Am I right in thinking that I can just use my iPhone to tap in / out of tube stations without having to buy a Travelcard anymore?

[TheConfusedMan]

It's been a few years since I spent the day in London. In the olden days I'd buy a travelcard for the day and use that. Am I right that I can just use my iphone to tap in / out at the gates and i'll never be charged more than a day Travelcard price in total? Is it really that simple nowadays?

 

[rebmcr]

You are correct, and this functionality extends further than one day, with a weekly cap implemented in the same way. It covers not only underground gatelines, but also buses and trams.

There is one difference when using any 'tap in' method in place of a paper travelcard, which is the Maximum Journey Time. This differs depending on zones, but if you want to spend the day roaming the network rather than making lots of normal journeys, it can be worth checking up on.

(Side Note: in the thread title you refer to a travelcard as a 'railcard'. A railcard is a separate item that can provide a discount to mainline fares; and also, but only when using Oyster, underground fares.)

 

[TheConfusedMan]

Thanks - busses was my followup question. Good to know.

 

[MikeWh]

It covers not only underground gatelines, but also buses and trams.

And National Rail.

 

[rebmcr]

And National Rail.

Tried to be as comprehensive as possible and I still missed something haha!

 

[Hadders]

One other thing to note is to make sure you use the same payment device to touch in and out. A payment device could be Apple Pay, Google Pay or a contactless bank card.

 

[Steddenm]

Tried to be as comprehensive as possible and I still missed something haha!

And DLR, Overground, Elizabeth Line...

 

[185143]

It's been a few years since I spent the day in London. In the olden days I'd buy a travelcard for the day and use that. Am I right that I can just use my iphone to tap in / out at the gates and i'll never be charged more than a day railcard price in total? Is it really that simple nowadays?

No. To obtain the railcard discount you need an Oyster Card.

The advantage if you're just being a tourist ect is that you only pay for what you use. Of course if you're spending some time in the system, get a paper travelcard.

 

[SargeNpton]

And be prepared to accept the ire of other passengers if your iPhone fails to operate the gates immediately and to have to make several attempts to get it to work as the queue behind you builds up.

 

[Bletchleyite]

And be prepared to accept the ire of other passengers if your iPhone fails to operate the gates immediately and to have to make several attempts to get it to work as the queue behind you builds up.

Yep, this. I've found it utterly cack-handed, and the supposed "no unlock needed" transit mode doesn't seem to work very well. I'd stick with a physical card for now until it is sorted out. Can't run out of battery, either. If you don't want to carry a wallet, plenty of phone cases exist with a couple of slots for debit card and ID.

 

[TheConfusedMan]

So maybe take a standard Nationwide contactless debit card and use that?

 

[Bletchleyite]

So maybe take a standard Nationwide contactless debit card and use that?

Yes, I would recommend using a debit card, for now at least. It'll get sorted, but for now it doesn't work well with phones at all.

 

[jfollows]

Yes, I would recommend using a debit card, for now at least. It'll get sorted, but for now it doesn't work well with phones at all.

The Apple Watch is my solution, it works very well. I had one day when I didn't have the watch and I agree that using the iPhone instead was cumbersome and annoying, but the Apple Watch makes things incredibly easy, better than a debit/credit card in my opinion because you don't have to open your wallet if that's where you keep your cards.
But buying an Apple Watch for this function alone wouldn't make sense, I'm sure. You really need to want one for other reasons too.

 

[James H]

Express transit mode works very reliably on my iPhone X

 

[Bletchleyite]

Express transit mode works very reliably on my iPhone X

Interesting, as it doesn't on my 13 - you'd think it would on the most recent device!

 

[TheConfusedMan]

Well I managed to find my Apple Watch charger, have updated my debit card details, and enabled Express Travel Card mode on my main account card, so fingers crossed. I think I should be covered with the phone, watch and backup card.

 

[rebmcr]

Well I managed to find my Apple Watch charger, have updated my debit card details, and enabled Express Travel Card mode on my main account card, so fingers crossed. I think I should be covered with the phone, watch and backup card.

Be aware that if you mix the debit card and the iPhone, the cap will apply separately to each, so you could end up paying up to twice as much for your travel.

I'm not certain whether mixing iPhone and Apple Watch does the same thing — perhaps someone more familiar with them can confirm whether they generate their own virtual card IDs (DPANs) when they are set up, or do they share one?

 

[jfollows]

I'm not certain whether mixing iPhone and Apple Watch does the same thing — perhaps someone more familiar with them can confirm whether they generate their own virtual card IDs (DPANs) when they are set up, or do they share one?

Last time in London I used the watch on day one and the phone on day two; the payment statement has the same "Card Reference Number" for both along with the same name of the credit card used. Is that enough evidence to say that the use the same virtual card ID? I wouldn't deliberately mix the two on the same day to be on the safe side, so in fact I used the phone on day two because the battery in the watch was running low because I forgot to bring its charger with me.

EDIT No, the DPANs are different for the same card on the iPhone and the Apple Watch.

I found out how to look them up, something like Settings/Wallet & Apple Pay on the phone and Watch/Wallet & Apple Pay on the phone for the watch.

So don't use them interchangeably on the same day at least, which I didn't do.

Both DPANs get resolved back to the same credit card for the statement.

 

[Surreytraveller]

And DLR, Overground, Elizabeth Line...

Overground and Elizabeth Line are National Rail

 

[thomalex]

Interesting, as it doesn't on my 13 - you'd think it would on the most recent device!

My 12 works very well, and also still works with your Express card if out of battery. Not sure why you're having problems

 

[Dave W]

To expand beyond iPhone, I've started using my Samsung (new Z foldy thing, almost too swish for me) and it works perfectly - the only issue I've come across is with bus cabs still all being sealed up, the card reader isn't necessarily flush with the perspex shield, and a phone is more cumbersome to manoeuvre into position than a credit card.

But a positive experience for me thus far.

 

[vinnym70]

Many uses of the express transit function on my iPhone 12 over the years without issue but lately it's been very glitchy, to the point where I've reverted back to a physical card.
There's no obvious issue with the NFC in the phone as it works with cards in my 'Wallet' triggered by Face ID on any traditional contactless interaction, it just seems to be the express transit element (ie - use without being unlocked) that seems to be suddenly glitchy.

 

[BahrainLad]

A couple of tips for iPhone usage on the tube

- enable Express Transit
- if you don’t want to enable ET, get your card up on screen and authenticated before you get to the barrier, rather than waiting for the reader to trigger it. You can do this by double clicking the home button
- the Apple Pay chip is towards the top of the phone, just underneath the camera. So often putting the middle of the phone on the reader won’t work (I’ve seen my Dad do this on more than one occasion ), you need just to tap the top.

or just get an Apple Watch.

 

[rebmcr]

the Apple Pay chip is towards the top of the phone, just underneath the camera. So often putting the middle of the phone on the reader won’t work (I’ve seen my Dad do this on more than one occasion )

It's in the middle on Android, at first I had no idea what was going on with my friend's iPhone at a drive-through.

 

[BoroAndy]

So for a northerner, what are the ticket buying options for a day or 2

 

[Mojo]

So for a northerner, what are the ticket buying options for a day or 2

If you’re making a journey enquiry you’re best off making a new thread in either the Fares advice or Trip planning forums.

 

[XAM2175]

It's in the middle on Android, at first I had no idea what was going on with my friend's iPhone at a drive-through.

It varies massively by manufacturer and model - I had a Sony that had it in the centre of the rear panel, but then a newer model moved it to the front up near the forward-facing camera

 

[winks]

As a railcard holder myself (Network Railcard) offering 30% of mainline fares after 10am, I have only just discovered that this can be applied to Underground travel. The trouble is only on Oyster , is this unfair to the travelling public that have a railcard but are using contactless payment as has been pushed by TfL ?

Is there a way I can get the discount on LU travel ?

 

[Hadders]

As a railcard holder myself (Network Railcard) offering 30% of mainline fares after 10am, I have only just discovered that this can be applied to Underground travel. The trouble is only on Oyster , is this unfair to the travelling public that have a railcard but are using contactless payment as has been pushed by TfL ?

Is there a way I can get the discount on LU travel ?

A Network Railcard cannot be applied to an Oyster card.

 

[chocobike]

One other thing to note is to make sure you use the same payment device to touch in and out. A payment device could be Apple Pay, Google Pay or a contactless bank card.

Can I use any payment system? I mean Visa, MasterCard, American Express