You now have to pay a £7 fee for an Oyster card, and if you bought yours on or after 4 September 2022, it is non-refundable. Previously, you had to pay a £5 deposit, which was and still is refundable.
People Also Ask
The pay as you go credit on your Visitor Oyster card never expires so you can keep your card until your next visit, or lend it to family and friends. If you don't need your Visitor Oyster card, you can get the remaining credit refunded.
What to do? As Oyster for Visitor cards can't be registered, the balance can't be checked on line. You'll need to touch in at a Tube, DLR, or Overground ticket machine which will show the balance remaining on the card, and that balance will remain in situ until used.
Before you claimIf you do not get an automatic refund, you have up to 8 weeks from your journey to claim. We will not give a refund if you have already claimed 3 maximum fare refunds in the same calendar month.
If you only have pay as you go credit on your Oyster card, you can lend it to someone else. Two people can't use the same contactless or Oyster card for a journey. If you have a Travelcard, Bus & Tram Pass or discount added to your Oyster card, you can't lend it to someone else.
If you travelled using a paper ticket or a National Rail smartcard and want to apply for a service delay refund, call us on 0343 222 1234 Monday to Friday 08:00-20:00 (charges may apply). You may need a copy of your ticket during the application process.
Cons: A £7 cost applies when you get a standard or visitor card. You'll need to top it up in advance of travel. You can't use an Oyster card at any station between Reading and Iver.
You can report your Oyster card lost or stolen by signing into your account or calling us on 0343 222 1234. We will stop your Oyster card and the Continuous Payment Authority.
Transport for London (TfL) aims to provide refunds within 10 working days. There are instances, such as complex claims or a large volume of claims arriving at once, when this is not always possible.
About a quarter of contactless payments are now made using either Apple or Google Pay, a figure that is ticking up all the time. In contrast, only 5.7m of the tens of millions of Oyster cards in circulation are still active. And as for paper tickets, in the past month just 1.7% of passengers bought them.
Children under 11 travel free on most public transport services when accompanied by a fare-paying adult, or with a 5-10 Zip Oyster Photocard. Children aged 11 to 15 years old can get free or discounted travel with a Zip Oyster Photocard, or a Young Visitor discount.
At Oyster Ticket Stops in many newsagents in London (7 Day and Monthly Travelcards) At ticket machines at Tube, London Overground, most Elizabeth line and National Rail stations (7 Day and Monthly Travelcards) At Visitor Centres (All Visitor Centres sell 7 Day and Monthly Travelcards.