Question about using the Tube/Oyster Card/Apple Pay

I downloaded the Oyster app today - I think I am still missing something.

When using Apple Watch, does it open the TFL app and recharge your added credit card? Does it not conflict with your main Apple Pay?

Scam said:
For example I have the same Mastercard registered for Apple Pay on my phone and Apple Pay on my watch. If I go onto the TFL website under my account they show as three different cards. So you shouldn't mix and match in a day.
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How are you adding virtual cards to Oyster?
 
Raymond Lin said:
You need to set travel card inside the watch app with your card.

It doesn’t open any app to use. You are basically preset a card to pay with, not necessarily the primary one when you use Apple Pay.
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So does the card in Apple Pay use your "actual" card details?

In Android - I add my card to Google Pay, and it generates a virtual proxy card number. I have no idea what this is so I can never "add" it to Oyster.
 
dlockers said:
So does the card in Apple Pay use your "actual" card details?

In Android - I add my card to Google Pay, and it generates a virtual proxy card number. I have no idea what this is so I can never "add" it to Oyster.
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I think so, the last 4 digits that i blurred out in the screenshot above is the real number.
 
Raymond Lin said:
I think so, the last 4 digits that i blurred out in the screenshot above is the real number.
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Gotcha ---

Android Pay shows an image of my AMEX with the actual last 4 digits, but when you "click it", it shows a different 4 digits and explains its a virtual card.

It's not just an issue for Oyster but has caught me out with getting refunds too... I guess "more secure" but only because you are obfuscated from your actual card deets.
 
dlockers said:
Gotcha ---

Android Pay shows an image of my AMEX with the actual last 4 digits, but when you "click it", it shows a different 4 digits and explains its a virtual card.

It's not just an issue for Oyster but has caught me out with getting refunds too... I guess "more secure" but only because you are obfuscated from your actual card deets.
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I don’t recall getting a notification when i tap through at the gate, it made a beep but nothing in the Notification Centre.
 
dlockers said:
How are you adding virtual cards to Oyster?
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Good point. I never did. They just appeared in my Oyster account after use. Maybe because I registered the main Mastercard? :confused:

Edit: Actually it seems Tfl know it’s all the same card, I just checked and they all show the same last four digits. They’ve just given them a different reference number for some reason. So maybe there’s no proxy number involved at all.

Also, no need for the Oyster app or account. You can register your card in an Oyster account if you like, doing that means you can claim back for delays etc and get it reimbursed back into the card. And you can get invoices/journey history for claiming expenses which I need.
Raymond Lin said:
Checking my statement, it’s taken once per day.
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I think it’s calculated at 4am or something.
 
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Scam said:
Good point. I never did. They just appeared in my Oyster account after use. Maybe because I registered the main Mastercard? :confused:

Edit: Actually it seems Tfl know it’s all the same card, I just checked and they all show the same last four digits. They’ve just given them a different reference number for some reason. So maybe there’s no proxy number involved at all.

Also, no need for the Oyster app or account. You can register your card in an Oyster account if you like, doing that means you can claim back for delays etc and get it reimbursed back into the card. And you can get invoices/journey history for claiming expenses which I need.

I think it’s calculated at 4am or something.
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As I understand it, Apple and TFL have some kind of special deal to share the data that links the proxy card numbers Apple Pay generates to the underlying card. Hence if you register the physical card, your Apple Pay versions show up on your TfL account.

I assume they only allow this for transportation organisations or it would defeat the purpose of Apple Pay generating proxy card numbers for each transaction if the retailer still has the mapping.
 
It certainly used to be the case that the physical card, Apple Pay on watch and Apple Pay on phone used to count as 3 different payment methods despit all using the same ‘card’.

So if you used all 3, you’d be spending towards 3 different daily caps.

Who wants to go test it now? :p
 
I can only see it working if there is a link in the backend, or there is a switch to the oyster app which is tied to your actual card when it detects tfl.

I know that's roughly possible as Samsung Pay detects tfl barriers and can use a different card/not require being unlocked.
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
Who wants to go test it now? :p
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I'm pretty sure they'd be treated as 3 different cards and not work out your cap correctly. They hold different journey histories in your Oyster account etc.
dlockers said:
I can only see it working if there is a link in the backend, or there is a switch to the oyster app which is tied to your actual card when it detects tfl.

I know that's roughly possible as Samsung Pay detects tfl barriers and can use a different card/not require being unlocked.
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It's actually the contactless technology (possibly by the payment service providers like Visa etc?) that knows it's a TFL (or transit) terminal. And thus doesn't have to be unlocked.

You don't have to unlock your phone to use Apple Express Transit, just tap it like a contactless card. It's just as fast as a card, hence the name. And I believe Android/Samsung etc. have the same option.
 
Scam said:
I'm pretty sure they'd be treated as 3 different cards and not work out your cap correctly. They hold different journey histories in your Oyster account etc.

It's actually the contactless technology (possibly by the payment service providers like Visa etc?) that knows it's a TFL (or transit) terminal. And thus doesn't have to be unlocked.

You don't have to unlock your phone to use Apple Express Transit, just tap it like a contactless card. It's just as fast as a card, hence the name. And I believe Android/Samsung etc. have the same option.
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They do - but I wonder if the secret sauce of the apple transit app is that it uses the physical card details to enable the screen Raymond shared several posts up.

If I did that on android pay, it certainly wouldn't.
 
dlockers said:
They do - but I wonder if the secret sauce of the apple transit app is that it uses the physical card details to enable the screen Raymond shared several posts up.

If I did that on android pay, it certainly wouldn't.
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He’s just registered his card on TFL/oyster to get the journey history. Have you tried that, and then used Android pay? I’m intrigued too..
 
Scam said:
He’s just registered his card on TFL/oyster to get the journey history. Have you tried that, and then used Android pay? I’m intrigued too..
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My cards have been registered for over a decade - it isn't linked for android/amex. Or something different is happening at the apple transit pay level.
 
dlockers said:
My cards have been registered for over a decade - it isn't linked for android/amex. Or something different is happening at the apple transit pay level.
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Oh right. So you dont see any journey history for those cars when paid via Android Pay? How strange.
 
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