please empty your brain below
Perhaps some of the extra transaction costs of running Oyster over contactless could be offset by using the £ in dormant accounts. (if they're allowed to do this). Surely no-one would complain if this was done after, say, 5 years.

Lorenzo | 12.02.20 - 7:27 a.m. | #

I wonder how much confusion there'll be by the disappearance of the Oyster acceptance symbol?

martin | 12.02.20 - 7:54 a.m. | #

As you say, the contract applies to validation Oyster readers only, not retail. Just the ticket line, not ticket machines.

The TfL Conditions of Carriage explicitly mention the yellow and pink card readers and display the coloured card swipe symbols. I wonder if they are they going to change.

I can’t see anything about confiscating dormant balances in the Oyster terms and conditions. One way to do that would be to charge £1 a month if the card had not been used in the previous 12/24/whatever months until the balance is exhausted.

Andrew | 12.02.20 - 7:58 a.m. | #

According to the contract the Sponsor gets no access to all the transport data gathered by TfL. (Maybe they need no access because nearly everybody's carrying a smartphone, with unturnoffable permanent location tracker). Sigh.

R. | 12.02.20 - 8:36 a.m. | #

I don't know about bottomless pockets, £2m seems cheap to get your branding on all Oyster readers, as the company is based in Ireland for tax purposes this'll be loose change.

Also this company makes lots of money from ad revenue and has access to oodles user data - I'd say it was more informed about the effectiveness of sponsoring Oyster readers than TfL was.

Still Anon | 12.02.20 - 8:39 a.m. | #

My phone also has "Huawei Pay". Presumably that would be allowed, as it doesn't appear in the exclusion list! (Slightly academic, as I've never used it and never will.)

Tim W | 12.02.20 - 8:46 a.m. | #

Ooo this tweet suggests that the stickers have been out in public for a little while... twitter.com/tinymattresses/status/1209051679091576832

James Scantlebury | 12.02.20 - 9:34 a.m. | #

You learn something new every day. Thanks dg. Us employees haven’t been told about this yet!

Rob Healy | Homepage | 12.02.20 - 9:41 a.m. | #

I want to hear more about the pink oyster validators.

Wolf | 12.02.20 - 10:01 a.m. | #

I bet these stickers will be all present and correct long before the information at bus stops is.

ap | 12.02.20 - 10:19 a.m. | #

Interesting that the financial details of the contract are available in the public domain.

By contrast, the Government hides behind "commercial confidentiality" whenever it is asked questions about the costs of rail franchise contracts (payments to or by the TOC each year, penalties for poor peformance, etc.).

City Worker | 12.02.20 - 10:42 a.m. | #

Have been at King’s Cross for a while!

Dominic Self | Homepage | 12.02.20 - 12:23 p.m. | #

Not sure what the issue is. Someone needs to inject money, now that the current Mayor is holding fares flat.

Jordan D | 12.02.20 - 1:39 p.m. | #

Having checked, yes, every gateline at Kings Cross St Pancras has them (and I understand they’ve been there since late December).

Meanwhile Euston still has Apple Pay plastered across its barriers.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 12.02.20 - 1:51 p.m. | #

I wonder if <redacted> Pay was one of the Elizabeth Line premium partners... and this is what they're getting instead 🤔

James Scantlebury | 12.02.20 - 2:54 p.m. | #

The Government still gives funds to TfL - look at the grant for Crossrail for example.

Surbitonian | 12.02.20 - 3:05 p.m. | #

As a semi-regular King Cross user, I too thought this was 'old news' - although the financial details are interesting.

Frank F | 12.02.20 - 4:13 p.m. | #

No issue with TfL making cash as I don't use the sponsor's product, nor am I bothered by adverts on the tube.


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But, the sponsorship fee seems very low to me!

E | 12.02.20 - 4:31 p.m. | #

That is an absolute bargain for the exposure.

Anon | 12.02.20 - 5:41 p.m. | #

Yes, seems way too cheap, taking into account the cost of re-stickering everything.

I'm always (mildly) annoyed by people in front of me swiping the gates with a mobile, as it is noticeably slower than using oyster, especially when they stop dead to find/turn on the app first

ChrisMitch | 12.02.20 - 6:37 p.m. | #

TfL are being paid £290 per sticker, which vastly exceeds the cost of replacement.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 12.02.20 - 6:41 p.m. | #

So glad I dont used cashless at all EVER. I dont even have that facility on any of my cards as I demanded it was removed.

Andrew Jarman | 12.02.20 - 7:41 p.m. | #

ALL cards are cashless, Andrew, by definition.

Dolt | 12.02.20 - 8:05 p.m. | #

As sponsorship deals go, this one feels relatively tasteful to me - and, as rich as the sponsor happens to be, my gut feeling is that the rate that TFL have achieved feels pretty decent to me. Fingers crossed for more next time, obviously, but I reckon this feels like not too bad a deal.

Chris | 12.02.20 - 11:27 p.m. | #

Apple Pay fine. How strange.

Jordan D | 14.02.20 - 9:32 a.m. | #

I think Barclays bPay has been renamed pingit, sometime in 2019.

And as part of the change some of the then currently working bPay low value contactless/NFC enabled objects (bracelets, watches/straps, keyfobs etc.) were summarily disabled before their natural end of life of 3 years (with scant compensation offered).

You can still buy PingIt low value NFC objects, should you so desire. Feels a bit odd paying for what is in effect a payment card with a 3 year life (and no free replacement or discount to get a new one once expired). But at least some of the objects are cheaper than the NFC payment rings now appearing.

MilesT | 14.02.20 - 12:57 p.m. | #

All contactless cards read slightly slower than Oyster cards. Mobile payments should take the same time as contactless cards assuming the user does the authorisation first. Or with Apple Pay it can now also be set not to require authorisation for TfL transactions.

Jon | 16.02.20 - 10:33 p.m. | #

Two weeks later, this story has reached the Evening Standard (news item page 9, editorial comment page 14).

The editor is in favour.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 28.02.20 - 4:19 p.m. | #











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