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Our contactless cards

Contactless is a quick-and-easy payment option that saves you time at the till. All it involves is holding your card up to a reader for a couple of seconds while your payment goes through. You don't even have to put in your PIN.

You can take advantage of this option at participating retailers, on any transaction under £100. As an additional security measure, you’ll sometimes be required to enter your PIN when attempting a contactless transaction.

You may already have a credit card that enables contactless payment – they have a wave logo. There's no complicated activation process either; you just need to have used it at a cash machine or during a Chip & PIN transaction.

How to use a smile contactless payment card

You have the option of paying with your smile contactless card wherever you see the wave symbol – in the UK and anywhere else in the world. The number of retailers offering contactless payment is constantly growing.

If the total of the transaction comes to £100 or under, you will be given the option of paying via contactless.

You then simply hold your card against the reader for a moment, at a distance of 5cm or less, and the payment is automatically made. Usually it takes less than a second for the payment to go through.

The reader then gives you a confirmation message upon the transaction's completion – much like when you pay via Chip & PIN.

FAQs

No. As contactless is only available for transactions under £100, you'll need to pay via Chip & PIN for any total above that.

None – There are no charges for using contactless, it is a fee-free payment option for all customers.

Our cards ask for a PIN after a few contactless payments are made. This will protect you if your card is stolen and someone tries to use it lots of times.

I have mislaid my card

If you think you may find your card, you can freeze the card so it cannot be used.

If you find your card again, you can instantly turn off card freeze.

How do I freeze my card?

You can freeze your card in online banking or the mobile app.

To freeze your card in online banking:

  1. Go to 'Cards'.
  2. Choose your card.
  3. Select 'Card freeze'.
  4. Select ‘Freeze card’ to turn the card freeze on.

You can instantly turn off card freeze by selecting ‘Unfreeze card’.

To freeze your card in the mobile app:

  1. Go to 'Card'.
  2. Choose your card.
  3. Toggle the card freeze switch to ‘on’.

You can instantly turn off card freeze by toggling the switch to ‘off’.

I don't recognise a payment on my statement

Call 0345 600 6000 as soon as possible if you don't recognise a payment on your statement.

Call charges apply.

As with other types of credit and debit cards, transactions are usually processed within two or three working days.

Contactless payment readers are all programmed to take only one payment for a single transaction, so it's very unlikely that you'd ever be charged twice.

Yes, but it will depend on the individual retailer. Again, if you see the wave symbol, that means the retailer takes contactless. If they don't, you'll still be able to pay via Chip & PIN wherever you see the VISA logo.