Which is better for a tourist, Oyster or contactless?

[Howardh]

As an infrequent visitor to London, say once a month, I'm wondering if it's worth getting an Oyster card, and yes, I've read and re-read the web pages but I'm still no nearer an answer.

I get you have to pay a fiver up front and continually top-up (via an app in my case) so that makes contactless better, but are there any real benefits to the tourist using Oyster (eg cheaper fares?)

I also understand that if you have a senior railcard, an Oyster gets you 30% off rail fares (but not underground/tram) but those could be bought in advance anyway.

Help!!

 

[gordonthemoron]

You do get 34% discount on the tube and DLR with a senior railcard loaded onto an Oyster, and you have a lower daily cap than without the railcard

 

[Howardh]

You do get 34% discount on the tube and DLR with a senior railcard loaded onto an Oyster, and you have a lower daily cap than without the railcard

Thanks, that sounds good value then.

 

[MarlowDonkey]

As an infrequent visitor to London, say once a month, I'm wondering if it's worth getting an Oyster card, and yes, I've read and re-read the web pages but I'm still no nearer an answer.

If you are not staying overnight and travelling in by train, a Travelcard from your local station may work out well. You get the Senior Railcard discount as well. Also, unlike Oyster or Contactless, there's no additional cost in travelling within London during the evening peak.

 

[Howardh]

If you are not staying overnight and travelling in by train, a Travelcard from your local station may work out well. You get the Senior Railcard discount as well. Also, unlike Oyster or Contactless, there's no additional cost in travelling within London during the evening peak.

Thanks, I'' consider that, didn't know I could get a travelcard discount. But a travelcard's expensive for, say,a total of two short trips (eg Euston > Piccadilly, Charing X . Euston)?

 

[plugwash]

There are advantages to both

Pros of contactless PAYG.

1. There is no deposit/card fee
2. You don't have money sitting around on an oyster card.
3. There are some stations available on contactless PAYG but not on oyster.
4. You benefit from "monday to sunday capping".

Pros of oyster.

1. You can buy travelcards. Weekly travelcards are the same price as Monday to Sunday capping, but there are a couple of advantages, firstly they can start on any day of the week, secondly you don't have to touch in/out, which means you can use your travelcard in combination with a rail ticket (indeed there are specific "boundary zone" tickets specifically for this purpose). Thirdly travelcards give a discount on Thames Clipper riverbuses.
2. You can control the number of transactions that hit your credit/debit card (on contactless payg you will get one transaction per day). This may be important to you if you have a foreign card with per-transaction fees.
3. If you have a railcard you can add it to your oyster card for a 1/3 discount on off-peak pay as you go travel (all travel for the disabled railcard).

 

[gray1404]

As you have a railcard then you are best using an Oyster card. Once you have purchased an Oyster card you need to ask a member of staff to load your railcard discount to the card. This is best achieved at a London Underground station. I normally ask a member of staff at the gateline and will come to the ticket machine and do this for me (it needs to be done by a member of staff).

From 23/02/2020 when you purchase an Oyster card there will be a £5 fee for the card and this will be converted to Pay As You Go Credit after 12 months. If you loose the card or get any credit on it refunded before the 12 months, you will loose your £5.

 

[MarlowDonkey]

But a travelcard's expensive for, say,a total of two short trips (eg Euston > Piccadilly, Charing X . Euston)?

There's not much in it. You are comparing the difference between a Travelcard and a London Terminals return, both with Railcard discount, as against the Oyster or Contactless cost. The extra cost of peak evening travel sometimes tilts it towards the Travelcard.

 

[JBuchananGB]

There is a breakeven at about 3 zone 1-2 trips. For example, from Luton an outboundary Off-peak travelcard using Senior Rail Card is £19.10. Off peak return to St. Pancras is £14.20. So the difference is £4.90. Railcard discounted off-peak trips in Zone 1 are £1.60. So if just coming in to London, making one round trip by tube, then going home, Oyster is the winner. As soon as roaming around London e.g to outer zones or multiple trips is involved, the outboundary travelcard wins.

 

[gordonthemoron]

There is a breakeven at about 3 zone 1-2 trips. For example, from Luton an outboundary Off-peak travelcard using Senior Rail Card is £19.10. Off peak return to St. Pancras is £14.20. So the difference is £4.90. Railcard discounted off-peak trips in Zone 1 are £1.60. So if just coming in to London, making one round trip by tube, then going home, Oyster is the winner. As soon as roaming around London e.g to outer zones or multiple trips is involved, the outboundary travelcard wins.

The off peak cap in zone 1-2 on an Oyster with Senior Railcard loaded is £4.75

 

[Bob M]

Can anyone explain why senior discount can be associated with an anonymous oyster card, but not with a contactless card with a name on?

 

[MikeWh]

Can anyone explain why senior discount can be associated with an anonymous oyster card, but not with a contactless card with a name on?

It can't be associated with an anonymous Oyster card, it must be registered to the holder of the senior railcard.
The discount is applied if a flag is set on the Oyster card; for some reason the banks won't let TfL write anything to a contactless bank card.

 

[MikeWh]

You do get 34% discount on the tube and DLR with a senior railcard loaded onto an Oyster, and you have a lower daily cap than without the railcard

CORRECTION:
With a senior railcard you get a lower off-peak cap (after 0930). The daily cap is undiscounted.

 

[plugwash]

When you register a railcard onto an oyster card it sets a flag on the card. This triggers the lower fares, but it also flags up on revenue inspections, so the holder can be asked to show their railcard.

TFL can't store anything on the contactless bank card itself, they could register a railcard discount in the backend system, but they don't have any easy way to check it at revenue inspection time.

 

[Bob M]

If nothing is written to a contactless card, what exactly is checked at a revenue inspection?

 

[MikeWh]

If nothing is written to a contactless card, what exactly is checked at a revenue inspection?

That the card is not on TfL's blacklist and that it is a working card. The fact that it was checked is reported to the central system and if the card was not in the system at that time a maximum fare is charged. Fail three times and the card is added to the blacklist.

 

[gray1404]

But its not a requirement to register an Oyster card before a railcard discount can be applied that card, is it?

 

[Hadders]

But its not a requirement to register an Oyster card before a railcard discount can be applied that card, is it?

I thought it was.

 

[JBuchananGB]

According to the TfL web site

There are different Railcards available to suit your age and needs. You need to register your Oyster card if you're adding a discount to it and want to apply for refunds or replacements.

 

[gray1404]

I'm sure when I recall purchasing an Oyster and loading a railcard to it in the same visit. I know I didn't register my Oyster for a while once I started using it.

 

[87 027]

My dad, who does not live in London, has in the past had a Senior Railcard applied to his unregistered Oyster which he uses very occasionally when visiting. Have the rules changed recently?

 

[Belperpete]

Just because you have an Oystercard doesn't mean that you always have to use it. There are occasions when it is cheaper for me to buy a through cross-London ticket, or to use a travelcard as explained by previous posters. On those occasions I just leave the Oystercard at home (so I don't accidentally use it!).

 

[paddington]

When I added my Railcard to my Oyster, the staff member only asked me to input my postcode on the ticket machine. It isn't registered.

 

[MikeWh]

Initially there was no requirement for the card to be registered, but that changed a few years ago. The level of understanding amongst staff adding railcard discounts means that I can quite see some still being done.

 

[NorthOxonian]

When I added my Railcard to my Oyster, the staff member only asked me to input my postcode on the ticket machine. It isn't registered.

I've never even had that, they've just taken the railcard and the oyster card and handed them back for me. The one exception was at a LU station where there was a bit more of a process (I think they put the postcode in). But that wasn't done at a National Rail station (Upminster) or an Overground station (Watford High Street).

 

[gray1404]

I understand its possible to order an Oyster card to be sent to you in the post from your online account. I think I'll do this before I'm next in London. That way the card will be registered.

 

[freddie1729]

It's an annoying system that you have to be registered. If you buy an oyster card from a ticket machine then you have to make an undiscounted journey first before you can register.

1. Buy Oyster Card from ticket machine
2. Make journey, paying 50% more than you should
3. Register the Oyster Card (using the journey you just made as proof)
4. Go back to a tube station to link the card

 

[gray1404]

Would it be possible to buy the card, register it using a smart phone straight away and then have the railcard discount added? Straight away...

 

[freddie1729]

Would it be possible to buy the card, register it using a smart phone straight away and then have the railcard discount added? Straight away...

You need to make a journey to prove it's your card before registering it.

 

[gray1404]

You need to make a journey to prove it's your card before registering it.

If you purchase the card online though you have to have an online first to order the card from. So I assume doing it this way means the card is registered before you use it? Thus a railcard discount can be applied before the first journey.