How do contactless payments work?

Contactless payments on your card function through near field communication (NFC). Learn If you’re experiencing issues with contactless payments, keep the following in mind:

  1. Check if contactless payments are enabled in your card settings.
  2. If your card is new, be sure that you used it at an ATM or with Chip & PIN before. Only then you can use it for contactless payments, too.
  3. Contactless payments on your card (NFC) up to €50 don’t require a card PIN. For amounts over €50 or cumulative transactions above 150€ you’ll need to enter your card PIN. 
  4. Ask the merchant if the payment terminal actually supports contactless payments.
  5. N26 Metal cards only have NFC on the back side of the card. Make sure to hold the back side of the card against the terminal to use NFC (using the front won’t work).
  6. Make sure your card is held directly onto the NFC-compatible surface of the payment terminal. If you remove your card too fast or didn’t hold it close enough, just try again.
  7. If contactless is not working, please always try to use the Chip & PIN method to complete your payment.

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