Contactless Payment

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stephec

Squire
Location
Bolton
In the good old days the conductor came to you, took your fare & gave you a ticket.
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Tin Pot

Guru
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?

Basically yes.

There are some less usual set ups if you can be bothere to figure it out:
https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/contactless

Just make sure you "touch in and touch out" every journey and don't go to a non-contactless destination (eg arse end of nowhere).
 

slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
I have read a few articles by people who have some reservations about the security of contactless payment.......stories of dodgy types frotting up against strangers' wallet pockets on crowded Tubes and collecting ten quid a pop as they mince by, that sort of thing. Other people tell you how to remove the contactless chip from your card and try and sell you radio-proof card wallets. It could all be Urban Mythology, but I'm a bit uneasy about it.
 

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
I have read a few articles by people who have some reservations about the security of contactless payment.......stories of dodgy types frotting up against strangers' wallet pockets on crowded Tubes and collecting ten quid a pop as they mince by, that sort of thing. Other people tell you how to remove the contactless chip from your card and try and sell you radio-proof card wallets. It could all be Urban Mythology, but I'm a bit uneasy about it.


It's all urban mythology.
 

slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
Instead of a balaclava, your little emoji should have a tin foil hat.
Splendid idea! I wrap my wallet in BacoFoil.
 
I have read a few articles by people who have some reservations about the security of contactless payment.......stories of dodgy types frotting up against strangers' wallet pockets on crowded Tubes and collecting ten quid a pop as they mince by, that sort of thing. Other people tell you how to remove the contactless chip from your card and try and sell you radio-proof card wallets. It could all be Urban Mythology, but I'm a bit uneasy about it.

Contactless payments have been out there for a couple of years. TFL acceptance is new. I would not worry about security as the protocols are a worldwide standard. There are couple of Youtube videos by Americans claiming that it it unsafe and easy to copy by being close to the cardholder. It all hogwash as the the US only went into chip in Oct this year. We had chip and data encryption for years. There is also the fact that the card issuer (the banks) have to absorb all fraud and unauthorised payment.

However it is wiser to use the Oyster Card as any error in debiting the travel fare can be easily remedied. However if it did occur on a credit or debit card, the process is long drawn and may need a card replacement. You would have explain to someone in bank branch or call their call centre, sign some documents as they treat this as a card dispute. You might not have access to your account.

It also so convenient to top up an Oyster card and if it loss, no biggie.

For general retails payments the contactless is fast, efficient and great - just tap and watch the 5 LEDs at the top of the terminal light up in sequence.
 
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