Tap & Pay on London Underground

Yes. You can also set up Google Pay or Apple Pay on your phones.

My understanding is you should have a separate card for each of you if you're going to use tap and pay with a credit card. I used the tap/pay method in May and it worked well and no need to get an Oyster card or think about how much to preload on one. You have to use the same card to tap and tap out.

Each of you having a card issued to you on the same account is fine. The same basic card can also be loaded on phones or watches, and each device is considered separate. If you do have the card loaded on to multiple devices, the key is to always use the same card or device to tap in and tap out. Using the same device through the day will work toward the daily (and weekly) cap.

However, as always, it is a good idea to have one or two backups (other cards); stuff happens, sporadically I have had a card not work.

There is a caution on the TFL website that some Visa cards and Mastercards issued outside the UK will not work for tap and pay.

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/how-to-pay-and-where-to-buy-tickets-and-oyster/pay-as-you-go/contactless-and-mobile-pay-as-you-go#on-this-page-1

This proved true of my husband’s Bank of America Visa card, even though the same card worked in London at other tap and pay terminals (grocery stores, coffee shops, etc.). He tried multiple times on different buses, etc. and it just would not work. fortunately we sill have our old Oyster cards, so we just put some money on one of those for him to use.

My AmEx card worked just fine, just as the website says it will.

The card must allow offline processing to work on TfL. Being able to use it in shops (ie nearly always online terminals) and not TfL shows up this problem which has been determined by the issuer.

Have been in London since early November. I’m old school and use an Oyster card. Have topped it up twice. Easy peasy. Have it in its own carrier I purchased years ago at the British Library gift shop.

My rationale about using an Oyster card instead of a debit or credit card….simple….loosing an Oyster card would be upsetting but loosing a credit or debit card would be infuriating. I like not causing myself angst.

Losing a credit card is not uncommon and not nearly the end of the world. YOu're responsible for none of the charges and they'll issue you a new number. Because everyone automatically carries more than one anyway (don't they?)

Actually your liability losing a credit card is less than losing an Oyster card.

If your smart, you have multiple credit cards anyway, and in todays world, if you lose your card, or it is compromised, you can have your bank/issuer push a replacement card to Apple/Google pay almost immediately. Many cards also already include not only a traditional digital card, but a separate "virtual" card that encodes everything, and uses a different number sequence for every transaction. Add to this, in many trips, I have never lost a credit card, or an Oyster card, so not really a great concern.

Even if your card charges a Foreign Transaction Fee, usually 3% of the amount, using that. compared to paying 7 GBP for an Oyster card, is still cheaper, unless you will be in London for over a month and using the Underground daily.

Plus, you have no hassle of getting a refund for funds loaded on the card.

Now if you have an Oyster card from previous trips, prefer to use it, and find yourself returning to London often, then great. It works for you. But a first time, one time visitor, it simply does not make sense. The one category that it does, is a Youth Pass, where an Oyster offers a discount on trips, and pre/young teens are less likely to have a credit card.

I use only the Oyster Card, the same one since 2009. Assuming it still works, I'll continue with this option, was last in London in 2017,

The Oyster Card worked then as it did in 2009. Whenever it runs low, I top it off, have done that several times with no problems paying cash or with the credit card.

But a first time, one time visitor, it simply does not make sense. The one category that it does, is a Youth Pass, where an Oyster offers a discount on trips, and pre/young teens are less likely to have a credit card.

There are other categories beyond that where an Oyster Card makes sense. For those who are travelling outside London (Cambridge, Oxford or the Cotswolds, Stonehenge etc) so buy a National Rail senior railcard, a Disabled Railcard, a 16-25 Railcard or a 26-30 Railcard also get 34% discounts with Oyster. Strictly that is off peak, but the off peak travelcard also includes the afternoon peak as well. So that is a way to beat the peaks.

And if you can't afford £7 to buy an Oyster Card, in the overall context of a trip from the US then there is something wrong. That is less than the price of two take out coffees.

There are no absolutes in this- if people want to use an Oyster let them.

Well since this thread has moved beyond the OP's original question, I'll get on my soapbox.

It does not matter one bit what one thinks is the best or their own preferred method for paying for TfL, we do a disservice to those seeking information when we fail to provide or point out complete information about acceptable payment methods.

I also do not understand why many here seem to make it personal what method another chooses to use.

I think if you prefer not to pull out your credit card or debit card for every journey, 7 quid is still worth it to have an Oyster. It's a lot easier to have an Oyster knocking around in any pocket than your primary card. Much less painful than losing a credit card in my opinion.

I looked up some stats and about 22% of journeys are still paid for by Oyster. I'll paste the link below, but you only get one look at the graph before it asks you to log in.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1413230/transport-for-london-fare-payment-type/

There were 1.7 million unique Oyster Cards used for journeys on 21st March (a Thursday, seems to be the busiest day of the week) of this year. If you assume most people are doing more than one journey in a day, that's a lot of journeys still being paid for by Oyster.

https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/oyster-card

https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/contactless-payment

It still makes sense for a lot of people to pay by Oyster. I hope there's no plans to phase it out any time soon. It's still a useful alternative for people who don't want to use contactless payments. You'd wonder if its got ten years of life left in it as TfL could probably cut costs by getting rid of it eventually. I have only used an Oyster a couple of times in the last ten years in emergencies.

I used Google Pay (with my Chase United card) on TFL while in London three weekends ago. In fact, I used Google Pay for every single payment while in London. It worked flawlessly. I didn't get out my credit card even once, nor did I get any cash from an ATM. (I brought some British coins with me, but never used them and wound up depositing them into a charity box in the departures area at Heathrow). Each morning I woke up to a Google Pay notification of what my TFL charge was for the previous day.

In theory I could have made this trip with just my phone and my passport (not that I would, of course!) I've turned into a big fan of Google Pay due to the sheer convenience of it and now I use it everywhere. If people have an Oyster card and still want to use it, why shouldn't they? But if you have a tap to pay option, you could bypass the ticket machine and skip worrying about which ticket or pass option is best, and head straight to the turnstile. It really could not be easier or more convenient, IMO.

Just make sure your phone can still do tap and pay with Google Wallet/Pay. Mine stopped doing it and it was kind of scary when it was refusing to allow transactions, but Google has done it to a lot of Google phones. I am done with Google Wallet, personally.

For clarity was just in London for 6 weeks. Left in early November. Returned in December.

I choose Oyster card for public transport because it works for my travel style.

Took more than one Credit Card.

Always keep my passport with me. London, Paris, Havana, Amsterdam, Munich, Zurich, Geneva, Dublin, Belfast, Rome, Florence are a few places I’ve stayed.

Lastly my way to travel has evolved since Nixon was President. You do the math.

Keep in mind that if you wear an Android or Apple Watch, you can pay for transit using those also. It's an extension of Apple Pay and Google Wallet on your phone. Worked great for me on the tube.

Had not heard about any problems with Google Wallet. Perhaps @phoffen2001 could shed some more light on that issue.

"Had not heard about any problems with Google Wallet"

I use Google Wallet for the tube and the Singapore MRT without any issues. It may come down to the card issuer rather than Google - for instance there are some shops that decline my Revolut card when used with Google Wallet, but are fine with my bank credit and debit cards.

I do occasionally experience a declined transaction when tapping my phone, only to find the physical cards work fine, but that's never happened for me with public transport.

I've used Google Pay, credit cards and an Oyster Card on the Underground without any problems.

One thought about Google Wallet not working....were you overseas and neglect to tell your credit card issuer you were traveling?

Google Wallet is just a conduit. It doesn't decide if the transaction is good or bad. The card issuer does.

Google Wallet has been disabled for a relatively small number of phones for which Google identified serious security inadequacies. Many of those phones have had those corrected and Wallet reactivated.

There were changes to the Google Pay/Wallet apps earlier this year (June timeframe maybe?) Essentially they discontinued what was Google Pay, which allowed you to load a balance on the app and pay from the app, as well as transfer funds between institutions and people.

The app now is Google Wallet, which allows you to load cards to use for payment, as well as tickets, passes, loyalty cards and IDs.

It could be the poster that had problems was caught up in the migration from Pay to Wallet. I have used Wallet for ten weeks in Europe this year as well as here in the US, with no issues, including on the Underground. Though to be honest, I prefer to use my physical card on the Underground, just easier and faster than pulling out my phone, activating it, and pulling up Wallet. Sometimes, if you move too fast or position the phone oddly, it misreads. Others probably are more coordinated than I, but I have fewer problems with the card. Also, since I only carry a single card in my thin wallet, I just tap the wallet.

Reloading the Oyster Card with additional cash is the convenient way to pay for public transport. I have no problems pulling in and out the credit card out in the open and tapping it. Likewise with the Oyster Card and neither is going be picked or lost....just won't happen.

Just for general information, last year when we stopped at the Information kiosk in Heathrow Airport to inquire about the best way to pay for public transportation, the agent was quite adamant that as tourists, if we had tap credit cards they would be more than sufficient. That there was no real reason to buy the Oyster card anymore. Everyone has their personal preference. There’s no right or wrong here just what a person is most comfortable using.

"just easier and faster than pulling out my phone, activating it, and pulling up Wallet."

Actually, activating or unlocking the your phone is not a requirement - you can tap while it's still locked if you have it set up correctly- go to Verification settings>>Public transport payments and turn off the 'Verification required button.

Yeesh. So much back and forth that can be summarized briefly as follows: some people like to use Oyster cards; others prefer alternatives, such as debit cards, credit cards and smartphone apps.

All have pros and cons. All are perfectly acceptable approaches to paying for London transit.

I've just remembered a conversation I overheard in part a few months ago while I was waiting for a member of TfL staff to become available to add a new railcard discount to my Oyster. He was helping a visitor who wanted to know 'how to buy a ticket from Paddington to Tottenham Court Road'. He went through travelcards initially as an option after finding out he wanted to do more journeys that day, but when he saw he had a credit card to pay with he advised him simply just to use it to tap in and out at the barriers. However, the man just couldn't grasp this concept at all. 'How will it know how much to charge me?' he kept asking. He finally went off maybe half convinced but not looking that happy either.

I suppose if you have never gone beyond buying a paper ticket in your life it might be hard to pick these things up.