Heading to London this month? If you have a MasterCard you’ll be travelling for free this Friday and then again in two weeks time.
Just when the Opal card has been introduced to commuters in Sydney, the Brits are one step ahead with the equivalent in London – the Oyster card having to give way for contactless travel this Friday.
Anyone in London with a MasterCard can swipe in and make a contactless payment to the value of £21.80 on the various public transport vehicles including Transport for London bus, tube, London overground and DLR routes. Any payment up to this amount made on November 14 and 28 will automatically be refunded. If you don’t feel comfortable using your credit card then you can also make a payment with Cash on Tap, which is a smartphone app available through EE.
If you don’t fancy using your card then you can also make a payment with Cash on Tap, which is a smartphone app available through EE.
In an attempt to encourage commuters and travellers to adopt contactless payments, rather than relying on Oyster cards and paper tickets, MasterCard has rolled out the free transport scheme which will give people a taste of contactless travel.
Last month, a new initiative from Barclaycard and the Mayor of London enabled travellers to donate money to charity each time they make a contactless payment on the city’s transport network and another bank getting in on the act is Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which has previously rolled out contactless cards to its customers in the city.
Contactless in action – how it works
Full terms and conditions for Mastercard’s Fare Free Fridays can be found on the company’s website.