Barclays launches Oyster-flavoured Barclaycard

Touch and pay transactions in over 1000 London shops

15 August 2007 10:46 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

First announced last December, Barclays is now accepting pre-order-style sign-ups for its Barclaycard with Oyster functionality.

Be warned though - the card, called the Barclaycard OnePulse - will be a credit, rather than debit card.

Having signed up over 1000 shops in London, including lunch venues such as Coffee Republic and Eat, the card will launch in September.

The card works like the Oyster cards on London's Tube with "swipe-and-pay" functionality that means you just have to wave the card near a reader for the payment to be taken.

Also containing the now standard chip-and-pin technology, it's hoped the swipe payments will speed up transactions, particularly for small purchases like a coffee or lunch.

Card owners will be able to use the cards for transactions under £10, anything over that will revert to chip-and-pin.

Visa and Mastercard have similar schemes planned to launch in London around the same time.