Contactless Payment

[gavgav]

I have this and have only ever used it once, on the railways in London, where it works like an Oyster card used to. Really useful, but other than that I use cash for small payments and so not likely to use it

 

[Jefferson Meriwether]

It was only the other month I discovered my debit card does contactless payment. I rarely use my card for anything; I get paid in cash so always have a couple of bob or so on me.

 

[mybike]

I have four building access cards, a contactless debit card, a paytag, and a fob that IDs me to the printer when I want to collect my printing. Each of these requires proximity of less than 1cm.

But that's with a naff antenna, use a sensitive enough one and the range is greater.

 

[Cold]

I use it all the time think it's a great way to pay for things.

 

[marinyork]

..... It seems that TfL London buses are now cash free. If you want to travel by bus, you need an oyster card, a contactless payment card, or a prepaid ticket bought from a tube station, or visitor/travel information centre. Walking out the front door of your hotel and seeing a bus stop, then deciding that a bus is a better option than walking, might not be a good idea unless you have one of the aforementioned payment methods.

It may seem ironic to you but with recent upgrades TFL systems are actually BETTER equipped to give refunds when things go wrong than they were in the past.

In 2015 there seems to be a vastly increased awareness where I worked and even do now (in a demographic quite anti) for contactless payment. I get asked about 10 times per shift now and have given up trying to explain and just perfected a friendly chuckle and I agree and maybe soon. A lot of people don't ask at first and look like Harry and Hermione arguing about how you should swish and flick a wand.

 

[Brandane]

It may seem ironic to you but with recent upgrades TFL systems are actually BETTER equipped to give refunds when things go wrong than they were in the past.

Can't imagine why I would be wanting a refund on something simple like a bus fare though? In the good ol' days you stepped onto the bus at point A, paid your fare in cash to point B, and when the bus arrived at point B, you stepped off!

 

[marinyork]

Can't imagine why I would be wanting a refund on something simple like a bus fare though? In the good ol' days you stepped onto the bus at point A, paid your fare in cash to point B, and when the bus arrived at point B, you stepped off!

In the good old days you'd step on the bus and have a haggling match wi bus driver who'd grumble to himself were thee sure that thi wanted stop dahn theer and hast thar right change lad. If not you can get off mah bus! You'd also have mums that memorised bus timetables and talked of past bus routes and timetables like legendary battles of the ancient world.

 

[Piemaster]

A lot of people don't ask at first and look like Harry and Hermione arguing about how you should swish and flick a wand.

I've heard of someone actually doing that. Pulling an oyster card apart and fitting it into a wand - wave the wand over the reader, whilst presumably saying 'Expelliamus' or "Izzy whizzy lets get busy' and payment done.

 

[marinyork]

In all seriousness there are loads of reasons why you'd want the slight different idea of smart ticking. One of the pet hates people have on buses is whether to buy a single fare, a return or a day ticket and so on. I wish contactless had come in years ago. The sort of joined up travel they have in London is but a dream here.

 

[srw]

In all seriousness there are loads of reasons why you'd want the slight different idea of smart ticking. One of the pet hates people have on buses is whether to buy a single fare, a return or a day ticket and so on. I wish contactless had come in years ago. The sort of joined up travel they have in London is but a dream here.

Although as I discovered recently there is a relatively new national standard for proximity cards on public transport which everyone is using - apart from TFL who have their own, incompatible, private system.

Which is a shame. The idea of a nationally compatible ticketing system is a sensible one - it's good for everyone if I can use a pay-as-you-go Oyster card whether I'm on a TFL train, in Guildford, in Sheffield or indeed in Basel.

 

[stephec]

In all seriousness there are loads of reasons why you'd want the slight different idea of smart ticking. One of the pet hates people have on buses is whether to buy a single fare, a return or a day ticket and so on. I wish contactless had come in years ago. The sort of joined up travel they have in London is but a dream here.

This is one area where contactless could really work in the passenger's favour.

Get on a bus and swipe your card-the journey is recorded but no payment taken.

At the end of the week all your trips logged with that card are analysed, and the cheapest ticket option is calculated and charged for.

 

[marinyork]

Although as I discovered recently there is a relatively new national standard for proximity cards on public transport which everyone is using - apart from TFL who have their own, incompatible, private system.

Which is a shame. The idea of a nationally compatible ticketing system is a sensible one - it's good for everyone if I can use a pay-as-you-go Oyster card whether I'm on a TFL train, in Guildford, in Sheffield or indeed in Basel.

They've done the whole calypso argument in Italy, presumably you've seen that system in Germany and France.

I went to transport meetings in my city and one of the reasons they waited was they were worried about standards (this is quite a few years ago now). But mostly it was a lack of ambition from the council and blase and defeatist attitude about having to talk to the bus companies and the tram company. Also a certain wariness about the passenger transport executive. Since then quite a bit has changed the last 3-4 years.

 

[stephec]

TFL do do daily and weekly capping.

I knew it was a good idea the moment I thought of it.

There so far ahead of us down that London.

 

[nickyboy]

TFL do do daily and weekly capping.

I'm in London most of next week. Does the tube work in this way? ie I'm ultimately charged the lowest cost fare option based on my daily/weekly traffic?

 

[mybike]

In the good old days you'd step on the bus and have a haggling match wi bus driver who'd grumble to himself were thee sure that thi wanted stop dahn theer and hast thar right change lad. If not you can get off mah bus! You'd also have mums that memorised bus timetables and talked of past bus routes and timetables like legendary battles of the ancient world.

In the good old days the conductor came to you, took your fare & gave you a ticket.