What you need to know
- Google and the Transport of London (Tfl) have joined forces to bring the “Tube Challenge” to travelers in the city.
- Users on Android paying for their train ride via Google Pay can collect digital badges, learn station history, and earn raffle entries for a biking pass or Google Pixel 9.
- The event runs from March 31 to April 30, and users are eligible to engage in the challenge when paying at all 272 Tube stations, including the 41 Elizabeth line stations.
Google is highlighting a new challenge for users in London looking to take the tube throughout April.
Transport for London (Tfl) and Google Pay have joined together to bring the “Tube Challenge” to London. According to a press release, the event runs from March 31 through April 30. The company says users are eligible to win prizes and badges when using Google Pay for Android specifically. In a subsequent blog post, the Tfl explains how users can get started this month.
Getting Started
The post states users in London will have a chance to join the challenge from within Google Wallet. The Tfl encourages you to attach your Visa or Mastercard to the app “and start tapping in and out with Google Pay on your adventures.”
These digital badges you’re playing for will be collected as you tap to pay at various Tube stations. Google says travelers can collect these badges from all 272 Tube stations, including the 41 Elizabeth line stations. Alongside these badges are some fun facts about every station you may visit.
That’s not all; as Google states train riders engaging with Google Pay for the Tube challenge are also entered into a weekly competition to win Santander Cycles Day Passes. However, during the final week, users tapping in and out of London stations will be eligible to win a Google Pixel 9. Remember: you earn an entry into these two raffles every day you take the Tube and engage with Google Pay.
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In a statement, the customer director at the Tfl, Emma Strain, said, “We are excited to partner with Google Pay on their ‘Tube Challenge’ within Google Wallet. This innovative challenge offers customers a fun and engaging way to explore the Tube and Elizabeth line network, collect digital station badges, and learn facts about the places they are travelling to across London.”
It’s worth remembering that the Google Pay app — on its own — is no more, as the company shuttered it and packed it into Google Wallet. The app was officially shuttered as of June 4, 2024. The idea of paying via Google Pay still exists as its core functions are within Google Wallet. Additionally, places will still say they accept payment via the method, so it’s not gone; it’s just been moved.
To get people ready, Google brought support for a host of banks to its Wallet app early last year. Many of them were small banks, but the idea was likely to include as many of its users as possible to make the transition smooth. Since then, the company (in the U.S.) has moved to bring digital ID support for state IDs.
California joined the movement, as well as Arizona, Georgia, and a few others.