TfL clarifies how Apple Pay works with ticket inspectors

Among the banks using Apple Pay, NatWest was the consumers’ favourite; 583 NatWest customers tweeted about their use of Apple Pay, double the uptake of its nearest competitor RBS, which had 226 unique tweets.

Once live, users of Apple Pay will hold their phone close to a contactless reader while keeping a finger on the Touch ID fingerprint scanner in order to authorise a payment. If you’ve made a genuine mistake and have a solid journey history on your record, you might get away without the penalty, as it’s down to the inspector’s discretion.

Contactless payment continues to grow rapidly in popularity, with more than £2bn spent via the system in 2014, according to the UK Cards Association.

Our initial information came from two TfL ticket inspectors on a London bus, which we took this weekend. They’ll also think you touched in with your HSBC card but never touched out. At this point, fare dodgers are given a penalty fare.

TfL said it wasn’t clear why the individual ticket inspector had claimed there was no way to verify if people had paid using Apple Pay or not.

The report says that “ticket inspectors” (who now bear the even friendlier title of “revenue inspection officers”) don’t have the technology to check whether passengers’ tickets if they paid via contactless devices, but could if payment was via contactless cards. Now tap on the Add Credit or Debit Card, depending on the type of card you wish to connect with your Apple Pay. This has meant TfL has had to play catch-up to these new methods.

Ticket inspectors “can tell whether or not you have touched in or not”, a TfL spokesperson told WIRED.co.uk, adding that all inspectors had been briefed as to how the technology worked. There are some other pitfalls to avoid, too: TfL has already warned users not to let their devices run out of battery as this puts them at risk of paying a higher fare when riding the London Underground or other services.

Apple Pay also has the UK-only benefit of being able to use it on all of London’s TfL services.

It is thought that around 250,000 businesses across the United Kingdom will soon accept Apple Pay, with the total maximum transaction value rising to £30 in September. If you iPhone or Apple Watch runs out of battery on your trip you won’t be able to touch out.