Frequently asked questions.

WHAT IS TAP LONDON?

TAP is a non-profit organisation set up to address the dwindling levels of cash in our pockets, and the growing feeling of confusion and helplessness on how to tackle homelessness. Since our foundation in 2017, we have engaged over 100,000 people to give a small one-off donation to support London’s homeless. This amounts to over £500,000 raised. In addition, we have provided over 400 hours of direct employment to homeless Londoners through our vendor programme, which you can read more about here.

WHO’S BEHIND IT?

TAP was founded by Katie and Polly, two Londoners who came up with TAP while working together at an ad agency. Since then, the team has expanded to include governing trustees of our charity, and our brilliant colleagues at the Greater London Authority who handle the day to day operations of the initiative.

The technology is provided by our partner GoodBox.

HOW IS THE MAYOR OF LONDON INVOLVED?

TAP was awarded funding through the Mayor of London’s ‘Rough Sleeping Innovation Fund’. Sadiq Khan himself made the first public tap at a press launch in November 2018.

WHERE DOES MY DONATION GO?

From December 2023, every single penny of your £3 tap or online donation will be held by The TAP Foundation and distributed through individual grants that local charities apply for. A panel made up of charity & local government folk will decide which grants are successful.

Over the years we’ve distributed funds in different ways. So if you donated earlier than December 2023, your money would have gone to the following organisations. From December 2020 - December 2023, money went to four youth homelessness charities (more on them here). If you donated before December 2020, your money would have been granted to the London Homeless Collective - 29 charities providing direct aid to homeless people across London.

HOW MUCH OF MY DONATION GOES TO THE CAUSE?

We cover all transaction fees and operational costs with a little help from our friends (our brilliant partners and funders), so you can trust that 100% of your donation will be granted to our charity beneficiaries.

WHERE CAN I DONATE?

We have 30 contactless points live around London. You find all our locations on this map, or alternatively, you can donate online!

CAN I HOST A UNIT?

Yes! We are always on the look-out for more retailers, bars, cafes, or public spaces to host donation points. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, please drop us a line and we can talk you through the process to see if it’s a good fit for you. Current hosts include Network Rail, Curzon, Marks & Spencer and The Gentlemen Baristas.

HOW DO I KNOW IT’S SAFE?

Contactless is the safest way to give. Machines are locked to the TAP bank account, meaning that your money can't be diverted, and unlike with cash, there's zero chance of petty theft or fraud. Like a contactless payment, each transaction is encrypted by third-parties on the spot, so we capture no personal data and your card details are kept safe.

CAN I GET A REFUND OR RECEIPT?

Sure, email info@taplondon.org if you need us to issue a refund or you’d like a receipt.

MY QUESTION ISN’T ANSWERED HERE. HELP?

For all other questions, please get in touch here!