If you have a contactless-enabled smartphone and a Barclays debit card or Barclaycard (Visa cards only), you may use your phone to make purchases everywhere you see the contactless icon.
The consequences of this kind of payment are becoming more apparent as more people start using it for regular purchases.
There have been reports of customers seeing the error message “Unfortunately you can’t make contactless mobile payments with this device” while using the Barclays Contactless Mobile feature.
After ruling out the most apparent explanations for the issue, you and the card issuer may need to investigate further.
We’ve compiled a list of the most typical contactless card problems, along with solutions.
Why is my Barclays Contactless Mobile not working?
Short Answer: Your Barclays Contactless Mobile isn’t working because of a server outage, you haven’t enabled your Barclays Visa account, you don’t have an eligible card, the merchant doesn’t accept contactless payment, the transaction limit has been reached, the contactless payment feature hasn’t been activated, the terminal isn’t working properly, or your device doesn’t have NFC enabled. This issue may also arise if the app is not up to date.
These are some of the possible explanations for why your Barclays contactless mobile could not be functioning. It is crucial to understand the root of the problem in order to implement effective solutions.
Having covered the causes, we can go on to the numerous troubleshooting strategies that will get you back up and running.
Fix: Barclays Contactless Mobile not working
Method 1: Activate your Barclays Visa account
The usage of Contactless Mobile necessitates the activation of a new Barclaycard Visa account.
If you have just received a Barclaycard, you may activate it by visiting the Barclaycard website or phoning the customer service number provided.
In order to utilize your Visa card for a Cashback account’s Contactless Mobile payment, the PIN for both cards must be the same.
Method 2: Examine the device settings
Sign in to the Contactless Mobile application and double-check your device and payment card settings to make sure they’re set up properly for use with the service.
Feel free to give it another go if your device and payment method are set up properly.
Method 3: Make a payment at a supported merchant
To use Barclays’ contactless mobile function, customers must ensure that the retailer they want to shop at has a suitable payment terminal.
Barclays claims that there are over 400,000 venues in the UK that accept Contactless Mobile payments.
Even so, it’s always conceivable that your chosen retailer doesn’t provide contactless payment options.
Foreign transactions are also supported by Barclays Contactless Mobile.
Please note that the Barclaycard you use to connect your accounts must be one that accepts Visa.
The shop must also have a terminal that can process Visa payments made via a customer’s phone.
If the store wants to accept contactless mobile payments, they need to have a functional terminal at the register.
Despite a reader’s claim that it is compatible with contactless mobile payments, there is always the chance that your payment may fail for any reason, forcing you to find another means of payment.
Method 4: Ensure that NFC is enabled
The Contactless Mobile function requires the NFC capability to be activated on the smartphone being used to make the payment.
Verify that your device’s NFC functionality is turned on.
You may verify it by doing the following:
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Step 1: Navigate to the Settings menu.
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Step 2: Simply enter “NFC” into the search box
Simply enter “NFC” into the search box located in the “Search settings”
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Step 3: Check that NFC is switched on.
In order to perform contactless payments using your phone, it must have NFC capability.
Method 5: Determine if Contactless Mobile is activated
The convenience of making in-store purchases using one’s mobile device is greatly enhanced with the inclusion of Barclays Contactless Mobile.
However, the function is disabled by default; in order to utilize it, the user must first associate an acceptable payment method with their account.
If you have any questions about how you may utilize Barclays Contactless Mobile, please refer to the simple tutorial that has been given below –
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Step 1: Launch the Barclays mobile app and sign in
First, launch the Barclays mobile app and sign in using your Barclays credentials.
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Step 2: Choose either the “Quick links” or “Pay & Transfer” option.
Second, from the app’s main screen, choose either the “Quick links” or “Pay & Transfer” option.
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Step 3: Choose the ‘Cards’ option.
The fourth step is to look for the “Contactless Mobile payments” option.
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Step 5: To proceed, choose the Visa-branded Barclaycard.
Method 6: Make sure you’re using the right PIN
Barclays enables the customer to experience the convenience of Contactless Mobile services.
The acceptable payment range is one of many criteria, including account activation and a suitable card, that must be met before a transaction is processed.
Shoppers who spend between £100 and £300 will be asked to enter their PIN before their purchases can be processed.
In the event of an input error, the transaction will be declined.
Remember that if you want to complete a transaction, you must use the right PIN.
In case you were wondering, the required PIN is the same one used when you paired your Visa card with your Barclays contactless mobile.
Method 7: Refrain from exceeding the transaction limit
It’s also possible that the user’s attempted transaction value was too high for the contactless mobile capability offered by Barclay.
The fact that there is a cap on the total sum that may be paid using Barclays’ contactless payments capability is something that many customers overlook.
Additionally, the Barclays contactless mobile ‘not working’ problem may manifest itself if the user is beyond the limit.
The maximum amount that may be spent using the Contactless Mobile function is £300, as stated by Barclays.
Barclays will not execute any transaction with a sum that is outside of this range.
To avoid unnecessary complications, just utilize the Contactless Mobile payment option if the total due is less than or equal to this amount.
Method 8: Download the latest version of the app
You must have the most recent version of the Barclays app loaded on your phone in order to configure and begin using Contactless Mobile.
The Barclays Contactless mobile problem might arise if the app is not kept up to date.
If you want to prevent this problem, make sure you’re using the most recent version of the program.
Method 9: Use an approved Barclays debit card or Visa Barclaycard
Only customers with an approved Barclays debit card or Visa Barclaycard will be able to utilize Barclays Contactless Mobile.
One possible cause of the “Barclays contactless mobile ‘not working” issue is the addition of an ineligible bank account that has a contactless payment functionality.
Officially, Barclays states that its contactless payment functionality is not compatible with its basic current accounts, business accounts, Mastercard Barclaycards, corporate accounts, or cash machine-only cards.
For the functionality of the contactless payment to work with your Barclaycard, it must be either a Visa-branded Barclaycard or a debit card from a participating Barclays bank.
Method 10: Check the status of the server
There is a good chance that the server used by Barclays might be down either because of routine maintenance and repairs or because of high volumes of traffic.
The error message “Unfortunately you can’t make contactless mobile payments with this device” may appear if the server is down, which might impact the contactless mobile payment service.
Feel free to visit the Downdetector website to see whether the server is now available.
In the event the server is experiencing technical difficulties, you may have to wait until it is fixed before proceeding.
Method 11: Get in touch with Barclays customer service
After attempting the aforementioned solutions if you are still having difficulties with the Barclays contactless mobile function, you may get in touch with Barclays support for help.
The appropriate group may be reached via phone. Just dial 0800-151-0900, in the UK, or 0333-200-9090 from mobile.
Obtaining the required assistance is possible in another manner. You may also send a tweet with a question and include the @BarclaysSupport handle.
FAQs
1. Is it safe to use Barclays mobile contactless?
Using a contactless payment method is safe. When making a contactless payment, you have the same foolproof security as when using a Chip and PIN card.
When using a contactless payment method, you may be requested to enter your personal identification number (PIN) for further security.
2. How many times can you use Barclays contactless card in a day?
When making a purchase with a contactless card, you are not restricted to a certain number of payments each day.
You may sometimes need to insert your card into the reader and input your PIN to confirm your identity until you can use contactless again while you shop.
Final Words
When making a purchase in person, using a contactless payment option may save your wait time at the register and increase your sense of safety.
If, after following the troubleshooting instructions, your Barclays mobile contactless still isn’t functioning, you may always try using another mobile wallet, such as Apple Pay or Google Pay. A contactless payment option is available in Google Pay as well.
Having earned a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Ravenshaw University, with a background in Accounting and Finance, Akshita Pattanayak contributes to UniTopTen by writing clear and concise articles based on Finance-Tech. With more than a hundred fin-tech related articles, she hopes to educate people about how banking and payment apps function.