Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Visa announced an increase in limits for contactless transactions, which do not require authentication of the card holder by entering a PIN code.

For Uzbekistan, this limit has been increased to 500,000 soums. This step will make daily transactions more convenient and allow customers to pay for larger purchases contactlessly using a contactless payment card. The new payment limit without entering a PIN code is 56% higher than the previous one, which previously amounted to 320,000 soums.

Contactless cards use the same EMV® Chip dynamic protection as the contact chip. Each transaction generates a unique one-time code, which ensures that even if the card data is stolen, the information cannot be used to create fake cards. This technology provides the fastest, most convenient and reliable payment method for both buyers and sellers. Increasing the limit on contactless transactions without entering a PIN code will significantly improve consumer experience.

“The advantage of contactless payments is primarily in their speed, convenience and simplicity. More than 24% of transactions in Uzbekistan are already carried out using contactless payment instruments, and we understand that now this type of payment is even more in demand, therefore Visa makes changes that are most comfortable for people. We greatly appreciate the support of governments and the cashless payments industry as a whole in providing an opportunity to increase limits. The next step is close cooperation with retail representatives and banks to implement the necessary technical changes at points of sale,” said Aliya Chynybayeva, Visa General Manager in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.

For contactless payments by smartphone and smartwatch using Visa digital cards, the introduction of a PIN code is not required for transactions of any amount.

In addition to convenience, contactless payments with Visa Easy Payment service have one of the lowest levels of fraud among all types of payments. In countries where contactless payments are widespread, point-of-sale fraud remains extremely low.