From today (1 April), the maximum one-off spend on 'tap and go' contactless card increases from £30 to £45 in the UK.
It is hoped the new measure will remove the need for customers to handle a pin pad, hence lowering the risk of spreading coronavirus.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) explained that while some stores would introduce the new contactless limit today, shoppers may not be able to take advantage of the increase everywhere immediately, given the strain Covid-19 has placed on the retail sector.
The BRC's head of payments policy, Andre Cregan, said: "The last contactless limit increase to £30 took two years to implement but, given the extraordinary circumstances we face today, this new £45 limit will be rolled out from next week.
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"Some shops will take longer to make the necessary changes, given the strain they're under. In the meantime, most customers can continue to make contactless payments for higher amounts using their smartphone."
The new measure, announced last Tuesday (24 March), represents an increase of £15 in the maximum one-off contactless spend.
The idea is that if people are able to pay for stuff by just waving a card at the till, we can limit the amount of physical contact taking place in supermarkets and maintain the all-important two metres of social distancing between people.
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Though it feels as if they've been around forever, contactless payments are still only a relatively new thing.
They were first brought in back in 2007, when customers started to be able to pay for as much as £10 worth of stuff by simply tapping their card - provided they had a compatible one - against a machine.
Futuristic though it felt back in those days, it has quickly become commonplace, with many people now carrying only a card rather than hard cash, or a virtual card on their phone.
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Then, in September 2015, the limit was increased and shoppers were allowed to pay for as much as £30 - the limit until today - with a wave of their plastic card.
Shoppers will only be able to whip out their contactless debit and credit cards in selected essential shops amid the current social distancing measures.
Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced all non-essential retailers are to close in order to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.
That comes after bars, restaurants and cafes were closed the previous week.
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