Switch to Republic of Ireland
Switch to Republic of Ireland
Back to main menu
Search
Search
Overlay

How do I use Google Pay™ on Transport For London (TFL)?

How do I use Google Pay™ on Transport For London (TFL)?

You can use Google Pay to pay as you go on the London Underground, bus, tram, DLR, London Overground, TFL Rail and most National Rail services in London.

In general, using Google Pay will be the same as using pay as you go with a contactless payment card. You will need to touch in and out on rail services to pay the right fare and only touch in on buses and trams. However, there are a couple of differences when you use it to travel on TFL services.

To touch in or out with a device, you need to:

  1. Open the Digital Wallet on your phone. You will see the card you have added on your display
  2. If you have added more than one card to Google Pay, the display needs to be checked to confirm that the card you want to pay with is displayed
  3. If it is not, tap the card you want to pay with, against the terminal
  4. Wake up the phone to authorise the upcoming payment and then place the device against the terminal a second time to complete the transaction
  5. Enter device screen/unlock PIN/password/pattern/fingerprint ID (availability dependent on device specification - Marshmallow or higher specification)
  6. Touch the phone on a yellow card-reader within 1 minute of touching the Touch ID. Ensure that you touch the top of your device flat on the yellow card-reader
  7. When your payment information has been sent, a green light will be displayed on the card-reader. The device will gently vibrate and beep and you will see 'Done' and a checkmark on your phone display
  8. You enter or exit the barrier (Note: the same default card must be used to enter and exit for a single journey, otherwise you will not be able to exit the barrier)

If you receive a phone call after opening Digital Wallet, but before you touch your phone on the card-reader, the payment authorisation will be cancelled and you will have to re-open Digital Wallet and repeat the steps. You can view your TFL cumulative balance for the previous date on your device.

You can find out further information at Transport For London(opens in a new window).