EE subscribers can now pay for travel on London buses by a tap of their NFC-based smartphones, ahead of wider availability of the service for the rest of the city’s travel network next month.

The Cash on Tap service is now compatible with Transport for London (TfL)’s 8,600 buses.

From 16 September, EE users can also make contactless payments on DLR (Docklands Light Railway), the capital’s overground networks, and London Underground.

EE is pushing practicality as the reason why its subscribers should swap the tried-and-tested Oyster card, or contactless credit or debit cards, for paying with their handset.

The operator says its service can be topped up remotely, rather than physically, as is the case with Oyster, a process which often involves queuing. It also said users are less likely to lose a phone than the transport card.

And using a handset removes any chance of a card clash, where gates may not open if customers have more than one contactless card in their purse or wallet.

There is no additional charge for using a smartphone to pay for travel.

Cash on Tap is available as an app in the Google Play store and was launched by EE in partnership with MasterCard last year. It works with a range of NFC-enabled Android handsets.