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What banks accepting Apple Pay are using MasterCard? I think none of them do, only VISA.

This is a credit card benefit only and it appears only one financial institution will offer this in the UK: MBNA

Get a move on Capital One!


RBS & NatWest offer ApplePay compatible Mastercard Credit Cards.
 
What's wrong with Boston's subway system (ignoring the green line).


Sorry Mate, dire service compared to the Tube. I live in Boston, but travel back "home" to London about once a year. I love riding the Tube, hate the T. Both are heavily unionized so I'm not sure why one is so much better than the other. I personally find the Tube staff very helpful and friendly, sadly, can't say the same for T staff!
 
Unnecessary for who? People are saving money. We recently visited London (from the US) recently, and after a few days, I was AMAZED how good the tube system is in London. I was also amazed by how rude Londoners were, with their dirty looks and pushing and shoving, because we weren't moving through the entry points fast enough for them. Then I thought, "Why is everyone in such a hurry when trains leave EVERY MINUTE OR TWO!!!!! Literally, if you miss a train, another one shows up in a minute. It's a great system! But people are rushing through like it's the end of the world or something.

It's ONE DAY a week. People save money. Relax.

You've heard of the New York minute? Welcome to the London second... it is the time you've got to get through the ticket gates before people behind you start complaining! ;)
 
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I can't imagine how slow this would be with people having to authenticate their payment in a busy turnstile environment. Not a good use case for Apple Pay.

It'd be easier on the Apple Watch than it would the iPhone; double click of the home button on the Watch. Unless you're feeling really brave and carrying your expensive smartphone around in your hands at crush hour!
 
Unnecessary for who? People are saving money. We recently visited London (from the US) recently, and after a few days, I was AMAZED how good the tube system is in London. I was also amazed by how rude Londoners were, with their dirty looks and pushing and shoving, because we weren't moving through the entry points fast enough for them. Then I thought, "Why is everyone in such a hurry when trains leave EVERY MINUTE OR TWO!!!!! Literally, if you miss a train, another one shows up in a minute. It's a great system! But people are rushing through like it's the end of the world or something.

It's ONE DAY a week. People save money. Relax.

As a Londoner, I get frequently annoyed by tourists in London. It's a city where everyone is very busy, and for me, I may have a couple of minutes to spare between meetings on other sides of the city.

Tourists seem to forget that London is a city with regular people going about their business. Especially at some touristy stations (Tower hill, which also is a massive commuter change point), it gets really bad. People don't know which way they're going, so stop at the barrier, or even worse, the stairs, to look where to go. Or they go through the barrier and stop, causing me (behind them) to get caught in the barrier. Or they stand on the left of escalators. That's REALLY annoying. Some of us don't have the few minutes spare to wait while you stand two-by-two having a chat on the escalators!!!! :p

/rant :)
 
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Wow that's awesome. Nothing like that in US I'm aware of.

The only city that is technologically capable of doing something like this is CTA in Chicago. Our subways in NYC don't have contactless yet. While our subways are great for getting anywhere in the 5 boroughs, the MTA's refusal to enter this century on payment technology is hilarious. Maybe by the time 2nd Ave subway gets built. lololol.
 
As a Londoner, I get frequently annoyed by tourists in London. It's a city where everyone is very busy, and for me, I may have a couple of minutes to spare between meetings on other sides of the city.

Tourists seem to forget that London is a city with regular people going about their business. Especially at some touristy stations (Tower hill, which also is a massive commuter change point), it gets really bad. People don't know which way they're going, so stop at the barrier, or even worse, the stairs, to look where to go. Or they go through the barrier and stop, causing me (behind them) to get caught in the barrier. Or they stand on the left of escalators. That's REALLY annoying. Some of us don't have the few minutes spare to wait while you stand two-by-two having a chat on the escalators!!!! :p

/rant :)
Well that's disheartening. I've always enjoyed visiting London, been a tourist there about four times. Sad to know my presence is so unwanted!
 
As a Londoner, I get frequently annoyed by tourists in London. It's a city where everyone is very busy, and for me, I may have a couple of minutes to spare between meetings on other sides of the city.

Tourists seem to forget that London is a city with regular people going about their business. Especially at some touristy stations (Tower hill, which also is a massive commuter change point), it gets really bad. People don't know which way they're going, so stop at the barrier, or even worse, the stairs, to look where to go. Or they go through the barrier and stop, causing me (behind them) to get caught in the barrier. Or they stand on the left of escalators. That's REALLY annoying. Some of us don't have the few minutes spare to wait while you stand two-by-two having a chat on the escalators!!!! :p

/rant :)

Same issues in NYC. It's part of living in an iconic city. But I do wish there were "fast" lanes for residents and hearty fines for blocking turnstiles and stairs. Also for blocking the door when people are trying to get off it! (<-- applies to residents as well.)

I would like for these to be required study on the plane for tourists:
How to Survive in New York
Johnny T's Subway Tips
 
They're digging the tunnel for the London Tube under the Atlantic Ocean as we speak.

The tunnel they started today is only going to Battersea Power Station not the Atlantic unless Boris made a mistake while surveying the route
 
Well that's disheartening. I've always enjoyed visiting London, been a tourist there about four times. Sad to know my presence is so unwanted!

Only on the tube! You're more than welcome in every other part of the city <3
 
MasterCard is fast at processing transactions though..
NFC is not as fast as Oyster when it comes to "from tap to walk through" process.
It is a bit of a gimmick. But I think it's more about building awareness than anything else. And to that end I support it wholeheartedly. Getting people to start thinking about the benefits of contactless payment/Apple Pay and its other applications is a good thing, IMO.
While I do not have metrics to support my claim, I suspect that most Londoners have at least one contactless card by now. As such, they are probably well aware how it works. But NFC, whether through a contactless debit/credit card or phone is still physically slower than Oyster.
Unnecessary for who? People are saving money. We recently visited London (from the US) recently, and after a few days, I was AMAZED how good the tube system is in London. I was also amazed by how rude Londoners were, with their dirty looks and pushing and shoving, because we weren't moving through the entry points fast enough for them. Then I thought, "Why is everyone in such a hurry when trains leave EVERY MINUTE OR TWO!!!!! Literally, if you miss a train, another one shows up in a minute. It's a great system! But people are rushing through like it's the end of the world or something.

It's ONE DAY a week. People save money. Relax.
You clearly have no idea how London works, so please stay away. And while people may be saving money, those who don't have a MasterCard and an iDevice aren't.
I"m pretty sure Oyster uses an NFC chip inside the card, I broke mine several times, and it is the same chip debit cards, smartphones and Apple watch have. Am I mistaken?
Not quite the same chip, Oyster cards have RFID and NFC is a subset of the RFID family. Close, but not the same.
I use contactless and ApplePay in about equal amounts for my daily six-transaction commute and no longer use Oyster at all. It is slower than Oyster. By less than a tenth of a second as far as I can gauge it. Do you really think this will have a significant impact on the queues to get through turnstiles?
At busy stations, during rush hour, when queues for some gates -- not turnstiles -- are half a dozen or so deep, every additional half a second matters. With Oyster, I can keep walking throughout the motion of touching the yellow reader. With NFC, I have to walk up, touch, wait a bit and then walk through. It definitely disrupts the momentum.
 
I used my Apple watch on the Tube last time I was in London. It really couldn't be any easier. Click, touch, gates open, go.

Simples.

Yup, people moaning that it's slower than oyster are correct, it is, by about a second, it really makes no appreciable difference. Especially if you've pre authorised it, tap your watch and you're through faster than an Oyster card in most cases.
 
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No wonder us Londoners get a bad rep. No need for that.
Might have been a bit harsh but the essence is still true: when in London, do what other Londoners do and how they do it. If I was to live out in the sticks and then go to New York, I may find the way they go about their daily life a bit peculiar, but I would go with the flow and try to blend in, not chastise them for expecting me to behave in a particular manner. When in Rome, do as Romans do.
 
Nothing is 'free'.
Somebody is paying for those rides.
Guess who.
I did hear that they are going to raise your taxes (and only yours) to pay for this.

I can't imagine how slow this would be with people having to authenticate their payment in a busy turnstile environment. Not a good use case for Apple Pay.
It's a perfect use for Apple Pay. Apple pay is very fast. You just want to find every negative thing you can think of. And why don't you try it before bashing it?

There's nothing to authenticate, you can double-tap your side button before you approach the turnstile and then just touch and go! You should try it before you knock it. Anyone who gets annoyed by a tenth of a second delay needs to take a long hard look at themselves as others have pointed out above.
You response is reasonable and intelligent. And completely out of place here where massive negativism, apple bashing, and outright fabrication rules the day.
 
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