The NSW Government is moving towards a trial of debit and credit cards to allow commuters to make contactless payments for travelling on public transport.  This would be achieved by upgrading the existing software running the NSW public transport systems, as was done in London at a cost of more than A$125 million (or its equivalent), according to Fairfax Media.  Yesterday, the NSW Transport Minister confirmed the "announcement" that a trial of contactless cards was being planned, a move that had been leaked to favoured mass media outlets the day before. Mastercard, jumping ahead in their pre-written response, had this to say, among other commentary:  "Extending this payment experience to the transit system in NSW means that customers will be able to use their everyday credit or debit cards for public transport.  As a result, commuters in NSW will no longer have to worry about topping up their fare accounts, and overseas travellers will find navigating the city as easy as tap and go." Certainly. It would seem that the card companies are already celebrating the demise of Opal, the NSW transport system's prepaid travel card, which has seen major savings accrue to commuters. A true contactless card trial is, however, at least a year away, the Minister conceded. The partnership agreements are not in place yet, nor even has the software been written to make it happen.