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US Issued Contactless Card Does Not Work on London Underground

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US Issued Contactless Card Does Not Work on London Underground

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Old Sep 6, 2017, 3:40 pm
  #61  
 
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Originally Posted by Mizter T
You would get that using just one Oyster or contactless card anyway!
It didn't on my last trip. I would've had £3.1 for the trip into the city plus a day cap for zones 1-3*. A total for £10.3. Instead I got the day cap for zones 1-6 (£12).

*I had the following journeys
  • LHR - zone I £3.1
  • Zone I - Zone III £2.8
  • Zone III - Zone I £2.8
  • Zone I £2.4
  • Zone I £0.9 (Day cap 1-6 reached)
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Old Sep 7, 2017, 6:44 am
  #62  
 
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Originally Posted by WorldLux
It didn't on my last trip. I would've had £3.1 for the trip into the city plus a day cap for zones 1-3*. A total for £10.3. Instead I got the day cap for zones 1-6 (£12).

*I had the following journeys
  • LHR - zone I £3.1
  • Zone I - Zone III £2.8
  • Zone III - Zone I £2.8
  • Zone I £2.4
  • Zone I £0.9 (Day cap 1-6 reached)
This is how Oyster works (the technology is getting pretty old) however a contactless card will work out the best combo: https://www.oyster-rail.org.uk/contactless-vs-oyster/
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Old Sep 7, 2017, 9:06 pm
  #63  
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Originally Posted by lhrsfo
I can't understand why American banks don't seem to be capable of issuing credit cards that comply with the usual standards. It would probably be worthwhile if each poster here complained vociferously to their credit card company, rather than trying to mess about with workarounds like Apple Pay or Android Pay.
My understanding is that the cost, to the issuer and the vendor, is the problem. With 250 million people over age 18 and the average person holding 3 credit cards, it is less costly for the banks to ate the fraud costs than to update the cards and systems
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Old Sep 7, 2017, 10:51 pm
  #64  
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Originally Posted by Larrude
My understanding is that the cost, to the issuer and the vendor, is the problem. With 250 million people over age 18 and the average person holding 3 credit cards, it is less costly for the banks to ate the fraud costs than to update the cards and systems
Except that the US does have chip cards. Contactless cards are generally not a thing, however, for various reasons.
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Old Sep 8, 2017, 12:41 am
  #65  
 
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Don't agree with Mizter T here. While in general, Oyster and contactless charge the same fare, the daily capping limit can be different. Oyster technology is older and has less calculation possibilities, if you travel from a high zone (or beyond) you'll get a high cap based on highest zone (or beyond zone cap, e.g. Gatwick). Contactless has smarter calculation algorithms and will work out if a cheaper combination (e.g. Z1/2 cap plus single ride to airport) is cheaper, and charge accordingly.
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Old Sep 8, 2017, 12:49 am
  #66  
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So the weakness of contactless is that the weekly capping is set to a fixed week, rather than any 7 days as with Oyster?


Originally Posted by rcspeirs
Don't agree with Mizter T here. While in general, Oyster and contactless charge the same fare, the daily capping limit can be different. Oyster technology is older and has less calculation possibilities, if you travel from a high zone (or beyond) you'll get a high cap based on highest zone (or beyond zone cap, e.g. Gatwick). Contactless has smarter calculation algorithms and will work out if a cheaper combination (e.g. Z1/2 cap plus single ride to airport) is cheaper, and charge accordingly.
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Old Sep 8, 2017, 12:52 am
  #67  
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Originally Posted by rcspeirs
Don't agree with Mizter T here. While in general, Oyster and contactless charge the same fare, the daily capping limit can be different. Oyster technology is older and has less calculation possibilities, if you travel from a high zone (or beyond) you'll get a high cap based on highest zone (or beyond zone cap, e.g. Gatwick). Contactless has smarter calculation algorithms and will work out if a cheaper combination (e.g. Z1/2 cap plus single ride to airport) is cheaper, and charge accordingly.
Reminds me of a video I watched today:

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Old Sep 8, 2017, 7:18 am
  #68  
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Originally Posted by tmiw
Except that the US does have chip cards. Contactless cards are generally not a thing, however, for various reasons.
But even the majority of our CHIP cards are CHIP and signature, not CHIP and pin
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Old Sep 8, 2017, 9:28 am
  #69  
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Originally Posted by Larrude
But even the majority of our CHIP cards are CHIP and signature, not CHIP and pin
They still work everywhere in the UK last I heard, though, even at the Oyster machines.
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Old Sep 8, 2017, 9:45 am
  #70  
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Originally Posted by tmiw
They still work everywhere in the UK last I heard, though, even at the Oyster machines.
I agree wholeheartedly tmiw.

I was responding to lhrsfo when he stated "I can't understand why American banks don't seem to be capable of issuing credit cards that comply with the usual standards"
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Old Sep 8, 2017, 9:58 am
  #71  
 
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Originally Posted by BigFlyer
So the weakness of contactless is that the weekly capping is set to a fixed week, rather than any 7 days as with Oyster?

oyster doesn't have weekly capping. you have to buy a weekly travelcard in advance.
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Old Sep 8, 2017, 11:31 am
  #72  
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Originally Posted by sarahluv
oyster doesn't have weekly capping. you have to buy a weekly travelcard in advance.
I think that BigFlyer's point is that with an Oyster card, you can purchase (for example) a Wednesday–Tuesday travelcard. Whereas with a contactless card, your cap would apply to the two Monday–Sunday periods separately.

---

I'm a Zone 1 annual travelcard holder, which comes out at about £25 per week, and for those weeks when I am away or working from home, I wonder if contactless would be better, which is capped at £33 per week on my commute. On the other hand, I get a fair amount of value out of my Gold Card discount on the national rail network.
Last edited by Calchas; Sep 8, 2017 at 11:37 am
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Old Sep 8, 2017, 12:59 pm
  #73  
 
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Originally Posted by Calchas
I think that BigFlyer's point is that with an Oyster card, you can purchase (for example) a Wednesday–Tuesday travelcard. Whereas with a contactless card, your cap would apply to the two Monday–Sunday periods separately.
yes, but that means you have to know if you'll be travelling enough to justify getting a travelcard.

I just use weekly contactless now. I rarely reach the 7 day cap
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Old Sep 11, 2017, 11:39 am
  #74  
 
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Originally Posted by sarahluv
yes, but that means you have to know if you'll be travelling enough to justify getting a travelcard.
I suspect that will be the case for most tourists staying a week and traveling solely within zones 1-2. 33£ works out at 4.7£/day - less than two single fares in zone 1.

The overall disadvantage is that travelcards offer less flexibility. For tourists traveling spontaneously outside of the zones for which the travelcard ist not valid, pay-as-you-go may be more advantageous.
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Old Sep 12, 2017, 4:22 am
  #75  
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