Barclaycard Announces Wheels Firmly in Motion on Contactless Bus Payments

LONDON, ENGLAND, March 24, 2013 (Press-News.org) Barclaycard reports contactless payments have bought more than 700,000 London bus users a ticket to ride since the launch last December, and the figure is rising daily.

The latest figures from Barclaycard show an average of 11,000 contactless bus fares are being made every day, and the volumes are growing exponentially month-on-month. With around 31 million* contactless credit, debit and charge cards tucked firmly into UK wallets, this technology is here to stay. Barclaycard provided the technology to enable TfL's bus fleet of more than 9,000 to accept contactless payments across the capital.

Buses have been helping to put contactless payments front of London's mind and it is expected that up to 25 million contactless bus journeys will be made across the capital by the end of 2013, and it doesn't stop there; due to TfL's rapid expansion plan, travellers will be able to 'tap and pay' on the London Underground, DLR, London Overground and trams before the end of the year.

Contactless journeys may start and end with a bus, but with almost 130,000** merchant outlets signed up across the UK, including Pret A Manger, Waitrose, WH Smith, Wembley Arena and M6 Toll. London's meteoric rise in contactless usage and availability puts it centre stage. Almost a third (32%) of all contactless merchants are now sitting within the M25 zone.

Andy Chalkin from Pret A Manger said: "We're always looking for ways to simplify our customers' experience, whether it's grabbing a morning coffee, a lunchtime sandwich or a mid-afternoon snack, contactless makes paying for things quicker and more convenient. Customers at our London outlets definitely appreciate the speed of service contactless payment delivers."

Nicholas Clements, Barclaycard Managing Director for UK Consumer Cards added: "In the past year we've seen a dramatic uplift in the adoption of contactless technology as both consumers and retailers recognise it is an easy and convenient way to pay. Contactless bus fares also offer the exact cost-equivalent alternative to a single bus journey on an Oyster card and Barclaycard offers 100% guarantee transactions against fraud."

Here are a few facts and figures to demonstrate the significant growth of contactless in London and beyond (figures cover a year-on-year view from Dec 2011 to Dec 2012):
- There are currently more than 41,000 contactless merchant outlets in London (32% of the UK total)
- Since May 2012, there has been a 23% rise in the number of contactless merchant outlets within the M25***
- Barclays provided 78% of the terminals installed in the UK
- The value of contactless transactions in the UK has increased by six-fold****
- The number of contactless transactions in the UK is four times higher than last year *****

PR Contact:
Cecilia Cran
Media Relations Manager
Barclaycard
Level 8
One Churchill Place
London
E14 5HP
+44 (0) 20 7116 6145
www.barclaycard.co.uk

Notes to Editors:
*31 million Barclaycards and contactless credit cards in UK circulation at the end of December 2012
**129,812 merchant outlets from across the UK, at the end of December 2012
*** From May to December 2012 there has been a 23% increase in contactless merchant
****The value of contactless transactions in the UK has increased from GBP4.1m in December 2011 to GBP26.7m in December 2012
*****The number of contactless transactions in the UK increased from 710,000 in December 2011 to 3.8m in December 2012

About Barclaycard:
Barclaycard, part of Barclays Retail and Business Banking, is a leading global payment business, which helps consumers, retailers and businesses to make and accept payments flexibly, and to access short-term credit when needed.