An independent travel watchdog has slammed a loophole which has left thousands of passengers travelling to Stansted Airport paying fines.
People travelling to the airport by train from Liverpool Street or Tottenham Hale can tap in to start their journey using a contactless or Oyster card.
However, when they arrive at the airport, they cannot tap out - meaning a hefty penalty fare of £100.
London TravelWatch, the independent watchdog, said the issue was catching out tens of thousands of unsuspecting holidaymakers.
Its chief executive, Michael Roberts, told the Daily Mail: “It's plainly wrong that passengers continue to be unfairly penalised for not knowing that contactless payment isn't accepted at London Stansted Airport.
“With 'London' in its name, people quite reasonably assume they'll be able to tap out using a contactless card, especially when they were allowed to tap in using one at the start of their journey.”
The group found in 2019 that the number of penalty fares issued to passengers trying to travel to Stansted Airport using Oyster or contactless was around 16,000 a year - three quarters of which were issued at Stansted.
It said this was a similar issue which had been occurring at Gatwick Airport, before Oyster and contactless payments were extended there.
Passengers handed a penalty fare must pay £100 plus the cost of their ticket.
An anytime fare from Liverpool Street to Stansted costs £21.40, meaning those mistakenly using bank cards can be forced to pay up to £121.40 for the 34-mile journey.
The route is run by Greater Anglia, which said it would welcome contactless payments being rolled out to the airport.
A spokesperson said: “We're keen to see the extension of contactless ticketing to Stansted Airport, as that would simplify the position and be more convenient for customers, but such a step is dependent on receipt of the necessary funding and approvals from the Department for Transport.”
However, the Department for Transport has said it is up to train operating companies, such as Greater Anglia, to advise customers on how to correctly pay fares.
