How to set a limit on your payment card in your bank's app
Perhaps someone in your family told you it's worth "setting a limit on your card" so you can sleep more soundly. This task takes just a few minutes and really isn't difficult. This guide will show you exactly where to tap in your bank's app to set a daily limit for cash withdrawals or for online purchases on your payment card. We'll go slowly, step by step. You cannot break anything here — if you mistype a number, you simply type it again.
What is a "card limit"?
A limit is simply the highest amount you can spend or withdraw with your card in one day. Your bank lets you set this amount yourself, in the app on your phone. For example, if you set your cash withdrawal limit to 500 zloty per day, then nobody — even someone who had your card and knew your PIN (the secret four-digit number for your card) — could withdraw more than that 500 zloty in a single day.
You can set a separate limit for cash withdrawals at a cash machine and a separate limit for online shopping. It's worth setting both amounts to a level that really covers your everyday needs — you don't need a limit of tens of thousands of zloty if you normally spend far less.
Why bother doing this at all?
A low limit acts like a "safety net". If you lose your card, someone steals it, or you become the victim of a scam and someone learns your PIN, a low limit means the loss is much smaller. Instead of losing everything available on your account, you lose at most the limit amount — and you gain time to call your bank and block the card.
Step by step — how to set the limit
- Unlock your phone and open your bank's app, as you usually do.
- Wait for the main screen to load, showing your account balance.
- Find the picture of your payment card on the screen — it usually looks like a rectangle with numbers on it.
- Tap that card picture with your finger to open it.
- Look for the words "Card settings" or an icon that looks like a small gear wheel (a gear icon is the usual symbol for settings).
- Tap "Card settings" or that gear wheel icon.
- In the list of options, find the word "Limits" or "Transaction limits".
- Tap "Limits" to see the current amounts.
- Choose which limit you want to change — for example "Cash withdrawals" or "Online payments".
- Tap the box with the number next to the limit you chose.
- Delete the old amount and type a new amount that is comfortable for you.
- Tap the "Save" or "Confirm" button below the amount box.
- When the app asks you to, confirm the change with your fingerprint, your face, or a short text message code (a text message code is a one-time set of digits your bank sends to your phone, to make sure it really is you).
That's it. The new limit usually takes effect right away, sometimes within a few minutes.
How to check the limit really has changed
It's worth making sure everything went well. Go back to the "Limits" screen in your card settings — the same place where you typed the new amount. It should now show the new number you entered. If you still see the old amount, simply repeat the steps once more — calmly, with no rush.
What to do if something goes wrong
If the screen looks different from this description — don't worry. Different banks' apps look slightly different, but words like "Card", "Settings" or "Limits" appear in a similar form almost everywhere. Look around calmly.
- If the app asks for a text message code, type it only inside the app itself. Never give that code over the phone to anyone who calls you claiming to be from the bank. A real bank never asks for this over the phone.
- If someone calls saying "there has been a break-in at your bank" and tells you to read out a code from a text message or change your limit "to save your money" — hang up. This is always a scam. Call your bank yourself, using the number printed on the back of your card.
- If the limit change does not save, try closing the app and opening it again, then repeat the steps.
- If you still have trouble, call your bank's helpline — the number is on the back of your payment card — and ask for help changing the limit by phone or at a branch.
Summary — remember these steps
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