On Sunday I plan to get an oyster card so I can use my railcard discount on TfL. I attempted to order one online a week ago but my payment failed (I think due to a difference between the address I wanted it sent to and my payment card's address) so I'll have to get it at the station (Euston). The TfL website strongly suggests you should have registered it before you add the discount but I don't think this will be possible if I have only just bought it? So will I be able to apply the railcard discount immediately or will I have to make some full price journeys before I can register it? I will be quite annoyed if I spend £10 on an oyster card and then can't even get the discount that day.
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Buying an oyster card and immediately adding the railcard discount
- Thread starter blimmo
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RailUK Forums
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I have added a railcard discount to an unregistered Oyster card last December without issues. The card wasn't new, though, I had used it for a few undiscounted trips before.
Buzby
Established Member
You can purchase it directly from a TVM at the underground station, and, if you can find a staff member,show your railcard and have it added for immediate use.
Buzby
Established Member
I doubt it really matters - as I only had mine for 3 minutes before adding the railcard. It does provide a useful backstop when you register, so I did that online the next day.
Despite what some staff believe, registering an Oyster card on the TfL website does not magically enable a discount to be set on it.
To be able to add a discount, the "Registered" flag on the physical card has to be set. Since National Rail Ticket Offices stopped handling Oyster in late 2019/early 2020, this can only be done through the Staff screens on a London Underground POM (passenger operated machine aka TVM.) And presumably on a TOM (Ticket Office Machine) at those stations that still retain them in staff areas.
This entails entering a Photocard Number (where no Photocard is required, most stations enter the location code instead) and a password for if you need to phone the contact centre with a query.
Once those have been provided, you can then proceed to either add a discount or just save the details without adding a discount. (If you want a Priv NR Only discount set, for example, as that can only be done at selected Elizabeth Line stations, but they won't do so if the card isn't registered.)
Unfortunately, not many LU staff are aware that this partial registration (buying a Monthly or longer Travelcard Season on Oyster requires a full registration, including a Photocard and contact details) without setting a discount is possible. Having worked in an NR Ticket Office that sold Oyster products, it's always been an option and that hasn't changed even with LU closing all their Ticket Offices.
To be able to add a discount, the "Registered" flag on the physical card has to be set. Since National Rail Ticket Offices stopped handling Oyster in late 2019/early 2020, this can only be done through the Staff screens on a London Underground POM (passenger operated machine aka TVM.) And presumably on a TOM (Ticket Office Machine) at those stations that still retain them in staff areas.
This entails entering a Photocard Number (where no Photocard is required, most stations enter the location code instead) and a password for if you need to phone the contact centre with a query.
Once those have been provided, you can then proceed to either add a discount or just save the details without adding a discount. (If you want a Priv NR Only discount set, for example, as that can only be done at selected Elizabeth Line stations, but they won't do so if the card isn't registered.)
Unfortunately, not many LU staff are aware that this partial registration (buying a Monthly or longer Travelcard Season on Oyster requires a full registration, including a Photocard and contact details) without setting a discount is possible. Having worked in an NR Ticket Office that sold Oyster products, it's always been an option and that hasn't changed even with LU closing all their Ticket Offices.
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