Oyster Pay As You Go Rules

[andyb2706]

Hi Guys,

I'm planning a LU/LO/DLR trip later this year and am trying to get my head around the rules of using an Oyster Card and the journey I can make with it.

I think I've sussed it out (in my own world anyhow) but was just wondering whether any of you can clarify whether I am right or not.

It states (in the link below) that each zones or zones crossed has a time limit of how long you can do to make the journey, what ever the route.

For example in zone one you have 90 minutes to complete your journey so if I was travelling from Old Street to Paddington the quickest route would be Old Street-Kings Cross-Paddington. Would there be anything wrong in doing Old Street-Kings Cross-Holborn-Bond Street-Baker Street-Paddington to maximise haulage as long as a) you do not take more than 90 minutes or b) you do not have to go through any ticket barrier?

Also I know there is a daily cap, but does the Oyster Card allow you to leave the station and then immediately re-enter the station or does that send the computer into hysterics?

Many thanks in advance.
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/oyster/using-oyster/maximum-journey-times

 

[PermitToTravel]

For example in zone one you have 90 minutes to complete your journey so if I was travelling from Old Street to Paddington the quickest route would be Old Street-Kings Cross-Paddington. Would there be anything wrong in doing Old Street-Kings Cross-Holborn-Bond Street-Baker Street-Paddington to maximise haulage as long as a) you do not take more than 90 minutes or b) you do not have to go through any ticket barrier?

That's absolutely fine, you can even go through ticket barriers if necessary to change between modes e.g. exiting at the Marylebone LU barrier and entering at the Marylebone NR barrier.

Also I know there is a daily cap, but does the Oyster Card allow you to leave the station and then immediately re-enter the station or does that send the computer into hysterics?

This is almost always, although at a small handful of stations with multiple gatelines (like Oxford Circus) it will combine your trips into one journey, which has implications for your maximum journey time.

 

[andyb2706]

Thanks PermitToTravel for clearing that up for me.

 

[Be3G]

Do you have a contactless card andyb2706? If you do, I'd recommend using that rather an Oyster, as it won't get hysterical in the Oxford Circus situation PermitToTravel mentions: all your travel is processed by a computer at the end of the day so it has time to work out the most sensible cause of events, rather than making a split-second decision when you touch in/out as an Oyster does.

 

[Merseysider]

Without wanting to go off on too much of a tangent, can discounts (railcard/priv etc) be loaded onto a Contactless card for TfL journeys?

 

[bb21]

Not atm, so the repeated announcements at tube stations about Contactless being cheapest is incomplete to say the least, or misleading at the worst.

 

[WelshBluebird]

Not atm, so the repeated announcements at tube stations about Contactless being cheapest is incomplete to say the least, or misleading at the worst.

Any idea if there are plans to allow it? Or is it just going to be left as a "sorry but we can't be bothered to implement it"?

 

[yorkie]

If you are doing odd routes, your biggest potential problem is when an OSI results in what you thought were two (or more) journeys being merged into one, going over the maximum journey time.

Any idea if there are plans to allow it? Or is it just going to be left as a "sorry but we can't be bothered to implement it"?

I believe it is planned, though I am not aware of a date for the implementation.

 

[MikeWh]

Without wanting to go off on too much of a tangent, can discounts (railcard/priv etc) be loaded onto a Contactless card for TfL journeys?

As said by others, no they can't. The difficulty is how to tell the RPI that a discount card needs to be shown. A Contactless bank card cannot be written to by TfL and all the RPIs machine can say is whether the card has contactless capabilities and whether it exists on the blacklist.

 

[yorkie]

Someone asked TfL this today on Twitter, here was their response:

@JaredPasamar hi, sorry its currently not possible to add a discount (Railcard) to a contactless card.

 

[Merseysider]

So basically, Contactless is a white elephant (yeah, we're introducing more ways to pay but screw you if you want a discount) and it's of no benefit whatsoever to your railcard holding passenger.

Think I'll stick with Oyster.

 

[MikeWh]

So basically, Contactless is a white elephant (yeah, we're introducing more ways to pay but screw you if you want a discount) and it's of no benefit whatsoever to your railcard holding passenger.

Think I'll stick with Oyster.

If you have a discount card or want a season ticket for longer than a week then of course you stick with Oyster. Please don't dis contactless which has a number of advantages for a pretty large percentage of travellers. Among them being no need for deposit or holding money as a balance for months on end; just use the card without worrying about doing anything in advance which is pretty powerful for an occasional visitor to London; etc etc.

I have to agree that some of the advertising exhorting the advantages of using contactless could do with highlighting the limitations, but the product itself great.

 

[Starmill]

Well, it is if your bank will give you a contactless card...

 

[blakey1152]

This thread has reminded me of a question about the contactless cards.

I have 2 contactless debit cards and I have been using one for my journeys around since January and its been great.
With an Oyster card which has solely pay as you go credit on it the rules say that you can give that card to another person to use and using that train of thought I imagined that the same thing applies to contactless as well.

Hence I let my other half use my second contactless card to travel with - she doesn't know the PIN so can't do anything else with it.

I can't find any reference on TfL's web site saying you can't share a contactless card with another person - but I was wondering is this technically ok? The card has my name on it, but I have given her permission to use it and she can't do anything else with it.

Blakey

 

[dzug2]

Technically it's not OK - your bank would not be happy whatever TfL say or don't say

I know a lot of people do share cards but it flies against all security advice

 

[MikeWh]

It's fine to let someone else use your contactless card. The implications of them using your money means few people will. Obviously each card can only be used for one person at a time.

 

[greatkingrat]

It might cause problems if an RPI sees a passenger present a card with a name of the opposite gender, they may assume it is stolen and confiscate the card.

 

[Clip]

Not atm, so the repeated announcements at tube stations about Contactless being cheapest is incomplete to say the least, or misleading at the worst.

To be fair to TfL a railcard is an ATOC product and not one of theirs no matter the reciprocal agreements for them to be used.

So basically, Contactless is a white elephant (yeah, we're introducing more ways to pay but screw you if you want a discount) and it's of no benefit whatsoever to your railcard holding passenger.

Think I'll stick with Oyster.

As above but you must realise that not everyone holds a railcard so it is a minority that this causes inconvenience to and contactless is very far from a white elephant as you claim it to be.

Some of us do forget things - amazing I know - such as the Oyster left at home so I do pay the penalty by using my contactless card

 

[Tetchytyke]

So basically, Contactless is a white elephant (yeah, we're introducing more ways to pay but screw you if you want a discount) and it's of no benefit whatsoever to your railcard holding passenger.

The vast majority of passengers using PAYG don't have a railcard, so it makes absolutely no difference to them at all.

I find contactless to be great for occasional journeys in zones 7, 8 or 9. Even though I do have a Gold Card, the cost of maintaining a balance on an Oyster and remembering to keep it topped up isn't worth the benefit of the discount. So I use contactless.

 

[telstarbox]

It might cause problems if an RPI sees a passenger present a card with a name of the opposite gender, they may assume it is stolen and confiscate the card.

Do RPIs have the authority to confiscate bank cards? Oyster cards are the property of TfL but bank cards are not.

 

[PermitToTravel]

I doubt they are, bus drivers (who also sometimes confiscate Oyster cards) are forbidden from confiscating them.

 

[OwlMan]

Do RPIs have the authority to confiscate bank cards? Oyster cards are the property of TfL but bank cards are not.

But they can contact the Bank and ask if Mrs Y can use Mr Z's card - the Bank may then tell them to withdraw the card.

 

[dzug2]

Do RPIs have the authority to confiscate bank cards? Oyster cards are the property of TfL but bank cards are not.

Bank cards are property of the bank who can demand their return.

Whether they can delegate that right to TfL or a supermarket and if they can whether they do is another matter. Certainly supermarkets are told to retain cards under some circumstances - and the cashier might well be rewarded for doing so.

 

[Sprinter153]

Bank cards are property of the bank who can demand their return.

Whether they can delegate that right to TfL or a supermarket and if they can whether they do is another matter. Certainly supermarkets are told to retain cards under some circumstances - and the cashier might well be rewarded for doing so.

If staff suspect fraudulent use of a card they can make a 'Code 10' phone call to the voice authorisation centre:

http://www.theukcardsassociation.org.uk/cards-transactions/transactional-processing.asp#content_1337

The card issuer can ask the member of staff to retain the card.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Surely implimenting railcard and contactless would be as easy as entering your bank card and railcard numbers into a TFL online account and submit? I know it isnt doable now but shouldnt be hard if you website account had extra securitty.

 

[mattdickinson]

Surely implimenting railcard and contactless would be as easy as entering your bank card and railcard numbers into a TFL online account and submit? I know it isnt doable now but shouldnt be hard if you website account had extra securitty.

The problem at present is that there is no national database of station bought railcards.

 

[Merseysider]

The problem at present is that there is no national database of station bought railcards.

Then where does the form you fill in at the station go?

 

[swt_passenger]

Then where does the form you fill in at the station go?

The (Network Card) form reads as though they'll use it at least to process a renewal reminder in due course, but I've never had one in over ten years. So I now assume the clerk puts it in the nearest bin...

 

[Blindtraveler]

As more and more railcards are bought and renewed online this problem will shrink - even now, encouraging punters to register there card online could open many many doors

 

[Hadders]

But the Network Railcard isn't even available on-line!