The decline of cash is on the cards: City A.M. speaks to MasterCard’s Ann Cairns October 28, 2015 Some sports fans carry the burden of their teams’ fortunes around on their shoulders, often for days after a heroic victory or a dramatic defeat. You know the type I mean – we’ve all worked with them, dated them, got married to them… Hell, some of us are them. The football obsessive who springs into work after a [...]
Transport for London: Uber and London’s private hire trade need new regulations October 20, 2015 On Friday, the High Court declared that smartphones used by some private hire drivers were not taximeters. This confirmed the view that Transport for London (TfL) has held all along. It was right to seek clarity on the matter at the High Court because, as the regulator of the taxi and private hire trades, we [...]
TfL’s Tube plans could lead to “millions more” lost in fare evasion, claims Labour’s London Assembly transport spokesperson Val Shawcross October 13, 2015 Transport for London has been accused of "making life easy for fare dodgers" by Labour's London Assembly transport spokesperson Val Shawcross. Using TfL's own data, Shawcross estimates that fare evasion costs the network £61m each year because of ticket barriers being left open. The data compiled from TfL's regular mystery shopper exercises shows that barriers were left open 6.9 [...]
This kickstarter funded Kerv ring lets you make contactless payments with just a wave – and it’s about to make your commute a dream September 29, 2015 There's nothing worse than the faff of having to rummage through your bag or pockets to dig out your contactless card, Oyster or old-fashioned paper ticket. Even worse is being stuck behind someone else doing the faffing and holding up your journey. There's a new wearable device that could make all that a thing of [...]
iPhone 6S and 6S Plus UK release date, price, features and specs: The anatomy of the Apple’s new iPhone September 22, 2015 Oliver Smith explores the history of Apple’s smartphone, the game-changing innovations it introduced and what the new iPhone 6s means for the mobile industry today. On Friday 25th September the most valuable company in the world, Apple, will unleash its latest salvo in the smartphone wars. The iPhone 6s boasts innovative new features [...]
Happy first birthday: Contactless cards have been on the Tube for a year September 17, 2015 They may account for 20 per cent of all pay-as-you-go journeys now, but contactless payments on the Tube were introduced just one year ago today. Over 180 million journeys have been made with contactless cards, more than 625,000 a day. A whopping one in seven of all contactless card payments in the UK are made [...]
Smartphones are making paying for the things we want even easier September 8, 2015 Payments are one of the big new features coming to smartphones over the next few years, and they’re going to make our lives even easier. The pitch is simple – especially in London where most people always have their smartphone in their hand. Now you can use that mobile device to pay for things at [...]
Innovation means the newest smartphones are changing the way people work and play September 1, 2015 We have seen a rapid increase in smartphone innovation over the last couple of years. If we look back over the last 12 months, with the iPhone 6 Plus and the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ as great examples, we’re seeing a massive increase in larger-sized smartphones which are changing the way people use their handsets. [...]
Card spending via contactless jumps to £2.5bn in the UK as the payment limit rises to £30 August 31, 2015 The spending limit on contactless cards has today increased from £20 to £30, as new figures show a surge in spending to £2.5bn in the first six months of the year. The use of contactless technology to pay in restaurants and shops has soared in popularity since it was first introduced in 2007, when [...]
As the limit for contactless payments rises to £30, will we soon live in a cashless society? August 31, 2015 Kevin Jenkins, managing director of Visa UK and Ireland, says Yes. Increasingly, people are choosing to use their cards over cash, and the ease and convenience of contactless has been a key factor. With the transaction limit increasing to £30, people can now use contactless for even more of their everyday purchases. With 75 per [...]