Tap and go cards proving popular in London

Tap and go cards were introduced in London in the autumn of last year, and the aim of these cards is to enable consumers to make cashless payments, which are instantly debited from their accounts, without having to enter a PIN number or sign anything.

Consumers can make small payments for anything up to £10 on the card at any retailer or company that has one of the special readers installed.

Although the tap and go cards have only been rolled out in London so far, the plan is to roll them out to other areas over the next couple of years if they prove popular. Customers can now pay for all sorts with these cards, such as buying a drink at the pub, paying for a taxi, buying goods in a shop, etc. The money is debited from the account right away as soon as the card is passed over the special reader.

One consumer in London who was one of the first to get the card, said: 'So far I've found it quick and easy. I like the convenience of using the card.'

One shop owner said that the cards had really helped in speeding up transactions at busy times of the day, as there was no need for customers to dig around for change and no need for the shop staff to have to take cash and give change.

She said: 'We do three-quarters of our business between 12pm and 2pm. Anything we can do to help the queue move forward quickly helps us and our customers.'

It looks as though consumers in London are finding the cards convenient and easy to use, and if the trend and popularity continues the cards are set to become widespread across the UK.

Tom Smith
6th February 2008

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