Oyster queries

[Deerfold]

Not having been on a Thames Clipper since the day they were introduced, when no fares were charged, do they have Oyster readers or, on production of an Oyster card, do you just get a discount, like with Travelcard i.e. do you have to pay with a cash or bankcard? Incidentally, anyone know why the Travelcard fare is cheaper than Oyster on this?

They have PAYG Oyster readers to take the fare.

All Travelcards get 1/3 discount - so a season on Oyster gets 1/3 discount.

Oyster PAYG gets 10% discount - you don't need to have used any other transport to get this.

The cap on PAYG Oyster does not turn it into a travelcard (for example, it is still transferable) so it is not eligible for the 1/3 discount.

 

[simple simon]

I don't understand this. Waterloo, Bank and King's Cross St Pancras are all in Zone 1.

My apologies, as Deerfold explained all your travels will be inside zones 1-3.

What I meant was that you would not be visiting anywhere further out... (ie: zones 4 / 5 / 6 etc).

Simon

 

[GuyBarry]

OK, thanks everyone. Can I just check how much credit I will need to put on my Oyster card in order to make the planned journey? From the above discussion it looks like £4.60 (two zone 1 Tube journeys) plus £1.50 (zone 3 DLR journey) plus £3.40 (cable car) plus £6.44 (ferry) - total £15.94, but it's only available in multiples of £5, so it'll have to be £20 and I can claim a refund of the unused credit at the end. Is this right?

 

[dzug2]

Not sure about the multiple of £5 - maybe when you buy it but I'm fairly sure you can add any amount at a machine later

 

[GuyBarry]

I'm even more confused now. This site says "From 2015, TFL now charges a £3 admin fee if you return an Oyster within a month of purchase - the same as the admin fee on the Visitor Oyster Card".

I haven't seen this on the TfL site anywhere, but if it's correct and they're going to charge me £3 anyway, then the total cost of the journey will be £24.94 - only £1.21 less than with a one-day Travelcard. I'm starting to think that the Travelcard might be the better option after all.

Can anyone confirm the above?

 

[Deerfold]

I'm even more confused now. This site says "From 2015, TFL now charges a £3 admin fee if you return an Oyster within a month of purchase - the same as the admin fee on the Visitor Oyster Card".

I haven't seen this on the TfL site anywhere, but if it's correct and they're going to charge me £3 anyway, then the total cost of the journey will be £24.94 - only £1.21 less than with a one-day Travelcard. I'm starting to think that the Travelcard might be the better option after all.

Can anyone confirm the above?

Yes, you will be charged the extra £3 if you return the Oyster immediately..

However, if you retain it for your next trip to London; or keep hold of it for a month before returning it by post for a refund you will not.

 

[GuyBarry]

Well I'm starting to get the impression that, for the one-time visitor to London, Oyster is something of a rip-off. It's conceivable that I might be coming back the following month but it's by no means certain.

"bluegoblin7" said this earlier in the thread:

You will save *a lot* of money by using an Oyster card in favour of a Travelcard (particularly if you will be rarely straying outside of Zones 1 & 2)

I can't see this at all. The saving seems marginal and the Travelcard allows me to make extra unscheduled journeys at no extra charge.

 

[Deerfold]

Well I'm starting to get the impression that, for the one-time visitor to London, Oyster is something of a rip-off. It's conceivable that I might be coming back the following month but it's by no means certain.

By your own figures, earlier in the thread you'll pay £0.79 extra for the Oyster card - if you don't get your deposit refunded.

I can't see this at all. The saving seems marginal and the Travelcard allows me to make extra unscheduled journeys at no extra charge.

So does your Oystercard. Once you've hit the cap you'll not pay any more within those Zones.

 

[bluegoblin7]

Well I'm starting to get the impression that, for the one-time visitor to London, Oyster is something of a rip-off. It's conceivable that I might be coming back the following month but it's by no means certain.

I can't see this at all. The saving seems marginal and the Travelcard allows me to make extra unscheduled journeys at no extra charge.

My original statement was made with regards to bus & rail journeys only - i.e. those that are part of TfL's zonal system. The lines blur once you start including "add-ons" such as the Cable car and Riverboat services as Oyster works differently. When the £5 deposit and a refund of Oyster credit is taken into account it is cheaper. Or, if you're not certain whether you're coming back or not, hold onto the card as it will never* expire.

Yes, you will be charged the extra £3 if you return the Oyster immediately...

Interesting, this is the first I've heard of this. It's not in any of our recent T&R bulletins and it certainly wasn't the case today when I refunded a day old(!) Oyster card with a customer. I'll have to do some more digging tomorrow (unless someone beats me to it).


*Oyster cards have a lifespan and if they are not registered and fail you may not get any credit on them back. Likewise if the system changes in the future it is possible that old cards may no longer be compatible, and thus do, in effect, expire. But, certainly *at the moment*, they don't expire.

 

[Busaholic]

Well I'm starting to get the impression that, for the one-time visitor to London, Oyster is something of a rip-off. It's conceivable that I might be coming back the following month but it's by no means certain.

"bluegoblin7" said this earlier in the thread:



I can't see this at all. The saving seems marginal and the Travelcard allows me to make extra unscheduled journeys at no extra charge.

I can only say what I'd do in your situation - I'd get a travelcard to save any hassle, even if it was £3 more. I'm sure TfL would like to get rid of travelcards, because everything has to be made more complicated. Please don't anyone tell me how easy Oyster is, because maybe it should be but, in practice, it's become a minefield, hence the experts and advisers in the subject on here. On the whole, I prefer to steer clear of minefields.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Oyster is great if you're only intending to do a couple of single journeys- the Oyster fare is significantly cheaper than the cash fare.

If you know you're going to be riding around all day, and possibly using the Dangleway or the Clipper, then a paper Travelcard is better. There are fewer convoluted rules with the paper ticket, there are fewer pitfalls, and if you're doing a lot of travelling there's not a great deal of difference between the paper ticket and the Oyster daily cap+deposit.

 

[bluegoblin7]

I'm even more confused now. This site says "From 2015, TFL now charges a £3 admin fee if you return an Oyster within a month of purchase - the same as the admin fee on the Visitor Oyster Card".

I haven't seen this on the TfL site anywhere, but if it's correct and they're going to charge me £3 anyway, then the total cost of the journey will be £24.94 - only £1.21 less than with a one-day Travelcard. I'm starting to think that the Travelcard might be the better option after all.

Can anyone confirm the above?

Confirmed today, this site is incorrect. Although this has been proposed it is just that, a proposal. All Oyster refunds will be for the full deposit paid - in most cases £5, but some older cards will be for £3.

 

[GuyBarry]

Thanks to everyone for all their advice. After much deliberation my friend and I have decided it's easier to buy one-day Travelcards, even though they work out slightly more expensive - there's less hassle than with Oyster and more flexibility. We also decided to do the route in the anticlockwise direction so that we can cut out Leadenhall Market (the least important stop) if we're short of time for any reason.

One further query: my friend has a Senior Railcard. Does he qualify for the usual 1/3 discount on HS1?