[vertex-four]

If you have incredibly poor credit, you can’t even get a contactless debit card from many banks.

A transport network needs to be designed so that everybody can use it - that means being able to access it with cash.

Even Oyster’s £5 deposit per card can be an issue for some people.

[tialaramex]

You don't need credit to have a contactless debit card, they're just locked down to require online transactions so that it's impossible to go overdrawn. In normal operation a TfL gate is online (ie able to talk to your card issuer) so it can work with any type of card.

[vertex-four]

Sure, but many basic bank accounts (those available to people with extremely poor credit history and no income) don't have a contactless debit card anyway, such as the one Bank of Scotland does: https://www.bankofscotland.co.uk/bankaccounts/compare-curren...

[jon-wood]

TfL gates aren't online in anything but the most basic way - the first time you use a contactless card on TfL each day they'll place a hold for 10p to verify the card is valid. They then modify that to request the total cost of travel for the previous day after that.

[denverbroncos]

flexbasic from nationwide issues a contactless card from the get go if you don't get offered a "normal" current account. also supports apple/google/samsung pay.

https://www.nationwide.co.uk/products/current-accounts/flexb...