Bosnia Contactless PIN Limit: Visa 90 KM, Mastercard 100 KM
The Association of Banks of Bosnia and Herzegovina has confirmed new no-PIN contactless limits and is asking Visa and Mastercard to bring them into line.
Banks in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) have raised the limit for contactless payments without a PIN, so a POS terminal now accepts up to 90 KM on a Visa card and up to 100 KM on a Mastercard. The new amounts were confirmed by Edis Razanica, director of the Association of Banks of BiH. For travelers from Serbia paying by card in Bosnia, this is an everyday checkout detail: the amount a card accepts without a PIN is not the same in every market, and it even differs from one card scheme to another.
What are the new limits for Visa and Mastercard?
The gap between the two card schemes is now 10 KM. Here is how the figures compare with the European rule:
- Visa: up to 90 KM without a PIN, about 46 euros at the official fixed rate of 1.95583 KM to the euro
- Mastercard: up to 100 KM without a PIN, about 51 euros
- most European Union countries: 50 euros
Converted, the Visa limit in Bosnia sits slightly below the European figure of 50 euros, and the Mastercard limit slightly above it. The change should make small everyday purchases easier, while security standards for card payments remain in force.
Why does the banks’ association want the limits aligned?
The Association of Banks of BiH has called on Visa and Mastercard to align the limits, so that no difference remains between the two schemes. According to Razanica, that could happen soon.
Until then, the gap has a practical effect at the till. A shopper with a Mastercard pays a 95 KM bill by tapping the card on the terminal, while a Visa holder has to enter a PIN for the same amount.
Do the same limits apply outside Bosnia?
Not necessarily. Razanica reminded cardholders that the no-PIN contactless limit can differ when a card is used outside Bosnia and Herzegovina, depending on the rules and conditions in each market. In most EU countries it is 50 euros, so the threshold now in force in Bosnia is no guide for shopping in another country.
Razanica’s statements do not make clear how the new limit applies to cards issued abroad, including cards from Serbian banks. The safest step before a trip to Bosnia is to ask the bank that issued the card what amount it allows without a PIN.
