Combination card to be launched in London

Barclays has recently announced that a three in one card that combines an Oyster and credit card will be rolled out in London later this year, and the bank has set up a site to allow customers to pre-register for the card before it is launched.

The card from Barclays, called OnePulse, can be used to make purchases under £100 without any signature and without having to enter a pin number. The card can simply be swiped in order to make the payment, although retailers will need to have the relevant reading equipment installed.

This is the first time that touch and go cards that require no signature or pin number will have been used in the UK, and the OnePulse card is the result of collaboration between Visa, Barclays, and Transport for London. Hundreds of retailers are signing up to the programme, and this includes cafes, shops, newsagents, and various other businesses that want to benefit from an easier payment system that could increase custom and could make it easier and more convenient for the customer to make payment.

Elizabeth Chambers of Barclaycard stated: 'We believe Barclaycard OnePulse is the future of payments in London and hope as many Londoners as possible enjoy the benefits when it is rolled out in the autumn.' 

It is also envisaged that many vending machine companies will sign up to the scheme, enabling customers to make purchases from vending machines without needing actually cash – a reader on the machines will simply read the data and debit money from the relevant account.

An official from the company that runs the Oyster Card stated: 'Like the Oyster card itself, the key to the success of this initiative is its simplicity. Barclaycard came to us with an idea which could be dovetailed seamlessly with Oyster's existing functionality to deliver added value for Barclaycard customers, without disrupting a service which has become part of London life for millions of people.'

Tom Smith
13th July 2007