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Easiest way to tell if Oyster has discount added before leaving home

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bakerstreet

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Friend of mine thinks I know all about tickets.
The older I get, the less I realise I do know.
I thought this one might be obvious but I cannot find information in screenshots of their TfL go app, or from their online TfL Oyster Account.
(For those who want the back story - they have mislaid their adult no discount PAYG Oyster and want to borrow another from the family but in a case of Russian roulette, they know that one has a discount attached and their homemade label identifier has fallen off - they have tried calling the Oyster helpline but long wait times)
Thanks if you can help.
 
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Haywain

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If a card has a discount added it should be a registered card, so it must be possible to check online. Log in to the account and check the card number, I guess.
 

PeterC

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I have a railcard attached to my Oyster. I have just logged in to my account and can't find anything that explicitly says a discount is applied. If the card has been used recently then compare the fares charged with those quoted on the single fare finder.
 

Haywain

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I have a railcard attached to my Oyster. I have just logged in to my account and can't find anything that explicitly says a discount is applied. If the card has been used recently then compare the fares charged with those quoted on the single fare finder.
In which case the only solution is to get a new Oyster card or use contactless. Or, noting @Hadders post below, take more than one card so that they can be checked before use.
 
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Hadders

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There's no way of checking online.

Two ways you can check (but not easily):

1. Look at the off peak journey history of the relevant Oyster cards and deduce whether a discounted fare has been charged
2. Visit an Underground station with the cards and get a member of staff to check on the ticket machine
 

island

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There's no way of checking online.

Two ways you can check (but not easily):

1. Look at the off peak journey history of the relevant Oyster cards and deduce whether a discounted fare has been charged
2. Visit an Underground station with the cards and get a member of staff to check on the ticket machine
You won’t need a member of staff to check in person, a London Underground POM will display whether there is a discount on the card when it’s touched.
 

CyrusWuff

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which begs the question of why the phone app and website do not
Pure supposition on my part, but it's possible the discount fields (of which there are three) are only stored on the physical card, rather than being duplicated in the back office systems, hence the need to read the card to see what's on it.
 

gordonthemoron

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Pure supposition on my part, but it's possible the discount fields (of which there are three) are only stored on the physical card, rather than being duplicated in the back office systems, hence the need to read the card to see what's on it.
Well, bearing in mind that you have to get a TfL employee to add the railcard to your Oyster card in a station, this seems entirely rational
 

PeterC

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In which case the only solution is to get a new Oyster card or use contactless. Or, noting @Hadders post below, take more than one card so that they can be checked before use.
I assume that you are referring to the OP rather than the post that you actually responded to.
 

bakerstreet

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Ok - thank you for all your replies and advice. I’m glad it’s not just me that couldn’t find this information. Given the consequences of using a card with a discount to which you’re not entitled, it’s seems a shame the information of a discounted Oyster is so well hidden!
 

MikeWh

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Ok - thank you for all your replies and advice. I’m glad it’s not just me that couldn’t find this information. Given the consequences of using a card with a discount to which you’re not entitled, it’s seems a shame the information of a discounted Oyster is so well hidden!
Completely agree. It's a long standing annoyance.
 

Cdd89

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There is a way to find out - on the Oyster online web site, click the “report card lost or stolen” option.

If a discount is set, you will be warned on the first page of the process (before selecting a reason for the loss!) that the discount will not transfer to the new card:
Important:
This Oyster card contains a travel discount which will not be added to your replacement card. You will need to reload the discount on your replacement card at an Underground Station or Oyster Ticket Stop.
 

njr001

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It would also be helpful if it was possible to see the expiry date of the discount via your online account, certainly in the case of a senior railcard when renewed it can have a validity longer than three years by a few days, the maximum that can be added via the POM is three years.
 
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