I took the tube for the first time in months yesterday and it seems you
can no longer update your oyster card with cash. I asked one of the staff
about this apparently "temporary" measure and he said he doubts the facility
will ever come back and I tend to believe him. So thats another avenue of
anonymity out the window. How long before Oyster cards themselves are
consigned to history and we have to use a bank card everywhere so we can
be nicely tracked not only by TfL but by the banks too?

In message , at 07:40:56 on Mon, 10 Aug
2020, remarked:
I took the tube for the first time in months yesterday and it seems you
can no longer update your oyster card with cash.

Is that a subset of the TVMs perhaps not accepting cash for *any*
transaction?

I asked one of the staff about this apparently "temporary" measure and
he said he doubts the facility will ever come back and I tend to
believe him. So thats another avenue of anonymity out the window.

Get yourself a pre-pay credit card, for example from a bureau
-de-change. That'll break the chain of traceability unless you are a
suspected terrorist on the run.

How long before Oyster cards themselves are consigned to history and we
have to use a bank card everywhere so we can be nicely tracked

Almost all Oyster cards are registered, anyway.

not only by TfL but by the banks too?

See pre-pay credit cards. Several of the "gift cards" sold in
supermarkets are in fact pre-loaded pre-pay credit cards. Although I've
not tried using one at other than the headline sponsors.

Some have a very wide range of accepting retailers, so maybe no-one
actually checks and it's just a suggestion of where the recipient might
want to spend the funds.
--
Roland Perry

On Mon, 10 Aug 2020 09:04:09 +0100
Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 07:40:56 on Mon, 10 Aug
2020, remarked:
I took the tube for the first time in months yesterday and it seems you
can no longer update your oyster card with cash.

Is that a subset of the TVMs perhaps not accepting cash for *any*
transaction?

No idea.

I asked one of the staff about this apparently "temporary" measure and
he said he doubts the facility will ever come back and I tend to
believe him. So thats another avenue of anonymity out the window.

Get yourself a pre-pay credit card, for example from a bureau
-de-change. That'll break the chain of traceability unless you are a
suspected terrorist on the run.

I'm not fussed enough, but thats not the point. Why is the cash option being
dropped? Any covid excuses are BS since the staff never need to physically
touch it, they just empty the bucket into something Securicor (or whoever)
take away.

How long before Oyster cards themselves are consigned to history and we
have to use a bank card everywhere so we can be nicely tracked

Almost all Oyster cards are registered, anyway.

Says who?

On Mon, 10 Aug 2020 08:58:30 +0000 (UTC), wrote:

On Mon, 10 Aug 2020 09:04:09 +0100
Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 07:40:56 on Mon, 10 Aug
2020, remarked:
I took the tube for the first time in months yesterday and it seems you
can no longer update your oyster card with cash.

Is that a subset of the TVMs perhaps not accepting cash for *any*
transaction?

No idea.

I asked one of the staff about this apparently "temporary" measure and
he said he doubts the facility will ever come back and I tend to
believe him. So thats another avenue of anonymity out the window.

Get yourself a pre-pay credit card, for example from a bureau
-de-change. That'll break the chain of traceability unless you are a
suspected terrorist on the run.

I'm not fussed enough, but thats not the point. Why is the cash option being
dropped? Any covid excuses are BS since the staff never need to physically
touch it, they just empty the bucket into something Securicor (or whoever)
take away.

A trader I knew said that once handling costs and pay-in charges are
taken into account, cash is more expensive to process than a debit
card.

In message , at 10:03:44 on
Tue, 11 Aug 2020, Scott remarked:
On Mon, 10 Aug 2020 08:58:30 +0000 (UTC), wrote:

On Mon, 10 Aug 2020 09:04:09 +0100
Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 07:40:56 on Mon, 10 Aug
2020, remarked:
I took the tube for the first time in months yesterday and it seems you
can no longer update your oyster card with cash.

Is that a subset of the TVMs perhaps not accepting cash for *any*
transaction?

No idea.

I asked one of the staff about this apparently "temporary" measure and
he said he doubts the facility will ever come back and I tend to
believe him. So thats another avenue of anonymity out the window.

Get yourself a pre-pay credit card, for example from a bureau
-de-change. That'll break the chain of traceability unless you are a
suspected terrorist on the run.

I'm not fussed enough, but thats not the point. Why is the cash option being
dropped? Any covid excuses are BS since the staff never need to physically
touch it, they just empty the bucket into something Securicor (or whoever)
take away.

A trader I knew said that once handling costs and pay-in charges are
taken into account, cash is more expensive to process than a debit
card.

It depends a lot on what sector the business is in. For example,
traditionally the card companies gave petrol stations very low
commission rates, because it accustomed the public to using cards.

If you are in the pub trade and need to pay your wholesale grocer in
cash when they deliver every morning (because your trade-credit rating
is pants), it might well make sense not to discourage cash.
--
Roland Perry

Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 10:03:44 on
Tue, 11 Aug 2020, Scott remarked:
On Mon, 10 Aug 2020 08:58:30 +0000 (UTC), wrote:

On Mon, 10 Aug 2020 09:04:09 +0100
Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 07:40:56 on Mon, 10 Aug
2020, remarked:
I took the tube for the first time in months yesterday and it seems you
can no longer update your oyster card with cash.

Is that a subset of the TVMs perhaps not accepting cash for *any*
transaction?

No idea.

I asked one of the staff about this apparently "temporary" measure and
he said he doubts the facility will ever come back and I tend to
believe him. So thats another avenue of anonymity out the window.

Get yourself a pre-pay credit card, for example from a bureau
-de-change. That'll break the chain of traceability unless you are a
suspected terrorist on the run.

I'm not fussed enough, but thats not the point. Why is the cash option being
dropped? Any covid excuses are BS since the staff never need to physically
touch it, they just empty the bucket into something Securicor (or whoever)
take away.

A trader I knew said that once handling costs and pay-in charges are
taken into account, cash is more expensive to process than a debit
card.

It depends a lot on what sector the business is in. For example,
traditionally the card companies gave petrol stations very low
commission rates, because it accustomed the public to using cards.

If you are in the pub trade and need to pay your wholesale grocer in
cash when they deliver every morning (because your trade-credit rating
is pants), it might well make sense not to discourage cash.


One pub I used to frequent a decade ago, used to put the notes they took
into the cash machine in the pub to save having to pay it in to the bank
(the "pub staff do not have access to this machine" sign was a total lie).
I wonder how many of the notes just circulated from one side of the room to
the other and back for months on end...!


Anna Noyd-Dryver

wrote:
I took the tube for the first time in months yesterday and it seems you
can no longer update your oyster card with cash. I asked one of the staff
about this apparently "temporary" measure and he said he doubts the facility
will ever come back and I tend to believe him. So thats another avenue of
anonymity out the window. How long before Oyster cards themselves are
consigned to history and we have to use a bank card everywhere so we can
be nicely tracked not only by TfL but by the banks too?



I doubt TFL pass your journey details on to the banks, only the final
charge. So your bank will know you were on the TFL network, but not where.
But if you wanted to be anonymous you wouldn’t be using a bank card anyway,
as you will be more finely geolocated by any other use of your cards. And,
of course, you will have your mobile phone switched off, because that
continuously reveals your location.

"Tweed" wrote in message
...
wrote:
I took the tube for the first time in months yesterday and it seems you
can no longer update your oyster card with cash. I asked one of the staff
about this apparently "temporary" measure and he said he doubts the
facility
will ever come back and I tend to believe him. So thats another avenue of
anonymity out the window. How long before Oyster cards themselves are
consigned to history and we have to use a bank card everywhere so we can
be nicely tracked not only by TfL but by the banks too?



I doubt TFL pass your journey details on to the banks, only the final
charge. So your bank will know you were on the TFL network, but not where.
But if you wanted to be anonymous you wouldn’t be using a bank card
anyway,
as you will be more finely geolocated by any other use of your cards. And,
of course, you will have your mobile phone switched off, because that
continuously reveals your location.


ISTR on contactless the location of the initial charge appeared on my
statement.

You also need to wear a balaclava (I suppose a burqa would work as well) so
the face recognition cameras don't get you.

Good luck.

--
DAS

On Mon, 10 Aug 2020 08:24:06 -0000 (UTC)
Tweed wrote:
wrote:
I took the tube for the first time in months yesterday and it seems you
can no longer update your oyster card with cash. I asked one of the staff
about this apparently "temporary" measure and he said he doubts the facility
will ever come back and I tend to believe him. So thats another avenue of
anonymity out the window. How long before Oyster cards themselves are
consigned to history and we have to use a bank card everywhere so we can
be nicely tracked not only by TfL but by the banks too?



I doubt TFL pass your journey details on to the banks, only the final
charge. So your bank will know you were on the TFL network, but not where.

The banks have enough info about me already, they don't need any more.

But if you wanted to be anonymous you wouldn’t be using a bank card anyway,

Hence the point about cash payment.

as you will be more finely geolocated by any other use of your cards. And,
of course, you will have your mobile phone switched off, because that
continuously reveals your location.

I do generally, but mainly to save the battery.

On 10/08/2020 08:40, wrote:
I took the tube for the first time in months yesterday and it seems you
can no longer update your oyster card with cash. I asked one of the staff
about this apparently "temporary" measure and he said he doubts the facility
will ever come back and I tend to believe him. So thats another avenue of
anonymity out the window. How long before Oyster cards themselves are
consigned to history and we have to use a bank card everywhere so we can
be nicely tracked not only by TfL but by the banks too?

TfL's website lists 69 tube stations which it says still accept cash,
plus DLR and Overground.

Oyster cards can be bought and topped up at newsagents and other shops
all over the TfL area. I doubt they all refuse cash either.


Common sense says that the OP cannot be correct because it would be
impossible for anyone without a bank account to use London's buses.