Contactless On The Tube? (uk Members)

[Sandstone]

I have to go to London next weekend. I used to live there, so it shouldn't be that complicated, but that was before the days of Oyster cards and contactless payment. I date back to the time when we bought a ticket from a person at a window and handed it in at the end of the journey. When most of the escalators and barriers were wooden, before the Kings Cross fire.

I believe my debit card is contactless, but have never used it that way. According to the Transport for London website I can use it instead of an Oyster card. Can one of you Londoners reassure me that this is so, and that it is simple?

I'm incredibly frustrated with myself that I am worrying so much about this. I used to be able to deal with this sort of thing with no concern at all. I used to be able to catch ferries in Greek and negotiate ticketing on Italian buses, even the water buses in Venice. Now I have spent hours on the best way to manage one Tube journey.

 

[NatBird]

Hi,
Once you come out if your arrival station you can easily find a shop, newsagents with the oyster sign. You can purchase an oyster card for £5 and top it up at the same.
I understand the anxiety and sense of reduced ability.
Hope the journey goes well.
Nat

 

[NatBird]

Oh and yes, you can use a contactless card.

 

[illusionist]

I used my card for the first time on a London bus. I too was worried as I didn't have a clue!. I just pressed it against the circle...or was it a square? Triangle? as you enter the bus, and that's all you need to do....no registering or anything!.....was sweating it wouldn't work....but it did!

 

[sun seeker]

I'm incredibly frustrated with myself that I am worrying so much about this. I used to be able to deal with this sort of thing with no concern at all.

No idea as to the answer to your question, but I just wanted to sympathize with your frustration over how hard it can be to think through how to do things that once would have seemed simple. Or that seem simple to others. On the other hand, how would those others cope with what goes on in our minds on any given day?

 

[barefoot]

I completely understand this kind of anxiety - and can reassure you on this one that, yes, you can use your contactless debit card on the tube and yes it is easy :-)

When you get to the barriers, instead of poking your paper ticket in the slot at the end, you just lay your debit card on the touch pad on top - it's a yellow circle, I think (google images for oyster card payment and it'll probably show you the pad you need to touch it on) . It's where you touch either an oyster card or a contactless debit card. It then beeps then the barrier opens. You have to "touch in" when you go into a tube and "touch out" again when you get off, so that it can calculate the cost for your journey. It won't tell you how much it is - you'll just find out when you see it on your bank statement. It's supposed to be cheaper to use oyster or contactless than old paper ticket tube journeys.

Although most tube stations don't now have people manning ticket desks, there are still staff around manning the barriers etc, so if you get stuck, or your card doesn't get read (sometimes it can be glitchy and you're laying your card on and it doesn't beep you through) there will be someone around who can help you.

If you're travelling to London by train, you can also still buy a paper travel card including tubes, but I'm assuming you're not doing that and only want to use the tubes, not train travel to London as well?

 

[barefoot]

Actually, I guess if you Google images for "tube contactless payment" I guess that would give you pics of people actually putting their debit cards on, which you may find more specific and reassuring?
I don't think it matters what way round you put the card etc. The yellow circle pad is quite large, so you just lay your debit card on it until the barrier beeps and opens.

 

[Sandstone]

I completely understand this kind of anxiety

Yes, you do. Thank you. Lots of step by step detail is exactly what I need.

I know my anxiety is silly. I was explaining to myself only yesterday that my disabled bus pass is the same sort of card, and I can manage that. It wasn't reassuring me very much though.

 

[barefoot]

I know my anxiety is silly

I think pretty much everything that makes my anxiety rocket is silly...and that I'm stupid because I let it make me anxious instead of just being fine about it. I've just posted something about my dirty feet in another thread. I think that's very silly. I know it's not rational and that makes me feel stupid - and a bit unstable!

I can be much kinder to other people about their anxiety though :-)

The tube is pretty anxiety-making for lots of people, I reckon - particularly those who don't use it often.

Hope you have a good trip!

 

[Sandstone]

that I'm stupid because I let it make me anxious instead of just being fine about it

Oh yes, totally familiar. I suppose the big step forward is that I can acknowledge the anxiety and ask for help instead of hiding the anxiety and trying to deny it to myself. This is a good place to practise for real life