The combined Barclays cashless payment and Oyster travelcard is going live in London today.

Following the first third-party use of the capital's ubiquitous travelcard, customers will be able to use a OnePulse card for access to public transport networks or to buy low-cost items such as coffee and newspapers.

The 'wave and pay' technology means purchases under £10 can be made without the use of Chip and PIN, but the card also has a standard debit facility for higher-value transactions.

The card will be usable at thousands of retailers as the technology rolls out over the coming months, says Transys, which runs the Oyster system. Outlets already signed up include Books Etc, Coffee Republic, and Threshers.