# Card Error using Contactless **URL:** \ **Category:** Help\ **Created:** [19 October 2017 20:41 UTC](https://community.monzo.com/t/card-error-using-contactless/25771 "2017-10-19T20:41:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![anon18302928](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a8b319/32.png) [@anon18302928](https://community.monzo.com/u/anon18302928)\ **Post date:** [19 October 2017 20:41 UTC](https://community.monzo.com/t/card-error-using-contactless/25771/1 "2017-10-19T20:41:42Z")
Hello everybody! I’ve received earlier this week my Monzo Card. Yesterday I tried to pay using contactless in a Tesco Express, and I’ve got a Card Error on the POS display. The same today when I tried to pay via contactless in Costa, Card Error on the POS display. Honestly I didn’t try using the chip. Also, the app doesn’t show any error about the two failures above. However I tried to grab some cash from the ATM and that worked fine and the transaction appeared in the app. Is there a reson why the card didn’t work? Is there a contactless activation that I am supposed to do, or it should be enough the first activation when the card arrived? Thanks! Salvo ---
**Author:** ![TonyHoyle](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/monzo/user_avatar/community.monzo.com/tonyhoyle/32/3357_2.png) [@TonyHoyle](https://community.monzo.com/u/TonyHoyle)\ **Post date:** [19 October 2017 20:43 UTC](https://community.monzo.com/t/card-error-using-contactless/25771/2 "2017-10-19T20:43:28Z")
The first time you get the card you should make at least one transaction with chip and pin. Contactless is sometimes (always?) locked out until that happens - I presume to avoid the problem of a card lost in the post being used without the pin. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/monzo/user_avatar/community.monzo.com/bobt/32/5151_2.png) [@BobT](https://community.monzo.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [19 October 2017 20:43 UTC](https://community.monzo.com/t/card-error-using-contactless/25771/3 "2017-10-19T20:43:58Z")
I’ve read here previously that you need to do a chip and pin POS transaction before contactless will work. EDIT: Yeah, beaten to it 😂 ---
**Author:** ![anon18302928](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a8b319/32.png) [@anon18302928](https://community.monzo.com/u/anon18302928)\ **Post date:** [19 October 2017 20:56 UTC](https://community.monzo.com/t/card-error-using-contactless/25771/4 "2017-10-19T20:56:24Z")
Wonderful, I will try as soon as I can and come back with a response, which might be helpful for other people. Thank you guys! ---
**Author:** ![anon23935806](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58f4c7/32.png) [@anon23935806](https://community.monzo.com/u/anon23935806)\ **Post date:** [19 October 2017 21:03 UTC](https://community.monzo.com/t/card-error-using-contactless/25771/5 "2017-10-19T21:03:41Z")
Presumably this is to prevent a crooked mailman from paying his morning coffee by tapping a :monzo: welcome letter on the card reader. 😂 ---
**Author:** ![anon93718513](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d78d45/32.png) [@anon93718513](https://community.monzo.com/u/anon93718513)\ **Post date:** [19 October 2017 21:06 UTC](https://community.monzo.com/t/card-error-using-contactless/25771/6 "2017-10-19T21:06:13Z")
Wouldn’t work as cards have to provisioned in app 😉 ---
**Author:** ![semikie](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/monzo/user_avatar/community.monzo.com/semikie/32/2402_2.png) [@semikie](https://community.monzo.com/u/semikie)\ **Post date:** [20 October 2017 06:04 UTC](https://community.monzo.com/t/card-error-using-contactless/25771/7 "2017-10-20T06:04:23Z")
What an outrageous thing to say! ---
**Author:** ![anon38274058](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f9ae1b/32.png) [@anon38274058](https://community.monzo.com/u/anon38274058)\ **Post date:** [20 October 2017 19:29 UTC](https://community.monzo.com/t/card-error-using-contactless/25771/8 "2017-10-20T19:29:24Z")
> [@semikie](#): > > What an outrageous thing to say! Which bit semikie? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![anon18302928](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a8b319/32.png) [@anon18302928](https://community.monzo.com/u/anon18302928)\ **Post date:** [20 October 2017 20:19 UTC](https://community.monzo.com/t/card-error-using-contactless/25771/9 "2017-10-20T20:19:37Z")
Paying with chip+pin enabled the contactless 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![anon23935806](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58f4c7/32.png) [@anon23935806](https://community.monzo.com/u/anon23935806)\ **Post date:** [20 October 2017 23:01 UTC](https://community.monzo.com/t/card-error-using-contactless/25771/10 "2017-10-20T23:01:32Z")
Presumably the prepaid card’s firmware is off-the-shelf and was designed with assumption that the card being sent out is already linked to an account so it makes sense to keep contactless off until the first PIN-verified transaction.