A major change is coming to rail travel for millions of air passengers, putting an end to a frustrating and costly loophole. From December 14, travellers will be able to use contactless debit and credit cards to tap in and out at Stansted Airport station, finally aligning it with the payment systems used across the London transport network.
The End of a Costly Inconvenience
For years, holidaymakers heading between London and Stansted Airport have faced an illogical trap. While they could begin their journey by tapping a contactless card at stations like Liverpool Street or Tottenham Hale, they were unable to tap out upon arrival at the busy airport hub. This led to thousands of passengers being slapped with £100 penalty fares from ticket inspectors who were often waiting at the barriers.
The travel watchdog, London TravelWatch, estimated back in 2019 that a staggering 16,000 passengers per year on the Stansted Express alone were being hit with these fines for simply trying to use the payment method they assumed was valid. With approximately 6.7 million passengers travelling to and from the airport annually, the scale of the problem was significant.
Wider Rollout and Important Exceptions
The upgrade at Stansted is part of a broader government-backed initiative. The Department for Transport announced that 49 other stations across the South East will also begin accepting contactless cards. Key stations benefiting include Aylesbury, Chelmsford, Luton, and Stevenage. Notably, Southend Airport's station will also join the contactless network on the same date, meaning travellers can now use the handy tech for train travel from the capital to all airports serving London.
However, there is a crucial warning for passengers: Oyster cards will still not be valid at Stansted Airport Station. Furthermore, contactless payments will not be permitted for journeys between Cambridge and Stansted Airport, so alternative tickets must be purchased for that route.
Financial Relief and Industry Backing
The financial relief for travellers is substantial. Under the old system, a passenger mistakenly using a contactless card faced a penalty of £100 plus the cost of an applicable single fare. For example, an Anytime fare from Liverpool Street (£23) would have resulted in a total charge of £123. This expansion, which received £18.7 million in Government funding, is seen as a vital modernisation step.
Rail Minister Lord Hendy stated the move is part of a plan to make rail ticketing 'more convenient, more accessible and more flexible.' Meanwhile, Gareth Powell, London Stansted's Managing Director, described the new system as 'great news' that will 'significantly improve our passengers' experience.'
The change has been long called for by advocates. Last year, Michael Roberts of London TravelWatch slammed the previous setup as 'plainly wrong' and 'unfair,' noting that the 'London' in the airport's name reasonably led people to assume contactless would work.
