Contactless payment is one of the barrier measures advocated by the government to limit the transmission of Covid-19. This is why it was decided to increase from 30 euros to 50 euros the maximum amount adjustable in this way, from deconfinement, Monday, May 11.
This “The decision is the result of close work between the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the [Groupement des] Bank cards “, and ” French banks answered the call, “Bercy announced in mid-April. Objectives: strengthen “Health security in retail” and “Facilitate a rapid resumption of activity in this sector”.
How to take advantage of the new ceiling? An overview of the questions that arise in practice.
Should I change my bank card?
The vast majority of cards on the French market can accept this new limit and will not have to be changed, explain the banks. “A very small number of customers will have to wait for their card to be renewed to take advantage of the new features”, confirms Loys Moulin, development director of Cartes Bancaires CB. Also called “GIE CB”, this economic interest group manages the French network of card payments bearing the mention “CB”.
Should we carry out a manipulation?
It depends … Some cards do not require any action from the bearer. Among the networks concerned: BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, La Banque Postale, LCL, Crédit Mutuel, Arkéa, Fortuneo, Axa Banque, Orange Bank, Nickel, Revolut, N26, Ma French Bank, etc. As well as more than 90% of the cards of Banque Populaire banks and Savings Banks (BPCE).
In other banks, raising the ceiling will not be automatic and will require action. Customers have generally been warned. Société Générale indicates that it will be necessary to either make a withdrawal from the distributor, or a payment with code. Same instructions at ING, BforBank, Crédit du Nord. Boursorama asks its customers to make two withdrawals.
“For a minority of 10% of our thirteen million cards, specifies for her part Hélène Madar, director of offers for the BPCE group, a withdrawal must be made, the customers concerned have been informed. “ The CIC has not communicated.
“To understand these differences in handling required, you have to know that there are two scenarios”, decrypts Philippe Marquetty, director of payments for Societe Generale retail banking. “In some establishments, and this is our case, the ceiling is set in the card chip: when the customer types his code, his chip will be updated remotely. In other establishments, it is the central computer server which gives the ceiling: the card will therefore call on this server. “
” If in doubt, advises Loys Moulin, make a withdrawal at the distributor, this operation necessarily requires entering the code and an authorization request sent to the bank (this is not the case for all payments), the conditions necessary for the chip to be updated. “
Are all the cards ready?
When questioned on May 7, the GIE CB estimated that around 90% of the cards would be on May 11. And many networks tell us, in fact, that their eligible cards will work for contactless payments of 30 to 50 euros from this first day of deconfinement – Banque populaire Caisse d’épargne, Société Générale, LCL, Crédit du Nord, Fortuneo, Boursorama, Axa Banque, ING, Revolut, Crédit mutuel, Ma French Bank, etc.
As well as La Banque Postale, which also plans to give two cents to the Institut Pasteur for any contactless transaction in the amount of 30 to 50 euros. ” We can donate up to a million to the Institut Pasteur for research aid “, says Vincent Menvielle, director of supply.
” For our cards, it will be no later than Monday in the day ”, says Marie Degrand-Guillaud, Deputy Director of Nickel, a newcomer to the contactless court, functionality has been offered here since September 2019.
Other customers will have to wait. Stéphane Vallois, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Orange Bank, announces that the update will be effective on May 13. N26 anticipates that this change “May take a few days and possibly weeks after May 11” for some people. BNP Paribas indicates that, for cards expiring in 2020 (the oldest, therefore), “The update will be done gradually from May 11 and should be spread out until the end of May-beginning of June “. The CIC has not provided any information at this time.
Please note, just because your card has been updated does not mean that your contactless payment of more than 30 euros will be accepted, even if the merchant has an electronic payment terminal (EPT) equipped with the contactless. “For this to work, it is necessary that the bank card of the holder allows it, but also that the merchant’s TPE has been updated”, recalls Jean-Luc Dubois, director of flows for the Arkéa group. “This will be the case on Monday for the vast majority of open businesses practicing contactless “, said M. Moulin.
What if I don’t want to use contactless?
It is therefore recommended to deactivate this feature. In most banks, it is free online, through the app or by contacting their advisor. But this is not possible everywhere – at BNP Paribas, you cannot deactivate contactless once the card has been received, ask before!
Some establishments also still have cards not equipped with NFC technology in the catalog (Near Field Communication, “Near field communication”, allowing two devices located at a reduced distance to communicate with each other via waves), therefore with which contactless is impossible (not only cards with systematic authorization, classic cards too). But there, too, we must ask for them.
Does contactless payment cost the merchant?
The commission that the merchant pays at his bank is the same as the customer pays by typing his code or contactless. These commissions vary according to the shops (the big brands generally get better prices because of their volume of transactions). ” These fees have dropped in recent years, but we continue to request their removal for transactions up to fifteen or twenty euros “, insists Francis Palombi, president of the Confederation of the traders of France.
I’ve never used contactless, how do I do it?
With the health crisis, some will probably be tempted to get started … You must first check that their card has the contactless logo (which represents waves – see the image at the top of the article). This is the case for the vast majority of cards in circulation – around six out of seven, according to the GIE CB.
The technology works both for conventional cards and for those with systematic authorization, common in online banks or neobanks. Be careful however, some establishments have, for the moment, chosen not to provide their contactless cards with systematic authorization, for example La Banque Postale for its Réalys card (but this should change at the end of 2020), BNP Paribas (Electron cards and Myb’s).
Then again, the functionality must have been activated on your card. It is now by default most of the time. ” At Fortuneo, however, we leave the choice to the customers, because there was originally a certain distrust of consumers, even if this is no longer the case today. A few clicks are enough to activate the functionality “, says Grégory Guermonprez, who runs this online bank.
All that remains is to approach your card at the payment terminal … Keeping in mind “There is no need to stick it on “, underline the LCL teams. Please note, 30% of merchants in France do not yet accept contactless payment, according to the GIE CB (figures at the end of 2019).
Do not be surprised if, from time to time, the terminal asks you to enter your code.
“For security reasons and in application of European rules, theThis code is compulsory at least every 150 euros of payment. But each bank sets its own limits within this framework, without always disclosing them “Notes Mr. Moulin.
Some, for example, also limit the number of contactless transactions in a row. Entering the code resets the counters to zero each time. Contactless is therefore not the solution for those whose memory fails – “You must always have your code in mind, the generalization of contactless does not mark the death of the code”, sums up Philippe Marquetty.
–
