FOI request detail

credit and debit card fees

Request ID: FOI-2417-2122
Date published: 08 February 2022

You asked

I’d like to request documents that show fees that Transport for London pays to its acquirer to accept open-loop credit and debit cards. In particular, I’m looking for the individual fee rates TfL pays to accept cards branded Visa, Mastercard and American Express. That includes interchange or “merchant” discount rates for each card brand. I’d also like the total monthly fees that TfL pays to its acquirer and the total open-loop payments revenue TfL received for the same months for the past two years. Also please provide me with total fare revenue for TfL for each of these months, as well. Finally, I’d like to request records that detail any promotional or sponsorship payments received by TfL from any payments scheme, including Visa, Mastercard and American Express, as part of its rollout or operation of contactless open-loop payments.

We answered

TfL Ref: FOI-2417-2122

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 21 January 2022.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.  I can confirm that we hold the information you require. You asked:

I’d like to request documents that show fees that Transport for London pays to its acquirer to accept open-loop credit and debit cards. In particular, I’m looking for the individual fee rates TfL pays to accept cards branded Visa, Mastercard and American Express. That includes interchange or “merchant” discount rates for each card brand.
Commercial confidentiality precludes the provision of details of fees paid to our acquirers for card acceptance, and we are therefore not obliged to provide you with this information as it is subject to a statutory exemption to the right of access to information under section 43(2). In this instance the section 43(2) exemption has been applied as disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice our commercial interests.

The use of this exemption is subject to an assessment of the public interest in relation to the disclosure of the information concerned. We recognise the need for openness and transparency by public authorities, particularly where the expenditure of public money is concerned, but in this instance the public interest in ensuring that we are able to obtain the best value for public money outweighs the general public interest in increasing transparency of our processes.

I’d also like the total monthly fees that TfL pays to its acquirer and the total open-loop payments revenue TfL received for the same months for the past two years.

Total open loop payments revenue data as requested for each of our acquirers:

 
Year Period £ Amex £ Barclaycard
2019 1         14,885,785.80                   146,767,687.24
2019 2         16,562,576.70                   157,513,062.23
2019 3         16,566,862.09                   162,237,731.73
2019 4         16,799,542.24                   161,744,958.52
2019 5         15,872,609.43                   153,946,767.42
2019 6         15,670,862.13                   157,936,536.37
2019 7         17,803,742.96                   177,554,773.56
2019 8         17,928,826.61                   179,842,483.43
2019 9         19,118,857.78                   188,893,596.46
2019 10         14,064,220.63                   151,243,219.98
2019 11         19,543,858.10                   181,482,687.25
2019 12         19,384,868.91                   183,415,842.04
2019 13         10,077,160.84                   109,153,261.13
TOTAL 2019      214,279,774.22                2,111,732,607.36
2020 1              289,943.70                     11,019,611.17
2020 2              354,644.60                     10,435,213.75
2020 3           1,161,167.73                     32,887,330.50
2020 4           2,593,476.40                     56,421,220.75
2020 5           3,912,191.95                     72,216,550.40
2020 6           5,460,176.15                     89,504,727.14
2020 7           6,142,766.95                     95,287,700.12
2020 8           4,757,840.64                     80,655,752.90
2020 9           4,450,081.20                     76,804,681.01
2020 10           2,343,063.25                     48,093,364.99
2020 11           1,692,849.15                     42,206,004.95
2020 12           2,237,076.60                     50,492,837.80
2020 13           2,814,890.40                     57,866,288.61
TOTAL 2020         38,210,168.72                   723,891,284.09
2021 1           6,115,978.90                     98,768,984.04
2021 2           7,709,046.80                   110,491,332.89
2021 3           8,862,209.25                   126,468,367.85
2021 4           9,085,439.40                   129,778,575.97
2021 5          9,302,112.49                   132,927,095.03
2021 6         11,224,371.35                   150,500,052.21
2021 7         14,651,791.85                   178,700,093.62
2021 8         15,306,296.55                   183,328,157.86
2021 9         16,139,562.85                   189,305,052.62
2021 10           7,081,464.50                   115,459,219.82
TOTAL 2021      105,478,273.94                1,415,726,931.91

Also please provide me with total fare revenue for TfL for each of these months, as well.
Total fare revenue data as requested:

Units are £000s. Figures include fare payers and Freedom Pass revenue.
 
Year Period LU Bus London Rail TfL Rail TfL Total
2019/20 1 206,478 107,074 30,793 7,934 352,278
2 216,458 113,341 33,549 8,254 371,602
3 218,226 112,387 33,100 8,130 371,843
4 225,321 115,084 33,119 8,500 382,025
5 209,966 108,483 31,490 7,947 357,887
6 202,190 108,492 30,767 7,961 349,409
7 228,323 116,367 34,361 8,968 388,019
8 230,374 115,188 34,654 8,992 389,208
9 237,340 116,352 36,270 9,106 399,068
10 188,516 102,644 27,696 8,543 327,400
11 217,018 112,682 33,228 12,058 374,985
12 218,277 112,979 33,401 11,590 376,246
13 137,994 88,524 22,325 7,136 255,979
2020/21 1 15,478 27,700 3,380 1,728 48,287
2 22,868 20,056 4,556 1,869 49,349
3 32,047 42,087 7,521 2,022 83,677
4 51,194 58,860 9,115 3,140 122,308
5 66,370 64,890 11,065 3,340 145,665
6 77,237 71,689 13,104 4,248 166,278
7 65,965 71,492 19,687 4,615 161,759
8 69,554 67,553 14,161 4,121 155,389
9 66,545 66,159 13,730 3,915 150,349
10 41,116 52,897 8,716 2,416 105,145
11 38,271 50,151 8,251 2,688 99,361
12 43,412 53,405 9,596 2,945 109,358
13 50,613 57,299 11,898 3,992 123,802
2021/22 1 76,367 70,937 16,590 4,252 168,146
2 87,098 73,872 17,608 4,734 183,312
3 98,490 78,301 19,330 5,946 202,068
4 101,084 79,414 19,034 6,434 205,966
5 104,160 78,214 19,354 6,392 208,119
6 117,660 84,416 21,812 7,119 231,007
7 151,280 92,606 25,257 9,326 278,470
8 150,020 93,759 24,974 8,400 277,153
9 153,749 95,269 25,243 7,700 281,961
10 92,724 75,860 15,763 5,300 189,647

Finally, I’d like to request records that detail any promotional or sponsorship payments received by TfL from any payments scheme, including Visa, Mastercard and American Express, as part of its rollout or operation of contactless open-loop payments.
TfL has not received any payments from Payment Schemes including Visa, Mastercard and American Express, as part of its rollout or operation of contactless open-loop payments.

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

Yours sincerely

Eva Hextall
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London

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