Peter Roebben, Chief Executive Officer at KBC Bank Ireland said:
“As Irish people continue to navigate the challenges presented by the Coronavirus, it is critical that we, as an industry, remain focused on their best interests and offer the necessary supports to make life a little bit easier and safer. The increase to the contactless limit will encourage more consumers to tap and pay for goods and services, thereby limiting the exchange of cash and reducing physical contact in stores.”
“However, as a digital-first bank, we would like to remind our customers that we have a range of digital solutions in place that can help them adapt to the impact of the Coronavirus. Our range of digital wallets allows KBC customers to make free contactless transactions through their mobile phone or smartwatch and are not subject to the new €50.00 contactless limit as a physical card. This means that customers can use their digital wallets to pay for essential items over that amount, making it easier and more secure to tap and pay for goods and services.”
“We already announced the deployment of a range of financial measures to support customers who are facing financial difficulties as a result of the Coronavirus and we remain committed to working with the Central Bank of Ireland, Government and the Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland to deliver what customers now need to help them through this challenging time.”
KBC Bank is asking consumers to be extra careful and alert to scams of any kind with consumers shopping on-line more particularly in light of current developments in relation to Covid-19. While the scams may have been adapted for the current crisis the advice in terms of protecting yourself remains the same: don’t be rushed, take you time to do the relevant checks and always immediately report any suspicious activity to you bank or local Garda Station.
KBC Bank Ireland COVID-19 support measures include:
- Payment breaks on mortgages and loans for personal and SME business customers lasting up to 3 months, for those impacted by COVID-19.
- All court processes currently in train will be suspended for a three-month period.
- Free contactless: in respect of card payments and for people concerned about handling cash payments – a reminder that across all our personal current accounts all contactless payments are free for domestic and eurozone transactions.
- Digital Wallets: KBC has a range of free contactless ‘tap and go’ payments, offering digital wallets from Apple Pay™, Google Pay™, Fitbit Pay™, Garmin Pay™ and Wena Pay™.
- KBC Bank offers free day-to-day banking to teens, students, and to those over 60 years. The current account can be opened in an easy five-step process on the KBC Bank app.
- A dedicated KBC team has been established to help customers with any financial concerns or questions they have regarding COVID-19. This team can be contacted on 1850 93 02 35
- This is in addition to our normal channels for business and personal customers to contact us on which includes 24/7 customer service via phone, live webchat, email and social media and through our hubs across the Country.
- For KBC business customers there is a dedicated KBC Business Partner available should any customer have any concerns.
- For more information, please visit KBC.ie/covid-19