Oyster Card Registration Issue

[tahmid]

I have registered my Oyster Card, but it's showing not registered whenever I tap it on the ticket machine, I need to get it registered to add my railcard discount on it, what can I do?

 

[Wallsendmag]

I don't think you can do anything at the moment until TfL are beyond the current cyber attack

 

[Benjwri]

I have registered my Oyster Card, but it's showing not registered whenever I tap it on the ticket machine, I need to get it registered to add my railcard discount on it, what can I do?

Is it staff that tell you that? This is a common confusion, there are two types of registration. The one needed to add a discount is done by staff on the machine and needs to be done regardless of if it’s registered online or not.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Sep 2024 ==

I don't think you can do anything at the moment until TfL are beyond the current cyber attack

This type of registering and the addition of discounts is still possible.

 

[AndrewE]

Interesting... https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgvxqdznjqo says

Nearly three weeks after the security breach, all customers are still unable to apply for new concession cards, refunds or access their contactless data.

Last week, a 17-year-old boy was arrested over the the hack, which included names, emails, home addresses and bank account and sort codes, as well as Oyster refund data.

but then, journalists seem to be unable to get most details right...

 

[Benjwri]

Interesting... https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgvxqdznjqo says

but then, journalists seem to be unable to get most details right...

Yes by concession cards they mean Oyster Photocards. Regular Ousters with railcard discounts don’t rely on the website, so can still be done.

 

[island]

I have registered my Oyster Card, but it's showing not registered whenever I tap it on the ticket machine, I need to get it registered to add my railcard discount on it, what can I do?

Simply ask a member of staff at a LU station to add the Railcard discount. Don't mention registration, that will just give them an excuse to wave you off. The machine will invite them to invite you to enter a password and/or postcode, then the staff member does their thing. Takes no more than a minute or two.

 

[Haywain]

The machine will invite them to invite you to enter a password and/or postcode, then the staff member does their thing.

Use a password you will definitely remember though as you won't be able to subsequently set up your account on the TfL website without that password.

 

[MikeWh]

I have registered my Oyster Card, but it's showing not registered whenever I tap it on the ticket machine

This is a known issue resulting from a change in procedures because of GDPR. Previously you would register a card at a ticket stop or LU ticket office. This would set a flag on the Oyster card indicating that it had been registered. Transmission of the forms from shops and ticket offices to a central location was not considered compliant with GDPR (not secure enough), so now you register a card online once you've made at least one journey. Because the Oyster card cannot be updated remotely there is no way of telling the card that it is registered.

 

[AndrewE]

The problems continue. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...-over-inability-to-apply-for-discounted-fares says

Students in London fear they may have to abandon their school and university courses to save money after a cyber hack on Transport for London’s (TfL) IT systems left them unable to apply for discounted travelcards.
TfL suspended applications for discounted travel passes when its systems were hacked in early September, compromising the details of about 5,000 Oyster card holders. It is unable to say when the system will be restored.

Students have been left facing a sharp increase in travel costs as they are forced to pay standard price fares after the hack. A teenager from Walsall was arrested in connection with the cyber-attack, which has also caused problems with live tube times on the TfL Go and the Citymapper apps and also live traffic camera feeds.
A third-year architecture undergraduate said she is considering dropping out because she is struggling to afford the daily fares to and from campus.

The 20-year-old, who did not want to be named, was unable to renew her annual 18+ student Oyster photocard when it expired a month ago, and said her weekly travel costs have now doubled indefinitely.

etc. Bad news for those affected, and amazing that it wasn't some evil foreign empire, just a bored teenager!

 

[LJA]

im no IT expert so maybe I’m being harsh but the amount of time it’s talking to fix this is getting a bit ridiculous

 

[AndrewE]

This is also being discussed on https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/tfl-cyber-security-incident.273327/page-4
Mods, maybe time to lock this one?

 

[island]

This is also being discussed on https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/tfl-cyber-security-incident.273327/page-4
Mods, maybe time to lock this one?

Two different topics. This one has had the cyber attack dragged in but that's actually not relevant.

 

[Cowley]

Two different topics. This one has had the cyber attack dragged in but that's actually not relevant.

Yes. So I think we can keep this as a separate thread.

 

[AndrewE]

Two different topics. This one has had the cyber attack dragged in but that's actually not relevant.

Pardon me! I believed what was in post 2... Maybe there's some subtlety - like this is a simple fault but there is no resource to fix it until the cyberdamage is fully rectiified?

 

[Benjwri]

Pardon me! I believed what was in post 2... Maybe there's some subtlety - like this is a simple fault but there is no resource to fix it until the cyberdamage is fully rectiified?

There is no fault. There are two types of registration, the one that shows on a ticket machine needs to be done by staff at the station. This has been a problem for years because staff aren’t aware there are two types, and they tell you you need to do it online, despite this making no difference.

The OP just needs to keep asking at different stations to put the railcard on until they get a staff member that knows what they’re doing.

 

[27000]

There is no fault. There are two types of registration, the one that shows on a ticket machine needs to be done by staff at the station. This has been a problem for years because staff aren’t aware there are two types, and they tell you you need to do it online, despite this making no difference.

The OP just needs to keep asking at different stations to put the railcard on until they get a staff member that knows what they’re doing.

So here's a question, then:

I live in the US but travel frequently to the UK. I have a Senior Railcard. The TfL Oyster registration website appears not to allow access from outside the UK and, even if it did, I don't have a UK address which, as I recall, it requires for registration.

Can I simply buy an Oyster and have my Senior Railcard discount applied to it without having to register it online?

 

[island]

So here's a question, then:

I live in the US but travel frequently to the UK. I have a Senior Railcard. The TfL Oyster registration website appears not to allow access from outside the UK and, even if it did, I don't have a UK address which, as I recall, it requires for registration.

Can I simply buy an Oyster and have my Senior Railcard discount applied to it without having to register it online?

Yes. See post 6.

 

[Kath123]

I don’t know if this will be of any use to anyone or if I should post it here but I just wanted to say I ordered an Oyster Card online a few weeks back which was posted to me - last week I took it to Waterloo underground and they added the disabled person railcard discount on to it. Took literally about three minutes. I wasn’t sure if the Oyster had been registered to me but I’m told it was. For anyone having difficulties getting the railcard discount applied perhaps try Waterloo (but don’t blame me if my advice doesn’t work!).

 

[MikeWh]

Thanks for the info. Online ordered cards will always be registered, and the flag on the card will also be set, so it won't falsely claim not to be at TVMs. Underground stations adjacent to mainline terminals are usually a good bet for adding discounts as they do it a lot.