From 16 of September, Oyster will become second best option to pay for a TfL journey

On Tuesday 16 September millions of customers will be set for easier and more convenient journeys when Transport for London (TfL) introduces contactless payments on Tube, tram, DLR, London Overground and National Rail services that accept Oyster.
The new option, which is part of a range of improvements TfL is making for customers, means that there will no longer be any
need to spend time topping up Oyster balances because fares are charged directly to payment card accounts.

Contactless payment cards are debit, credit, charge or pre-paid cards which can be used to make quick, easy and secure payments for everyday purchases of £20 and under. There is no need for a PIN or a signature, just touch the card on the reader. „This technology is becoming increasingly common, with half of Londoners already having a contactless card.”, according to the TfL press release.

Contactless payments work in the same way as Oyster, charging customers an Adult-rate pay as you go fare when they touch in and out on readers at the start and end of every journey.

Shashi Verma, TfL’s Director of Customer Experience, said:
„With the launch of contactless now a week away, customers can look forward to having an easier and more convenient way to pay for their travel, freeing them of the need to top up Oyster credit and helping them to get on board without delay. I would like to remind all of our customers to only touch one card on the reader to avoid paying with a card they did not intend to pay with. Contactless payments on our buses have already been a resounding success with over one million customers using their contactless payment card to pay their bus fare around 20 million times.”

TfL mentioned în the press reelase that contactless payments are available alongside Oyster for pay as you go customers. „Oyster will continue to be available for those using concessionary or season tickets or who would prefer to continue paying for their travel this way.”

With millions of customers set to benefit from faster, easier and more convenient contactless journeys around London from 16th September, Visa Europe crafted an immersive 3D art installation at Waterloo station to mark the occasion. The image enables passers-by to race to the London Underground gates where they can touch their contactless card on the reader to pay directly for their journey.

The availability of contactless journeys on all TfL services coincides with new figures released by Visa today that show the use of contactless across the UK has continued to gain pace. In June 2014, the use of contactless cards to make payments increased month-on-month by 7%, reaching a total transaction value of £136.4 million. This also indicates a growth in contactless use of 207% since June 2013, with the transaction value increasing by 202%.

“Tuesday 16th September marks a great day for Londoners,” says Nick Mackie, Head of Contactless at Visa Europe. “No longer will London transport users need to queue for a ticket, or to top up their Oyster card. Contactless journeys will offer a convenient, fast and cost effective way of paying for travel around the city. Contactless payment use has reached record highs in the past few months, as our latest stats show, and with TfL offering contactless across all its services this is only set to accelerate further.”

According to the Visa’s press release, „using a contactless card is the fast and convenient way to pay for everyday purchases that are under £20”. There are now over 300,000 terminals accepting contactless payments in the UK which have been installed in different merchant locations including Boots, Tesco, McDonalds, Costa Coffee, Waitrose and Greggs.

Contactless payments were launched on London’s buses in December 2012. Each day there are around 69,000 payments made using contactless on London Buses. In April 2014 a pilot of the contactless system started on the Tube and rail network involving around 5,000 customers.