Since May 11th, the contactless transaction is up to 50€

The success of contactless is no longer a question. After the 1st billion transactions reached in 2017, the 2 billion in 2018, more than 3 billion transactions were carried out in France in 2019.

From the start of the SARS-CoV-2 crisis, contactless payment appeared in France and abroad as one of the barrier gestures likely to limit the contamination risks during daily purchases.
By reducing handling, facilitating distancing and making checkout more fluid, contactless payment helps to protect merchants and their customers in the particular context of this health crisis.
So that this gesture can be made on a greater number of payments and to support the economic recovery at the time of decontamination, the banks, manufacturers and trade organizations partners of Groupement des Cartes Bancaires CB have mobilized to raise the limits of contactless payment by card from 30 to 50 Euros .

This was done on 11 May. In close cooperation with the trade organizations, from 17 March to 17 April, field risks were assessed and resolved. On 18 April campaigns to configure 70 millions of cards, 1.7 terminals and banking IT systems began. In early May, thousands of tests were carried out with the help of major food retailers to ensure the robustness of the deployment.
A massive project that was successfully completed in less than 3 weeks despite the difficult conditions due to the containment.

Today, more than 90% of contactless CB cards in circulation and merchants equipped with compatible EFT POS are allowing contactless payments up to 50€.
Nearly 80% of daily card payments are below 50€ and can now be processed in contactless mode (60% are less than 30€ and of this share two third of the payments are already made in contactless mode).

The launch date of 11 May was not chosen by chance. Once the industrial et technical issues of the deployment have been settled, the aim was to support the gradual reopening of local shops and merchants as soon as possible after containment ending. The craze of contactless has not been long in coming, as within 3 days, nearly 3 million contactless card transactions between 30 and 50€ have been recorded, resulting in 10% to 15% contactless transaction increase.

Download the PDF file : CP sc 50€ CCC VF