until March 17 next year, the Australian Payments Network announced on Friday.

The temporary extension was first introduced in April and has been extended several times. AusPayNet said it would keep the issue under review and seek government advice on the matter.

The uncertainty about the ultimate end date for the extension, and the possibility that it may be made permanent, has given rise to a lively industry debate about the consumer benefit of this measure.

CashWelcome.org, an initiative of the ATM Industry Association, issued a statement last week, warning that scammers and thieves are taking advantage of the $200 limit. The group cited police warnings about contactless payment fraud and said risk was higher now because of the current high level of unemployment.

ATMIA took a shot at AusPayNet for not providing up to date fraud data under contactless payment arrangements involving different limits.

CashWelcome.org has also issued a report on what it calls the “contactless crimewave”, which provides greater detail of more frequent police reporting on the issue. It concludes that the $200 contactless limit is a “card payment failure”.