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According to the Central Bank, the new normative instruction transfers the limit to the general ceiling of Pix for keys and QR Code, configurable in the app. Banks and fintechs have until October 1, 2026, to adapt their systems, and the rule also reaches the Journey Without Redirection.
The Central Bank has ended the standard ceiling of R$ 500 that was applied to Pix by approximation, in a normative instruction published on June 18, 2026, paving the way for account holders to pay higher amounts just by tapping their phone on the terminal. The information was disclosed by NSC Total, which detailed the change in security and operational rules of this payment method.
In practice, the specific limit for approximation ceases to exist and follows another parameter. According to the Central Bank, the R$ 500 ceiling is replaced by the general Pix limit, the same already used for transfers by traditional keys or QR Code reading, which the client configures in the bank’s app. The financial sector has until October 1, 2026, to adapt the systems, and the rule also starts to cover the Journey Without Redirection (JSR) of Open Finance, used in wallets like Samsung Pay and Google Wallet.
What changes in the Pix by approximation limit
The core of the change is the end of the fixed ceiling of R$ 500 in this modality. With the new determination of the Central Bank, the account holder gains autonomy to calibrate the value of their daily transactions directly in banking apps, integrating contactless purchases into the general limit already established for transfers by keys or QR Code reading.
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It is important to understand what this means when paying. The limit for tapping the phone is no longer fixed at R$ 500 and becomes the same general Pix ceiling that the user already sets for other transfers, adjustable in the app. In other words, it is not an unlimited amount, but a higher ceiling, configured by the account holder themselves, within the general Pix limit.
The deadline until October 2026 and who needs to adapt
The change was published now, but it does not take effect immediately. The Central Bank issued the normative instruction on June 18, 2026, and the financial sector first needs to adapt its systems, so commercial banks, multiple banks, and payment fintechs have until October 1, 2026, to complete the development and approval of the new Pix limit control tools.
The measure also unifies the rules across the country. The instruction revokes previous normative acts to standardize the security and risk criteria of Pix by approximation throughout the national territory. The goal is to have a single rule for the modality, instead of the set of norms that were in effect before.
The No-Redirection Journey and digital wallets
The Central Bank’s flexibility goes beyond common in-person purchases. The new rule also encompasses operations carried out through the No-Redirection Journey (NRJ) of Open Finance, expanding the scope of the change in Pix.
The technical mechanism standardizes payments initiated within digital wallets. The NRJ unifies the rules for payments initiated directly in consolidated digital wallets in the market, such as Samsung Pay and Google Wallet. Thus, proximity payments initiated within these wallets follow the same logic as the new general limit.
The impact on commerce and user security
For retail, the end of the R$ 500 barrier tends to unlock larger sales. The expectation is that commerce will start closing higher value-added sales directly at terminals, maintaining the advantage of significantly lower operational costs and settlement fees than those charged by traditional credit card acquirers.
On the security side, the responsibility for the daily cap shifts hands. Since the limit now depends on what each user configures, setting this value carefully in the bank app becomes more important, and the standardization of security and risk criteria by the Central Bank aims to keep the modality controlled. The change expands what can be paid by Pix by approximation, but transfers to the account holder the decision on the limit of their own transactions.
With the end of the R$ 500 cap, Pix by approximation gains space for higher value purchases starting in October 2026, with the limit now tied to the general Pix cap that each user configures in the app, according to the new normative instruction from the Central Bank released by NSC Total.
Banks and payment fintechs have until October 1, 2026, to adapt the systems, the rule also reaches the No-Redirection Journey and wallets like Samsung Pay and Google Wallet, and commerce is expected to gain larger sales by approximation, with lower fees than those of cards.
More than just a number, the change reinforces the expansion of Pix as a daily payment method, now also for higher amounts with a touch of the cell phone.
And you, what do you think about the end of the R$ 500 limit on Pix by approximation? Will you start using contactless payment for higher amounts? Share your opinion and exchange ideas with other readers about payment methods, with respect for different opinions.
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