Kate Gibbs, Media Week, 20 September 2007, 1:15pm

Evening Standard sets Monday launch for Eros Reward Card

LONDON - The Evening Standard is to hit back at its freesheet rivals by becoming the first UK newspaper to have a dedicated cashless payment card system.

The reward scheme, called Eros, as revealed in Media Week (18 September), will be launched at Waterloo station on Monday.
Like an Oyster card, customers will be able to redeem papers at Evening Standard vendor points, simply by tapping their card on the yellow Eros pad. Card payments will also be cheaper than paying with cash, and for a limited time customers who top up their cards will be able to download five iTunes songs for free.
The cards will be distributed on the concourse at Waterloo all next week. The system will be rolled out across all of Zone 1 at the start of October.
Evening Standard managing director Andrew Mullins said the card was a "genuine innovation", which would save customers time and money. He added that the card would also improve marketing.
He said: "For the first time we will have in-depth knowledge of how many people are buying the paper, and on what day and at what time. This knowledge, and how we use it, will firmly help us establish the Evening Standard as London’s number one, and only, quality newspaper."