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.
People Also Ask
In conclusion, the main difference between Standard and Visitor Oyster cards is that Standard Oyster cards are reusable, while Visitor Oyster cards are disposable. In addition, standard Oyster cards do not come with a daily price cap, while Visitor Oyster cards do.
You can also use the travel credit on your Visitor Oyster card to buy a ticket for Thames River Services and Circular Cruise Westminster at their ticket offices. Visitor Oyster cards can be reused and never expire.
You can take your Visitor Oyster card to a Visitor Centre, to get a refund of any remaining credit. This will be paid in cash or refunded to your debit/credit card.
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.
Children under 11 travel free on most public transport services in London 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.
Unused credit on your Visitor Oyster cardThe 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.
If you want to do it over the phone, call TfL customer services on 0343 222 1234 between 8am and 8pm. For full info on what to do about lost, stolen or faulty Oyster cards, see the 'Refunds and replacements' section of the TfL website.
Visitor Oyster cards are plastic smartcards you can use instead of the classic paper-based Travelcards. It is the cheapest way to pay for single journeys on bus, Tube, tram, DLR, London Overground, Elizabeth line, and most National Rail services in London.
Non-UK residents can buy Visitor Oyster cards* before arriving in London, and they are ready to use immediately, so you save time. Standard Oyster cards cost £5 (refundable) and can be purchased on arrival and loaded with credit.
It's memory space, TfL recently said that there were 16.5 million dormant Oyster cards out there with just under 30 million pounds of credit on them. No computer system really wants to have to remember 16.5 million details on its active servers if it can avoid it. So dormant accounts are moved off the active system.
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.
You can use your Oyster card to pay as you go at any time without providing your personal information to TfL. You can also add weekly and monthly season tickets to your Oyster card without needing to register your card or create an online account.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock. Children under 11 travel free on most public transport services in London 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.