There are over 5000 Oyster Card validators across the TfL network.
How much do you think it would cost to sponsor them all?
If you said £1,647,437 you're wrong.
That's how much it cost Google to sponsor them in 2020.
They've been paying a similar amount annually since.
But now it's time for a new sponsor to wade in.
And they've agreed to pay £2,500,000 a year.
For five years.
Starting 1st January 2026.
Contract here.
The new sponsor is American bank Chase, a subsidiary of JP Morgan.
If you've never heard of them that's the point.
What they want you to know is a) they exist b) they have a debit card c) if you use it you get 1% cashback.
And they'll let you know by screaming at you from every contactless pad for the next five years.
Here's one already in situ on the Waterloo & City line.
As you can see, the advert takes up over half of the pad.
Who needs passenger clarity when you can have £12½m?
The contactless symbol and the word 'Oyster' are much less prominent.
Three alternative payment methods (Amex, Mastercard, Visa) are even smaller.
As for previous sponsor Google Pay, it's suddenly nowhere to be seen.
The important bit is the smallprint which says See chase.co.uk/TfL for eligibility, limits, exceptions and T&Cs.
It's 1% cashback, which isn't much.
Make a £3 tube journey and it's 3p.
You're going to need to make 100 tube journeys to buy a coffee.
But it's better than getting no cashback at all.
Also it's a maximum of £15 cashback a month.
Only 'everyday travel', groceries and fuel purchases apply.
Also it's new customers only, and only for a year.
After a year you only get 1% cashback if you pay at least £1500 a month into your Chase account.
It's all got a bit sickening on TfL's LinkedIn account. We’re proud to have partnered with Chase as our ‘Official Payment Partner’. 🤝
You’ll start to see the Chase brand take pride of place on over 5000 contactless Oyster readers across London very soon.
Keep your eyes peeled!
'Official Payment Partner' is just weaselspeak for sole advertiser.
TfL's head of Commercial Froth is also very excited.
"This commercial partnership with Chase is a great example of how TfL can work with brands," she said.
The arse-licking of brands is very much a TfL speciality.
Get used to tapping your card or contactless device on the Chase pad.
For the next five years.
