"Round" Pounds

[artnbarb]

Is it true that "round" pound coins are no longer legal tender? And that my Oyster Card isn't refillable after more than 2 years of non-use? As our day of departure gets closer, I'm in a panic! So many things I can't control!

 

[Ian Sutton]

Yes the original round coins were phased out a few years ago, with the newer two-toned and indeed not perfectly round replacing them. Even 3 years ago, there were few places that would accept them (a fish & chip stall on our local market made a point of accepting them, but that was very much pre-covid era). The banks may well still happily exchange them. On two separate occasions I ended up with a fake coin, so I'd say the threat was real.

The big frustration with that is not having loose change on arrival, something I've always liked having for convenience.

That said, the use of card/phone for payment grew immensely over Covid lockdowns, to the point some shops no longer accept cash. Whilst cash has regained a little ground, it moved us much faster towards 'cashless' economy. On that subject, the UK limit per transaction for simply swiping the card (no pin number needed) recently increased from £40 to £100, though the banks do have algorithms to intermittently request input of a pin.

Oyster Card? I don't know, but their Ts & Cs should confirm. The fear would be that remaining credit is also lost.

 

[artnbarb]

Thanks Ian. I only have a few pounds worth of coins, I'll ask our walking guide in Edinburgh if he can still exchange them.

Regarding the Oyster Card, for some reason I only have one, but it's several years old. I don't think there was any credit left on the card, I was just hoping to be able to reload it and use it on the Tube, rather than having my credit card out to tap. While I like the idea of going cashless, having to take my CC in and out of my wallet/purse concerns me. I think I'm going to take a card holder to wear around my neck just for that reason.

 

[Pauline]

It looks like you can use Apple Pay on your iPhone or watch instead of an Oyster card now. Or a contactless credit card.

Apple Pay - Express Mode

Apple Pay is now faster than ever on UK public transport. Find out more about using Express Mode on trains, buses, trams and more.

www.apple.com

Contactless and mobile pay as you go

Use a contactless bank card or mobile device to pay as you go on all our transport services

tfl.gov.uk

I have not used this but I read that it works well and doesn’t charge you more per day than the daily pass.

 

[Pauline]

Whilst cash has regained a little ground, it moved us much faster towards 'cashless' economy.

That is true. Things are much different now. I use my Apple Watch to pay for everything, even in small shops. The one shop here that took cash only went out of business (but because of a rent increase - it was a greengrocer).

 

[artnbarb]

I'm Android, not Apple, but it looks like GooglePay works. Generally I don't like to carry my phone, but when we went to Moracco I finally found a way to wear it around my neck without having the holder interfere with the tabs and buttons on the phone! AND - apparently I'm already set up with GooglePay but have never used it. Now may be the time to start!

 

[Ian Sutton]

I'm Android, not Apple, but it looks like GooglePay works. Generally I don't like to carry my phone, but when we went to Moracco I finally found a way to wear it around my neck without having the holder interfere with the tabs and buttons on the phone! AND - apparently I'm already set up with GooglePay but have never used it. Now may be the time to start!

I suspect it's now the preferred way to pay for London's public transport, so well worth investigating.

 

[Ian Sutton]

Thanks Ian. I only have a few pounds worth of coins, I'll ask our walking guide in Edinburgh if he can still exchange them.

Regarding the Oyster Card, for some reason I only have one, but it's several years old. I don't think there was any credit left on the card, I was just hoping to be able to reload it and use it on the Tube, rather than having my credit card out to tap. While I like the idea of going cashless, having to take my CC in and out of my wallet/purse concerns me. I think I'm going to take a card holder to wear around my neck just for that reason.

Also worth being aware that there are crims who carry card swipe readers and who 'take payment' from unwary people in busy places. I had this happen a couple of times, but luckily spotted it quickly and was reimbursed via the bank's fraud team. I believe there are protective covers you can get for cards to stop that happening.

 

[Tbk]

Glad that question was asked as I have an old Oyster card. I'll likely get a new one when I go to London in September as I don't use any payment systems on my phone and I am not comfortable swiping my credit card. Trying to stay low tech as long as possible on the payment front . Although I do load boarding passes on my phone, with paper backup.