Personal Finance

Google Pay limit: how much can you send?

Zorica Lončar

15.04.21 (updated more than 1 year ago)

Read time 1 minute

Google Pay is one of the most popular digital payment platforms today. It’s perfect for the modern, on-the-go lifestyle, and has also been very useful during the pandemic. It basically turns your smartphone into a wallet, so you don’t have to bring your card with you anymore. Many Wise debit card owners use it as a quick and safe way of paying for things.

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One of the important questions you might have when using Google Pay is - how much money can I send? Or, in other words, how much can I spend per one payment? The good news is that the spending limit actually doesn’t exist. But, just because Google Pay doesn’t have it, that doesn’t mean specific stores or banks won’t. Read on for more information and details on this.

Google Pay transaction limit

If you’re in the UK, you’ll be happy to know that a Google Pay limit doesn’t exist at the moment. This means that you can spend as much as you want with an unlimited number of daily transactions.

However, if your bank or the store that you’re shopping in has some specific rules, make sure you know them. For example, some banks have restrictions for certain card and account types. Also, some banks allow you to set a specific transaction limit that you can’t pass. This has nothing to do with Google Pay and its limits, though.

Google Pay contactless limit

As of March 2021, the contactless limit in the UK has been raised to £100.¹ This is partially a way of stimulating people to use contactless payment options, so they would avoid unnecessary crowds.

The limit doesn’t prevent you from being able to spend more than this amount. Instead, it only means that you’ll have to confirm your password, fingerprint or facial scan for bigger purchases. It's simply a matter of fraud prevention. So, in case your phone gets stolen, you won’t end up with an empty bank account.

Although the £100 limit is legally already in force, it might not be present everywhere. Keep in mind that it might take some time for retailers and firms to make changes and adjustments. Wherever you choose to shop, have your card on you if you plan on spending more, just in case.

Also, the number of daily contactless transactions in the UK is five.² The amount you can spend in those five transactions has now been boosted to £300. So, you’ll have to enter your PIN after five transactions or after spending more than £300 in a day.

Google Pay in-app and online limit

You can also use Google Pay to safely make purchases within apps and websites.³ In this instance too, there are no restrictions when it comes to amounts. Just look for the Google Pay sign and you’re good to go!

Sources:

BBC - contactless card limit rise
Sky News - contactless payment limit
Google Pay - about
All other information from: Mastercard and The Points Guy

All sources checked on March 31, 2021

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