Final Call for the Replacement of First Generation On-Loan Octopus

(Hong Kong, 17 October 2017) Octopus Cards Limited (OCL) today announced the final call for the replacement of First Generation On-Loan Octopus to urge customers to replace these Octopus before they become invalid.

The First Generation On-Loan Octopus were first issued in 1997. The replacement exercise aims to upgrade these First Generation Octopus with security and technological advances, enabling all customers to enjoy the latest Octopus services.

During this phase of card replacement, all First Generation On-Loan Octopus (the card numbers of which have no brackets for the last digit) will be divided into different batches with respective dates when they will become invalid. To continue using Octopus services, customers should replace their First Generation On-Loan Octopus before they become invalid.

Each batch of First Generation On-Loan Octopus will receive a special prompt – a "dood-dood-dood" sound – upon tapping the Octopus readers. This prompt will be in effect for at least three months, serving as the final call notification to remind customers to replace their First Generation On-Loan Octopus. The reader prompt for the first batch of First Generation On-Loan Octopus will be introduced on 18 October 2017. The date for this batch to become invalid will be 20 January 2018, allowing sufficient time for customers to replace their Octopus. The same arrangement will apply for the subsequent batches.

Upon hearing the special reader prompt, customers can go to the following channels to replace their First Generation On-Loan Octopus and transfer the information and services such as access control, Automatic Add Value Service and Octopus Rewards to the new Octopus free of charge.

Card Replacement Channels(Note 1)	Type of First Generation On-Loan Octopus
1. Octopus Service Points (OSPs)	Anonymous On-Loan Octopus Personalised On-Loan Octopus(Note 2)
2. Designated Kowloon Motor Bus Customer Service Centres
3. MTR Customer Service Centres (except Light Rail Customer Service Centres)	Anonymous On-Loan Octopus

To encourage customers to replace their First Generation On-Loan Octopus via the Octopus Service Points, a new design of On-Loan Octopus featuring the brand new corporate logo will only be available at this channel.

"First Generation On-Loan Octopus have been in use since the inception of the Octopus payment system," said Mr Sunny Cheung, Chief Executive Officer of OCL. "They were designed and manufactured before the establishment of the Near Field Communication (NFC) standard. Since then, technology and security standards have advanced. That's why we are introducing the final phase of card replacement – to ensure customers can enjoy more advanced online and mobile services, such as checking the latest 40 transaction records and using online payment through the Octopus App via NFC-enabled mobile devices. In addition, like any technology, security standards must be continuously upgraded for better customer protection."

"We especially recommend customers to replace their First Generation On-Loan Octopus at Octopus Service Points to get a new design of On-Loan Octopus featuring the brand new corporate logo which will only be available at this channel," he added.

Customers can enquire whether their Octopus are First Generation On-Loan Octopus and the dates when they will become invalid through the Octopus website and the Customer Service Hotline’s Interactive Voice Recording System by inputting the Octopus card number.

Note 1: For details of locations of the card replacement channels, please visit the Octopus website at www.octopus.com.hk/en/consumer/card-replacement/about/index.html.

Note 2: For Personalised On-Loan Octopus, customer must first register online for card replacement, via the Octopus website at www.octopus.com.hk/cardreplacement. After registration, a new Personalised On-Loan Octopus will be sent to the customer by mail. Then, the customer will need to bring the new Personalised On-Loan Octopus and the First Generation On-Loan Octopus to any OSPs or designated Kowloon Motor Bus Customer Service Centres for card replacement and to transfer the information and services to the new card.

 

Photo Captions

Photo caption 1: Mr Sunny Cheung, CEO of OCL (left) and Mr Sammy Kam, Techncial Director of OCL, showcase the new design On-Loan Octopus and First Generation On-Loan Octopus.

 

Available only at Octopus Service Points

Photo caption 2: The On-Loan Adult Octopus with the new corporate logo design.

Photo caption 3: The On-Loan Elder Octopus with the new corporate logo design.

Photo caption 4: The On-Loan Child Octopus with the new corporate logo design.

 

- Ends -