No doubt you've used your credit or debit card to pay for the odd small transaction without entering a PIN code. That's thanks to the RFID chip hidden inside, and just like tapping on the petrol station card reader, you can now do exactly the same at station barriers. It's as simple as that: The gate reads the card just like it would an Oyster. The same daily fare caps are in place (this varies on the number of zones you've passed through) and for the new methods of contactless payment, there's also a weekly cap that calculates the best fare based on your activity from Monday to Sunday. People have been eager to give it a go, as Transport for London (TfL) reported more than 1,605 contactless cards were used at barriers before 8am on launch day.
One of the best things about using a bank card is that you never have to top up, but as MayorWatch explains, there are other benefits to using this method. Oyster charges are calculated at the gate level, and if you forget to tap in and out of a station (particularly where there are no obvious barriers), you can be billed for a maximum fare of up to £8.60 that doesn't factor into the daily cap. Contactless cards are treated a little differently, however, as they're charged only once at the end of the day, and the best fare is calculated by a back-end system, not by the barriers. If you haven't tapped in and out correctly, then TfL will attempt to fill in the gaps using your previous travel history and a bit of a guesswork based on where you could've gone wrong. Hopefully this'll mean less maximum fares for you and less refund processing for TfL.
While you can now keep track of how much travel is costing you from your bank statements, you can also register your card to a TfL account, or add one to an account you already use to manage your Oyster. It'll keep a record of your journeys from the past 12 months, and let you request a refund directly if you think you've been wrongly overcharged.
"Card clash" may well be the reason for a higher-than-expected fare, and TfL has been careful to highlight the danger. If you have a wallet full of debit and credit cards (and possibly even an Oyster), then it's best not to try and tap in with it. Not only does this avoid the potential embarrassment of walking straight into the barriers because the gate doesn't know which card to charge, but the worst-case scenario is that it picks up different cards each time. If you'd rather not pay a maximum fare on three different cards during the day, then be sure to always use the same card and not gamble with a wallet full of them.
can get you through Tube barriers or onto the top deck of the bus. The wrist-worn wearable includes an NFC chip, and works like a mobile wallet, in that you replenish funds using an online account. Any Visa or Mastercard can be used to top it up, too, so it's not exclusive to Barclays customers. It's been trialled at numerous events and festivals before now, and the bank is giving away another 10,000 on a first-come, first-served basis to celebrate its compatibility with much of London's transport network. You can register your interest here, and if successful, you'll receive a free bPay band sometime during September. Barclays told us the plan is for a wider launch of the wearable early next year, but there's no word on how much it cards might cost those who didn't get in on the promotional roll-out.
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