If you’re a frequent traveler on Transport for London (TfL) services, such as the London Underground and National Rail, you may have wondered if it’s possible to use your Oyster Card on Apple Wallet. Unfortunately, the answer is no, you can’t add an Oyster Card to Apple Wallet.
However, there is an alternative. Instead of using an Oyster Card, you can use Apple Pay on TfL services. The best part? The fares are the same as those for Oyster Card, so there’s no need to pay extra for using a credit or debit card through Apple Pay.
But, there’s a catch. For discounted travel cards such as ZIP Oyster and the 60+ Oyster, you can’t add them to Apple Wallet. To receive the reduced rate, you must use the appropriate travel card since discount entitlements are not transferable to other cards.
It’s worth noting that contactless debit and credit cards have now overtaken the Oyster Card as the most widely used ticketing format across the TfL network. So, it’s unlikely that support for the Oyster Card will be added to Apple Wallet anytime soon. TfL is actively trying to scale down the use of Oyster Cards, and keeping them physical is one way to achieve that goal.
If you don’t have a contactless debit card to use with Apple Pay, there’s a simple solution. You can sign up for a free Revolut bank account, which provides you with a virtual debit card that you can add to Apple Wallet and use on TfL services. Additionally, you can enjoy numerous useful features, including cashback and exclusive discounts.
I must admit this needs fixing so we can have U.K. travel cards accepted into the wallet. Otherwise why call it a wallet?
Ridiculous.
Are we supposed to carry dozens of cards on us? Which century is this???