How do I turn off contactless payments on my debit card? (2024)

FAQs

How do I disable the contactless payment feature of debit cards? ›

Can I turn off contactless payments for my card? It's not possible to switch off contactless payments. If you choose not to use contactless, and pay with chip and PIN instead. There are many benefits to contactless payments.

Line your wallet or cardholder with tin foil to block scamming devices from reading your card. If you don't fancy the DIY approach, there are products like RFID readers available which do the same thing. Don't let anyone take your card out of sight while taking a payment – even for just a few seconds.

Call and write the company

Call the company and tell them you are taking away your permission for the company to take automatic payments out of your bank account. The company's customer service should be able to help you, and there might be an online form you can use. Then, follow up by writing a letter or an e-mail.

How do I disable Tap to Pay on iPhone? You can disable Tap to Pay on iPhone at any time in the Square app by navigating to ≡ More > Settings > Account > Tap to Pay on iPhone > toggle off Tap to Pay on iPhone.

Freeze contactless

This instantly blocks contactless payments with your debit or credit card. But please note the following difference: Freezing your debit card also stops contactless payments with Apple Pay and Google Pay. Freezing your credit card doesn't stop contactless payments with Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Simply ask your bank, they should have no issue disabling NFC payments, no need to even reissue a new card. Some banks even provide you the option in a smartphone app.

Payment methods accepted

Your virtual cards and physical cards are considered different payment methods, so always tap on and tap off with the same card or device – for example if you tapped on with your smartwatch, tap off with it too!

If you're not using NFC, turning it off can help conserve battery life and prevent accidental transactions. Turning off NFC can also prevent the phone from being used as an NFC tag or scanner by others. However, if you use NFC for activities such as mobile payments or data exchange, you'll want to keep it enabled.

Tap Cards. Choose which card and tap the Settings badge. Go to Contactless card payments (under security settings) and toggle to turn on or off.

How do I turn off contactless reader? ›

To turn off the reader manually, simply press and hold the power button. Continue holding until the status light on the reader goes out, indicating the device is off.

Because contactless payments require neither PIN nor signature authorisation, lost or stolen contactless cards can be used to make fraudulent transactions.

The most popular way to achieve this is by getting an RFID blocking wallet — a holder for your cards that is made from materials that interfere with electromagnetic fields. RFID blocking technology was developed to prevent criminals from taking advantage of no-authorization contactless scanning.

You have to be extremely close to someone for their gadget to be able to read your card. Even then, they would only get the card number and expiry date which is the same information you see by simply looking at the front of any card.

You can stop recurring payments on a Debit Card by contacting the service provider, merchant, or business for whom you've activated automatic payments. You can also inform the same to your bank to ensure the payment does not get processed.

Federal law grants you the right to cancel an automatic debit card payment, or stop ACH payments, even if you previously permitted them. There are generally no fees or penalties for canceling an automatic payment preference.

You can de-activate your card's Tap to Pay function at a branch or by calling the Card Call Centre on 0861 462 273.