UBB and Mastercard® announce a joint initiative as a measure for restricting payments in cash, which may be a prerequisite for spreading the coronavirus. Over the entire month of April each transaction, effected with a card of the Mastercard® brand and issued by UBB, will add to the total amount of the donation. BGN 0.05 will be added for each contactless payment at a POS terminal and twice more – BGN 0.10 – for each online payment with a card. One of the most important precautionary measures while shopping is to make a contactless payment with a card, which decreases the risk of transmitting the coronavirus, as a result of a physical contact with the POS device in the commercial location.

 
The make it even easier for both users, as well as merchants, UBB introduces increase of the payment limit at POS terminals without entering a PIN code up to BGN 100. Thus the Bank hopes to create prerequisites for safer shopping in a threatening environment, as significantly smaller number of clients will have to touch the devices. So far the payment limit non-requiring PIN code entry was BGN 50.

 
These additional measures for boosting online trade and contactless payments will enable clients to adhere to the requirements for social distancing, as in the meantime they will be involved in the cause for combating COVID-19. Donated funds for each transaction will not be at the clients’ expense and will not be debited from their accounts.

 
„Not every person can spare funds for donation in the present difficult times, however everybody needs shopping. Through this campaign we would like to remind our clients how they can pay in the safest manner and make them contributors to the donation we are going to make.“, commented Peter Andronov, Chief Executive Officer of UBB and Country Manager of KBC Group for Bulgaria.

 
„We should stand united in front of the invisible and unprecedented threat of COVID-19.“, shared Vanya Manova, Manager of Mastercard® for Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo. „The present extraordinary situation is a practical proof that contactless payments are to the benefit of both businesses, as well as individuals“, commented she as well.