Why contactless payments under €50 are sometimes rejected in France
The requirement of entering a PIN number for some small purchase is not random
Sometimes - and seemingly at random - a PIN number is required even on purchases under €50
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Sometimes people are required - seemingly at random - to enter a PIN code when making a contactless payment in France. Here is why this happens.
Contactless payment is permitted for purchases under €50, while for payments over this, contactless payments also require the PIN code.
Why a PIN is required for some payments under €50
Sometimes a PIN number is required even on purchases under €50.
This happens for security reasons, either when the card holder has exceeded an accumulated purchase limit, or made a series of transactions without inserting their card.
EU regulations stipulate that a PIN is required for contactless payment as soon as the cumulative amount of purchases exceeds €150, or after five contactless payments.
In addition, the rules give banks leeway to perform random checks, meaning that individual banks can essentially require a PIN at any time.
Here are some rules for banks in France about entering a PIN for transactions under €50:
Banque Postale: after €80 of cumulative purchases exceeded per day
BNP: after five consecutive contactless payments per day or up to €150
Britline: five consecutive contactless payments per day or up to €150
CIC: after €100 in cumulative purchases exceeded per day
Crédit Agricole: five consecutive contactless payments per day or up to €150
Crédit Mutuel: after €100 in cumulative purchases exceeded, per day
Other banks, including Caisse d’Epargne and Banque Populaire use their own private algorithms to determine when a PIN is required for additional checks below the EU regulation of €150 and five contactless payments.
