Transport for London has teamed up with Chase, the bank's UK arm, on a prize draw aimed at people getting around the capital. The promotion, covered by Secret London, dangles rewards for travellers who use contactless payments — including Chase debit cards — to pay for Tube, bus, rail and other TfL journeys across the city.
The mechanics are simple, which is the point. London is already one of the easiest cities in the world to pay as you go: there are no tickets to buy for most trips, you just tap the same card or device at the gates and the system caps your daily fare automatically. Promotions like this essentially reward something most visitors were going to do anyway — tap in, tap out, repeat until your feet give up.
For anyone planning a London trip, the practical takeaway is bigger than the prize draw itself. Using a contactless card on TfL is almost always the frictionless option compared with buying single tickets or fiddling with an Oyster card top-up, especially for short stays. Fares are capped daily, and the same card works across the Underground, buses, the Elizabeth line, DLR, trams and most National Rail services within the zones. Contactless fares also tend to match or beat Oyster prices, and you avoid the small card deposit.
Worth noting: prize draws like this typically require registration or meeting card-specific conditions, so if you bank with Chase (or are tempted to open an account), check the terms on the promotion page before assuming your commutes count as entries. Details, eligibility and closing dates are on Secret London's write-up of the scheme.
Why does a bank giveaway matter to travellers? Because it signals where London's payment culture is heading — fully contactless, card-agnostic, and increasingly tied to perks. If you're visiting from abroad, make sure your home card doesn't charge foreign transaction fees on every small tap, or consider a travel-friendly card for the duration. A week of London travel means dozens of small payments, and fees quietly add up.
So: check the prize draw if you qualify, but regardless, leave the ticket machines alone and just tap your way around the capital. That's the real hack.