> anyone with a contactless Visa/Mastercard or phone can enter the London Underground by simply tapping at the barrier
In Berlin, there is no barrier.
In Berlin, there is no barrier.
It is true that there is no barrier in Berlin, but you still need to buy a ticket. For casual users such as myself, who don't have a season ticket, this takes significantly longer than 480ms: find ticket machine, queue, navigate menu, insert cash, wait for change and ticket to be printed, find ticket validation machine.
It is quite possible to miss the train here by having to queue to buy a ticket, particularly in busy places like the airport. This could be avoided if the tourists were able to use their existing cards/phones to tap in.