In the wake of Transport for London (TfL) going fully contactless across its travel network, Visa predicts Brits will make 500 million contactless payments between now and December 2015.
Transport for London customers can now use their contactless cards to pay for journeys
Contactless payments launch on TfL
on all Tube, tram, DLR, London Overground and National Rail services that accept Oyster. These services join London Buses, which have accepted Visa contactless journeys since December 2012.
“The rollout out of Visa contactless across the TfL network is a landmark moment for this easy and convenient way to pay and we’re delighted to have played such a key role in its design and implementation,” says Sandra Alzetta, Executive Director, Visa Europe.
“From today, TfL accepts the 40 million Visa contactless cards already active in the UK and it’s our intention that any customer with a Visa-enabled mobile device will also be able to use it to travel on the TfL network.”
The use of contactless in the UK has continued to gain pace in the last year as consumers become more familiar with the benefits of this easy and convenient way to pay. From June 2013 to 2014, growth in Visa contactless use more than doubled, reaching a total value of almost £140million.
Alzetta adds: “We’ve seen an incredible response to the launch of contactless payments on London Buses with nearly 19 million Visa contactless journeys made since it launched in 2012. Today’s launch by TfL will be another major boost to contactless usage leading to the three-fold increase we expect in the next year.”
Also capitalizing on the hype is Barclaycard, who in August launched a contactless wrist band. To coincide with today’s rollout of contactless payments across the London transport network, Barclaycard are offering 10,000 commuters in London the chance to get their hands on a bPay band that will make their journey to work faster and easier, and take away the need to get out their debit, credit or travelcard.
Its introduction underlines Barclaycard’s leading role in contactless technology having introduced it into the UK in 2007 and been at the forefront of its rollout, and the driving force behind its growth, since. In 2012, Barclaycard introduced ‘PayTag’, a handy little sticker that turns any mobile phone into a way to make contactless payments.
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