Re:Field notes: London, England (2018)
by tialaramex on Tuesday January 15, 2019 @06:44AM
(#18910465)
You don't need credit to have a contactless debit card, they're just locked down to require online transactions so that it's impossible to go overdrawn. In normal operation a TfL gate is online (ie able to talk to your card issuer) so it can work with any type of card.
Re:Field notes: London, England (2018)
by vertex-four on Tuesday January 15, 2019 @08:02AM
(#18910826)
Sure, but many basic bank accounts (those available to people with extremely poor credit history and no income) don't have a contactless debit card anyway, such as the one Bank of Scotland does: https://www.bankofscotland.co.uk/bankaccounts/compare-curren...
Re:Field notes: London, England (2018)
by jon-wood on Wednesday January 16, 2019 @10:17AM
(#18921507)
TfL gates aren't online in anything but the most basic way - the first time you use a contactless card on TfL each day they'll place a hold for 10p to verify the card is valid. They then modify that to request the total cost of travel for the previous day after that.
Re:Field notes: London, England (2018)
by denverbroncos on Wednesday January 16, 2019 @09:40AM
(#18921181)
flexbasic from nationwide issues a contactless card from the get go if you don't get offered a "normal" current account. also supports apple/google/samsung pay.
https://www.nationwide.co.uk/products/current-accounts/flexb...
A transport network needs to be designed so that everybody can use it - that means being able to access it with cash.
Even Oyster’s £5 deposit per card can be an issue for some people.