Oyster Card, am I understanding it correctly?

Hello to all the Oyster Card Expert,

I have been trying to understand this system for our upcoming 3 day post cruise stay in London and am hoping to learn more thru this post.

We are staying at the Comfort Inn Hyde Park in tube zone 1 and are planning on purchasing the pay as you go Oyster Card at a tube station as soon as we arrive in London. For us this will probably be Victoria since we are going to use the National Express Bus from Southampton.

 

I realize that we need 1 card for each person. We are mainly planning travel in Zone 1, so the daily cap should be BP 6.40. During this time, we can use tube and buses in zone 1 as many times as we need, but only get charged the daily max of BP 6.40. Is that correct?

 

Also, on our last day, we are planning on using the O-card to get to Heathrow Terminal 1 by tube, first Circular Line then Piccadilly. Should this cost us BP 5.10 each with our pay as you go card?

 

I am trying to figure out how much BP's we should put on the card for 3.5 days. With the caps, should BP 25 per card be enough? Or should it be 30 since we need to pay a BP 5 refundable deposit? I realize that if I load more money than I actually need, I can get a refund at the end of our stay in cash since we bought the card in London. We will have to pay a fee of BP 3 though.

So, with my caps first 3 days 6.40 x 3 = 19.20

Last day 5.10

--------

24.30

 

Does all of this sound right?

Trying to budget as accurately as I can!

 

Thanks for everybody's input and help

Regards

Petra

Edited February 19, 2015 by Ssislandgirl

Hiya, we live in london so use Oyster cards often. I think the card costs £5 and it is nit refundable, as for credit, you can top it up at every station and some shops so i would say, just top up in small amounts, that way, if you lose a card it wont be as much of a loss. Make sure you always tap in to a station and tap out of a station, otherwise you will get charged more, also sometimes you may cross over into other zones so it may charge you more. I can never work out how much it is going to cost me, it seems to be different every time! Haha! I just top up with £10 and then check it the next time i use it (you can check the balance at the machines where you top them up or in the shops that top them up). I hope this helps.x

OP - those daily caps seem quite low so I assume they are for off-peak travel (i.e. travel after 9.30 am)

 

Credit on an Oyster card never expires so it might be worth keeping them if you ever intend to return to our great city;).

 

Also the PAYG card will allow you to 'overdraw' to a small extent. e.g. you have £3 left when you tap in (sufficient for the cheapest journey) - your journey is £5 - it will let you do it and show a -£2 balance. You would need to top-up before you can use it again.

 

Not advocating blagging a couple of our quids from TfL - just saying...:rolleyes:

I realize that we need 1 card for each person. We are mainly planning travel in Zone 1, so the daily cap should be BP 6.40. During this time, we can use tube and buses in zone 1 as many times as we need, but only get charged the daily max of BP 6.40. Is that correct?

OP - those daily caps seem quite low so I assume they are for off-peak travel (i.e. travel after 9.30 am)

No, there are no longer any off-peak daily caps on Oyster. £6.40 is the all-day cap for Zones 1-2 and it's the same cap whatever time you travel. I think that this cap will apply wherever you take a bus, because buses are not zonal; but the cap will be at a higher rate if you travel by rail into Zone 3 or further afield.

 

However, there are some journeys which are charged at a higher rate if you make them during peak times. For example a Z1-Z2 Tube journey is £2.90 during peak hours (0630-0930 and 1600-1900 Monday to Friday) but £2.30 otherwise. However, this can prove to be completely academic if you hit the £6.40 cap.

 

The time of a journey is the time that you start the journey (eg touch in at a Tube station gate). The TfL day starts at 0430.

Also, on our last day, we are planning on using the O-card to get to Heathrow Terminal 1 by tube, first Circular Line then Piccadilly. Should this cost us BP 5.10 each with our pay as you go card?

Only if you travel at peak times. If you travel from Zone 1 to Heathrow at an off-peak time, the Oyster fare will be £3.10.

I think the card costs £5 and it is nit refundable, as for credit, you can top it up at every station and some shops so i would say, just top up in small amounts, that way, if you lose a card it wont be as much of a loss.

The £5 deposit on the card is refundable, together with all unused credit on the card.

If we get a London Pass do we need an Oyster Card, It says if you order the London Pass online it is good for all travel and attractions in London

If we get a London Pass do we need an Oyster Card, It says if you order the London Pass online it is good for all travel and attractions in London

 

I suggest you go to the Trip Advisor website and look at the London forum. You'll find the general opinion there is that the London Pass is not usually a good option. There is a Travelcard available which has 2 for 1 offers on London attractions, which the experts on that forum seem to rate more highly.

I suggest you go to the Trip Advisor website and look at the London forum. You'll find the general opinion there is that the London Pass is not usually a good option. There is a Travelcard available which has 2 for 1 offers on London attractions, which the experts on that forum seem to rate more highly.

With the travelcard with the 2for1, do you still need an Oyster card?

Trying to understand the Oyster Card as well, I see there are 2 ways to buy. Visitor Oyster Card which can be ordered and sent anywhere or regular Oyster Card which is bought in London. It is my understanding that as of 2015, if either Oyster Card is returned prior to one month of first use, the BP3 deposit (or admin. fee) is NOT refunded. Please correct me if this is not so.

It is my understanding that as of 2015, if either Oyster Card is returned prior to one month of first use, the BP3 deposit (or admin. fee) is NOT refunded. Please correct me if this is not so.

I haven't heard about this, as far as Oysters bought in London are concerned, and I would be irritated if it were true. If I've forgotten my Oyster, I hand over £10 cash and get an Oyster with £5 credit on it, in a transaction that takes about 45 seconds. As soon as I get my own Oyster back and I have a spare moment, I get a refund on the emergency card. It would be a pain to have to wait for a month.

 

There's no mention of this on the TfL website either: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/replacements-and-refunds/oyster-refunds-and-replacements

 

If the information you saw says that the deposit for an Oyster bought in London is £3, then it may be out of date anyway as the deposit is now £5 (and has been for a good couple of years now).

 

I personally have never understood the appeal of getting a Visitors Oyster, and I don't know anything about how they work.

With the travelcard with the 2for1, do you still need an Oyster card?

A Travelcard is a kind of ticket. An Oyster card is a kind of ticket. You won't need both at the same time.

The information I am referring to is from http://www.londontoolkit.com. It clearly states a BP3 activation fee for a Visitor Oyster Card, and a BP3 administration fee for a regular Oyster Card bought in London, thereby making both cards the same price. Both fees are (according to them) not refunded if less than a month.

Either way, it's the best way to get around, so whatever it is, it is!

You can now get upto £10 PAYG credit refunded as well as the deposit.

 

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/replacements-and-refunds/refunds-at-ticket-machines?intcmp=26352

The information I am referring to is from http://www.londontoolkit.com. It clearly states a BP3 activation fee for a Visitor Oyster Card, and a BP3 administration fee for a regular Oyster Card bought in London, thereby making both cards the same price. Both fees are (according to them) not refunded if less than a month.

I can't find any reference to that anywhere else, including on the TfL website, and I haven't seen or heard anything to this effect either.

You can now get upto £10 PAYG credit refunded as well as the deposit.

 

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/replacements-and-refunds/refunds-at-ticket-machines?intcmp=26352

That's just talking about the new functionality at ticket machines, isn't it?

 

You've always been able to get unused credit and the deposit refunded at a ticket office (except for particularly high value refunds), and this hasn't changed.

Agree, there's no question that you get unused credit back. The part that they say isn't refunded is the activation fee on one card or the administration fee on the other, BP3 on either one. It's on the londontoolkit site under Public Transportation/ Oyster Card Transport Pass.

Agree, there's no question that you get unused credit back. The part that they say isn't refunded is the activation fee on one card or the administration fee on the other, BP3 on either one. It's on the londontoolkit site under Public Transportation/ Oyster Card Transport Pass.

 

London Toolkit may be saying that, but as Globaliser says it is not mentioned anywhere on the Transport for London site (who administer Oyster cards). They equally clearly state that the £5 deposit on Oyster cards is refundable.

Edited March 20, 2015 by Cotswold Eagle

I see the difference. Hopefully, tfl is correct. Thanks for the clarification. You'd think a major site (toolkit) that we here in the states are referred to would be up to date with their info!

We've kept ours for future visits. We try to finish the trip with only a few pounds on them, so no big deal to hold on to them until the next go round.

And since nobody has mentioned it, if you have contactless cards, use them instead of Oyster. No messing around putting credit on and getting refunds, and exactly the same charges.

And since nobody has mentioned it, if you have contactless cards, use them instead of Oyster. No messing around putting credit on and getting refunds, and exactly the same charges.

What are the "contactless cards" ?

What are the "contactless cards" ?

 

I'd like to know this too...:confused:

What are the "contactless cards" ?

 

It's a credit or debit card with and RFID in it. I saw people using them on the Tube a couple weeks ago--they just hold their wallet to the scanner and it reads the card, and at the other end they do the same. At the end of the day the system figures out the fare and bills the card directly, so need to top up.

At the end of the day the system figures out the fare and bills the card directly, so need to top up.

 

I assume you meant to type - no need to top up:)

Edited March 21, 2015 by Bob++

It's a credit or debit card with and RFID in it. I saw people using them on the Tube a couple weeks ago--they just hold their wallet to the scanner and it reads the card, and at the other end they do the same. At the end of the day the system figures out the fare and bills the card directly, so need to top up.

 

Exactly correct - http://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/contactless/what-is-contactless

I assume you meant to type - no need to top up:)

 

 

Yes, sorry!

And since nobody has mentioned it, if you have contactless cards, use them instead of Oyster. No messing around putting credit on and getting refunds, and exactly the same charges.

 

I am a bit leery about using contactless cards as involves showing my credit or debit card in a crowd of people and would be worried about pickpockets

 

I prefer my Oyster card which I can top up with a relatively low balance so if lost or stolen doesn't involve me having to report loss to provider and getting new cards -that's just me