Transferring Balance of Lost Oyster Card

[calopez]

A month or two back, we purchased a PAYG Oyster card for a visitor and registered it under my wife's name (she has her own PAYG card with a priv discount set; I, at the time, just had a 60+ Freedom card).

The intention was, once our visitor had finished with it, to hold onto it until we could get a refund of the PAYG balance and the deposit - which I believe is now a year after it was issued.

Unfortunately, our visitor accidentally took the card back home overseas with him. Now, as the card is registered, my wife can declare it lost (which, in a way, it has been) and get the PAYG balance transferred to her card - but what happens to the deposit? Does that get transferred as well?

 

[island]

The deposit would, I believe, be lost. Certainly this is how it worked for my wife who lost her card some years ago. You would need the physical card to get the deposit back.

 

[calopez]

Ah, thanks. Would probably be worth getting it posted back, in that case!

 

[CyrusWuff]

It's also worth noting that Oyster cards issued since 23rd February have a "Card Fee" of £5.00 - rather than a deposit - which is converted to PAYG credit after a year.

 

[calopez]

I wasn't aware of the change in nomenclature, but I did know that you can't get the £5 upfront fee back until you've had the card for a year. Does the conversion of the Card Fee to PAYG credit happen automatically? So that, if the card was declared lost after a year, the PAYG balance and the card fee could be transferred to another card?

 

[island]

Cautiously yes, although I am not sure if the card has to be touched in to pick up the £5.