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Who pays if your payment card is misused in Denmark?

Your liability step by step

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Short answer

As a rule the card issuer pays for misuse by others, unless you acted irresponsibly yourself. As of November 2026 you pay up to 375 kr. if your PIN or another personal code was used, even if you never told anyone the code. You can pay up to 8,000 kr. if a code was used and you did not report the loss fast enough, gave away the code yourself or acted so carelessly that the misuse became possible. If you did not approve a payment with two elements, for example a password and an SMS code, you are not liable at all.

Practical info

Why

  1. The law puts most of the risk on the card issuer.
  2. Your own share depends on how you handled the PIN.
  3. Contactless payments without a code are covered by the bank unless you acted fraudulently.

Details

You can be liable without limit if you gave the code to the person who misused it and knew or should have known it was risky.

Tip

Never keep the PIN together with the card, because that alone can raise your liability to 8,000 kr.

What may differ

The amounts can change, so check the current rules on forbrug.dk or with your bank.

Common misconception

If your card is misused, you always lose the money yourself.

What actually happens

The card issuer pays as a rule, and your own share is limited to 375 kr. or 8,000 kr. in most cases.

People also ask

  • How long do I have to report card misuse?
  • Who pays for contactless misuse?
  • Can I complain if my bank refuses to pay?

Sources

This answer is for reference only. Payment rules, limits and fees change, so check the official sources or your bank before you pay.

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