London style contactless payments are expanding to more stations outside London, including at long last, London’s Stansted and Southend Airports.

From 14th December, customers can tap-in and tap-out at all London airports for the first time, fixing the long-standing complaint that people are catching trains to Stansted unaware that their contactless payment won’t work.

The expansion, delivered by TfL and its partner, Cubic, has been made possible by £18.7 million in government funding, with 50 stations receiving the same upgrade at once.  Earlier this year, 47 stations began accepting contactless payments in the first stage of the DfT’s Project Oval, which had been delayed by the TfL cyberattack.

The contactless payments extension will not include Oyster cards as the Oyster technology is now too old, just the newer bank card-based payments. That mirrors how the Elizabeth line was extended to Reading, with Oyster only working as far as the edge of Zone 6, after which only bank card contactless will work.

Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy said: “Rail ticketing is far too complicated and long overdue an upgrade to bring it into the 21st century. Through the expansion of tap-in tap-out technology and shortly through GBR, we’re doing just that and making buying tickets more convenient, more accessible and more flexible – and ensuring passengers can get the best fares. “

Contactless technology will become commonplace under Great British Railways, which, once established, will build on the expansion of existing pay-as-you-go and fares trials.

Note that people with railcard discounts or concession rates will still find their existing tickets are likely to be cheaper than contactless tickets, although those concession rates will eventually be added to contactless tickets.

Contactless extension December 2025

Stations getting contactless payments on 14th December

Ashtead
Aylesbury
Aylesbury Vale Parkway
Baldock
Beaulieu Park
Billericay
Bishop’s Stortford
Box Hill & Westhumble
Chelmsford
Dorking (Main)
Dormans
East Grinstead
Great Missenden
Harlington
Harlow Mill
Harlow Town
Hatfield Peverel
Hitchin
Hockley
Hurst Green
Ingatestone
Knebworth
Leagrave
Leatherhead
Letchworth Garden City
Lingfield
Little Kimble
Luton
Monks Risborough
Oxted
Princes Risborough
Prittlewell
Rayleigh
Reigate
Rochford
Roydon
Saunderton
Sawbridgeworth
Southend Airport
Southend Victoria
Stansted Airport
Stansted Mountfitchet
Stevenage
Stoke Mandeville
Watton-at-Stone
Welwyn North
Wendover
Wickford
Witham
Woldingham

A note: earlier this year, it was announced that 49 stations would be included in the second phase, but they’ve added 50 because the list was updated to include the new Beaulieu Park station, which opened only a few weeks ago.