How do contactless payments work?

Mastercard^® contactless payments allow you to tap & go™, so there’s no need for a PIN when you make purchases of $100 or less at participating merchants.

Thanks to its secure encryption technology, a contactless payment is as safe as your usual card transaction. Every transaction is processed through secure Bankwest and Mastercard networks. And if your wallet is lost or stolen, Mastercard Zero Liability protection means you are covered from the costs of unauthorised transactions as long as you’ve done everything you can to protect yourself from fraud.

Your card cannot be accidentally charged by walking past a contactless reader, as your Mastercard has to touch the reader in order to work.

Contactless payments are a permanent feature of your Mastercard credit card and cannot be turned off. You can choose not to complete a contactless transaction by swiping or inserting your card instead.

You can also make Mastercard contactless payments using Apple Pay and Google Pay™.

You can use tap & go anywhere Mastercard contactless is accepted, which includes thousands of locations overseas.