Card limits explained: daily, monthly and ATM
What a PayFar card lets you spend in a day and a month, what a deposit is capped at, and when each limit resets.
A card is refused, the amount is small, the balance looked fine this morning, and the first word everybody reaches for is limit. Sometimes it is. Here is every limit on a PayFar card, on the card and on the wallet side, and the handful of things that refuse a payment when no limit was reached at all.
PayFar card limits
Limits come in tiers, and which tier you are on follows your verification level rather than anything you buy.
| Limit type | Entry tier | Standard tier | Premium tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily spending | $500 to $2,000 | $5,000 to $10,000 | $25,000 to $50,000+ |
| Monthly spending | $5,000 to $10,000 | $15,000 to $25,000 | $50,000+ |
| Daily ATM withdrawal | $200 to $500 | $1,000 to $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Monthly ATM cap | $2,000 to $5,000 | $5,000 to $10,000 | $10,000 |
| ATM fee over the free allowance | 2% | 2% | 2% |
ATM withdrawal is a physical card feature, so the two ATM rows do not apply to a virtual card.
Four bounds do not move with the tier. They apply to every card.
| What | The bound |
|---|---|
| Single purchase | $1 to $15,000 |
| Card top-up | $10 to $200,000, measured after fees |
| Monthly card fee | None |
| Cross-border commission | 2% when the merchant charges in another currency |
The top-up screen quotes the live minimum and maximum before you confirm, because the issuer can retune them and an article cannot.
The smallest top-up is measured at the card, not at the payment, so a load entered a little above ten dollars can still arrive under the floor. And a generous monthly limit is no use behind a low daily one.
Deposits and the wallet
| What | The limit |
|---|---|
| One payment through the payment gateway | 200,000,000 |
| Wallet balance | No limit |
| Number of deposits | No limit |
The 200 million ceiling is the payment network's cap on a single card payment, not ours.
A larger amount is not blocked, it simply arrives as more than one payment. Withdrawing back to your own bank account is always available.
When limits reset
- Spending and ATM caps reset on the calendar: monthly on the 1st, daily at midnight in the programme's reference timezone, often 00:00 EST rather than yours.
- Top-up limits roll on a 30-day window from your last load. Top up on the 15th and you regain that capacity on the 14th of the following month, not on the 1st.
The ceiling that stops most payments is your balance
Long before a published limit, you reach the end of your money. A $19.99 subscription against a $19.90 balance fails, and the merchant says declined, not short by nine cents. Three things quietly spend the balance you thought you had:
- Conversion. The card settles in dollars, so a €20 charge is not $20 once the network converts it and adds the 2% cross-border commission.
- Authorisation holds. Hotels, car hire, ride-hailing and fuel pumps reserve more than the final bill and release the difference days later.
- Verification charges. Many services hold a dollar just to check the card is alive. With forty cents left, that check fails and the subscription never starts.
Before you check out
- Compare the balance with the total, not the price. Add the conversion and the commission first.
- Check the card is not locked. A freeze refuses every charge instantly, renewals included.
- Keep the app within reach. Some merchants ask for a 3-D Secure code, which PayFar shows you in the app as it arrives, and the window for typing it is short.
- If it still fails, open the transaction in the app. Failed attempts are listed with the reason the issuer gave, and that line is what support needs.
A decline is not a charge. Nothing is taken, though the attempt can leave a hold for a day or two before the network releases it, which is usually why a balance looks short right after a payment fails.
Questions people ask about limits
When do card limits reset?
Daily limits reset at midnight in the programme's reference timezone, often 00:00 EST, and monthly limits on the 1st. Top-up limits roll on a 30-day window from your last load instead, so topping up on the 15th means regaining that capacity on the 14th of the next month.
My payment was declined and I am far under the limit. What happened?
Usually one of these: the balance was short once conversion and the cross-border commission were counted, a hold from an earlier attempt was still sitting there, the card was locked, or the 3-D Secure code expired.
Do limits apply to ATM withdrawals too?
Yes, and separately from the spending cap: $200 to $2,000 a day depending on tier, $5,000 to $10,000 a month, plus about 2% once the free allowance is used. Cash withdrawal is a physical card feature, so a virtual card has none of these.
Is there a limit on topping up my wallet?
The wallet balance is not capped and neither is the number of deposits. One payment through the gateway is capped at 200,000,000, which is the payment network's limit rather than ours, so a larger amount simply arrives as more than one payment.
Does the card balance expire, or can I take it back?
It does not expire, and it is for spending: card balance is not returned to your wallet. Money still in the wallet can be withdrawn to your bank account whenever you like, so load the card with what you plan to spend.
See the real numbers on your own screen
The top-up screen quotes the live minimum, the maximum, the rate and the fee before you confirm.