Using Apple Pay on the Tube
#1
Moderator: Hyatt Gold Passport & Star Alliance
Original Poster
Join Date: May 1998
Location: London, UK
Programs: UA-1K 3MM/HY- LT Globalist/BA-GGL/GfL
Posts: 12,090
Using Apple Pay on the Tube
I took the opportunity of a trip to/from Heathrow to check out how ApplePay worked.
Before I left I had to set it up on my iPhone 6. First the card on my iTunes account and then other supported cards - BA Amex and NatWest debit - in my case.
Took a couple of minutes but worked fine.
At the ticket line you have to hold the phone near (not on) the reader and then use your fingerprint to activate payment. This worked OK leaving Finsbury Park, failed on one reader at Heathrow, worked on another at Heathrow and then worked fine on the way home.
My tip - check which finger naturally comes forward when you hold the phone. I had to register my thumb as the 2nd finger is hard to manage whilst holding the phone.
Waiting for the payment to come through to make sure it charged me OK.
Before I left I had to set it up on my iPhone 6. First the card on my iTunes account and then other supported cards - BA Amex and NatWest debit - in my case.
Took a couple of minutes but worked fine.
At the ticket line you have to hold the phone near (not on) the reader and then use your fingerprint to activate payment. This worked OK leaving Finsbury Park, failed on one reader at Heathrow, worked on another at Heathrow and then worked fine on the way home.
My tip - check which finger naturally comes forward when you hold the phone. I had to register my thumb as the 2nd finger is hard to manage whilst holding the phone.
Waiting for the payment to come through to make sure it charged me OK.
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brighton. UK
Programs: BA Gold / VS /IHG Diamond & Ambassador
Posts: 14,200
I'd be concerned about ensuring using the same card for all TFL transactions if I had more than one card in apple pay to make sure I benefited from the price caps
#3
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Signatures
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: London, England
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador, National Exec, AA EXP Emeritus
Posts: 9,765
I've also used it, and I think there's a better way than the one you mention Markie. Before you reach the gateline open up your Passbook, tap the card you want to use; once you've done that the screen will read "'XYZ Card' is ready for Apple Pay". Put your thumb on the scanner, and after a second or two you should see that text disappear and be replaced with text that reads "Hold Near Reader to Pay". Once you've done this, your phone will basically act like any contactless card for one minute, you won't need to reauthenticate with your finger while you're on the gateline—now you can approach the gate and place the top of your phone on the reader like it was a contactless credit card and you're through. This should eliminate the sometimes-it-works-sometimes-not issue that you have when waiting for Apple Pay to pop up on its own.
#5
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Signatures
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: London, England
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador, National Exec, AA EXP Emeritus
Posts: 9,765
I'd also point out that I find it much easier to use Apple Pay with the Apple Watch for London transport than with the iPhone. The Apple Watch is already out, so it actually saves steps (to lhrsfo's point), and because authentication happens when you first put the watch on, presumably well before you need to use it for payments, all you have to do is double-press the side button then wave it on the reader-no passcodes or biometrics at the time of payment. I'm now using the watch for transport 100% of the time and it works a treat, no need to have a specific card out in advance or have my wallet out in a busy station.
#7
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: UK. BAEC AAdvantage
Programs: Mucci Des Oeufs Brouilles et des Canards
Posts: 3,671
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jul/16/tfl-cautions-pitfalls-apple-pay
I'm not convinced of the need for any phone payment system. Soon, we'll just be inserting the chip in our hands and that will be the real "pay wave" coming in!!
#8
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Singapore
Programs: OZ Diamond, BAEC Silver, Marriott Platinum, HH Gold
Posts: 515
I have used it as well for the last couple of days (both on the tube's readers as well as in some establishments such as Pret) and found it to be working generally ok. I do agree with has been said above in terms of the amount of time it actually takes to authenticate and for it to work as desired - indeed, a contactless card is way faster.
I would say it is good however to have it set up on your phone in case one day you want to leave the house without your wallet! (Hopefully making sure that your phone's battery is fully loaded and the place you need to pay for have Amex contactless readers . Now thinking out loud....you are probably still limited to transactions with a value of up to £20, so that kind of limits the things you can do.
I would say it is good however to have it set up on your phone in case one day you want to leave the house without your wallet! (Hopefully making sure that your phone's battery is fully loaded and the place you need to pay for have Amex contactless readers . Now thinking out loud....you are probably still limited to transactions with a value of up to £20, so that kind of limits the things you can do.
#9
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Signatures
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: London, England
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador, National Exec, AA EXP Emeritus
Posts: 9,765
Apple Pay transactions that use CDCVM, which is a type of contactless transaction that basically "proves" the person paying is authorised to make the transaction, can be for any amount. It's only contactless transactions that don't use any verification (which is most contactless in the UK at the moment, unfortunately) that are subject to the £20 limit. It's worth noting as well that that amount will be rising to £30 in September—between that increase and CDCVM-supported pay terminals slowly trickling out, things will get better over time regarding larger contactless payments.
#10
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
NFC phone payment is very useful for those of us who use public transit across multiple different public transport networks/countries which use NFC cards and find it more convenient to use the phone to juggle multiple cards' info than carry multiple NFC cards. Unfortunately, some systems which use NFC cards actually may require the NFC card be presented (in lieu of just the card info) at least when there is a spot check.
I'm glad the Tube is going the way of accepting phone NFC payments, even if there are some teething issues.
I'm glad the Tube is going the way of accepting phone NFC payments, even if there are some teething issues.
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: LON, ACK, BOS..... (Not necessarily in that order)
Programs: **Mucci Diamond Hairbrush** - compared to that nothing else matters (+BA Bronze)
Posts: 15,132
I saw a brilliant idea someone had done with their Oyster card but TFL do not approve of this. He'd taken the NFC Chip and antenna out of the Oyster card (Google it to find out how) and then fitted it to a bracelet. Just put his hand over the reader and it let him through.
#14
Moderator: Hyatt Gold Passport & Star Alliance
Original Poster
Join Date: May 1998
Location: London, UK
Programs: UA-1K 3MM/HY- LT Globalist/BA-GGL/GfL
Posts: 12,090
I used it a second day with a trip where I had to tag multiple readers as I was using London Overground and arriving at LCY. I won't be using it again except in emergencies. The old Oyster is so much easier.
#15
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: GLA
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 2,963
If I'm travelling on the tube in Glasgow (or London), then my Bramble card (or Oyster card) will normally just be in a top pocket. It takes a second to get it out and tap. Far easier than fishing out my phone, faffing to get it the right way around, positioning a finger correctly, and then having it take longer to authorise.