Barclaycard's bPay wristband has hit the capital, allowing Londoners to make contactless payments at 300,000-plus terminals and across the TfL network. Any UK Visa or MasterCard debit or credit card can be linked to the wearable device, bringing onboard the 50 per cent of Londoners currently without a contactless-enabled payment card.

Barclaycard says that bPay will help the capital’s commuters avoid ‘card clash’, which can arise where the card readers on buses, stations or at tram stops in London detect more than one contactless card and either take payment from a card that was not intended to be used or present an error message. Those wanting to sign up can visit www.bpayband.co.uk/contactless to register their interest. The first 10,000 applicants will be sent their band in September. The product itself will be free and there will be no usage fees for consumers. At the heart of the offering is a pre-paid account to which funds are either added automatically when the balance runs low or can be done so online.

The bPay band was trialled at the Pride in London LGBT celebration in June and the Barclaycard British Summer Time music festival in Hyde Park in July and is expected to be made publicly available next year. Tami Hargreaves, head of contactless, Barclaycard says: “Every second counts to Londoners on the morning commute and having to rummage around for your wallet, hunt down your purse from the depths of your bag, or encountering the dreaded red light at the ticket barrier can feel like it’s adding ages to the day. With bPay band you just hold your wrist to the card reader to pay for your travel, you can then also use it to pay for your coffee on the way into the office, and lunchtime sandwich. It is about making paying for everyday essentials simpler than ever and although we don’t officially launch until next year, to celebrate contactless payments launching on the London transport network today, we’re giving 10,000 lucky Londoners the chance to get their hands on one early.”

Share Story: