Oyster Questions

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Have four friends coming tomorrow. They'll be travelling from Gatwick to Streatham Hill Station.

1) I know there's pre-activated and pre-loaded Visitor Oyster cards you can get from Gatwick, but it's not clear whether you have to pre-order them or if you can buy them on the day?

2) If you can't, can they get a normal PAYG Oyster at Gatwick?

3) If they can get a normal PAYG at Gatwick, then how do they activate it?

4) Can it be activated on a bus or can they do it at Streatham Hill Station at an Oyster Machine or do they actually have to make a train or tube journey to activate it? If that's the case, then maybe they're better getting train to Clapham Junction, exiting the station with their rail tickets, buying the Oysters then re-entering Clapham Junction (and hopefully thereby activating them)

5) Alternatively, could I buy the cards tomorrow from a shop and have them activated at a shop and meet them at Streatham Hill Station all ready for them to use?

I can only find old and/or conflicting information on activating them

Activating a Travel Card on my Oyster? - London Message Board - TripAdvisor

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Apologies if stating the bleeding obvious, but I'm fairly sure that Oyster is not valid at Gatwick Airport station (Oyster is a London thing) - so they will need to buy a ticket of some sort anyway.

Are they intending to use them as travelcards, or do the pay as you go thing (daily price capping will kick in if they do a lot of travel)?

I don't think that PAYG has to be activated (as in used first at a specified station) but it's a while since I did that.

The stuff I can find about Visitor Oyster cards seems to suggest that the deposit isn't refundable on them, so you might do better getting bog standard ones, then you can either keep them for future guests or cash them in.

Some "used to be BR" ticket offices can't do Oyster, by the way - you may need to go to a shop or to an underground station if it's not one of those that Boris has closed the ticket office at yet.

And how long are they staying? If it's just going to be a day or two, then paper one day travelcards are still available from railway / underground stations and may be simpler all round (and make sure you tell guests to put these through the slot in the ticket barriers at stations not keep whapping them on the oyster reader and wondering why (a) the gate doesn't open (b) everyone is swearing at them...)

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Yes I know. They would be buying a paper ticket from Gatwick to Streatham Hill and then using an Oyster on the bus from Streatham Hill.

Don't really need a travelcard. Told them to stick £20 on the Oyster and top up if needed (ie. PAYG)

Normal Oyster Cards (£5 deposit) are refundable, but Visitor Oysters (£3) are NOT, but as I imagine they'll be back in London at some stage, it's not like their use will be a one-off. As for stations, there's no tube in Streatham, but there is in Brixton, but there's no longer any ticket office there. Getting here tomorrow night (so won't be using them tomorrow) and going back on Monday. Will only really be in Zones 1-2 so cheaper than travelcards

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Ridiculous that with all the huge amounts of info LT has on their ticketing pages, there's nothing that makes this clear and that it's not clear whether you can have to pre-book a Visitor card at Gatwick. No mention as to whether you can buy on the day

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

and remember that although paper travelcards are available at train stations, they still need to get a bus to get to the station!

I know newsagents used to sell them (not sure if they still do), but they still work out more expensive

 

[Manter]

Do they have ordinary credit/debit cards? You can use them as an oyster (and yes it does top out for the day/week so you don't end up paying more)

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Do they have ordinary credit/debit cards? You can use them as an oyster (and yes it does top out for the day/week so you don't end up paying more)

If they do, I'm not sure they'll be contactless as one of them mentioned her card's expiring soon

 

[se5]

and remember that although paper travelcards are available at train stations, they still need to get a bus to get to the station!

I know newsagents used to sell them (not sure if they still do), but they still work out more expensive

In my experience newsagents still do sell the PAYG oysters - £5 deposit + whatever for the travel - no more expensive than if done at a tube station - you can find the nearest at Oyster ticket stops - Transport for London

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Just rang LT and guy was unable to tell me if you could buy a normal PAYG at Gatwick

Said you could buy a normal PAYG at a newsagents/station etc. (I told him Streatham Hill ticket office is shut that time of the evening) and it would activate on the bus. Asked him about activating at tube/train stations and it sounds like you only need to do that if you have a travelcard on your Oyster.

Said you need to register it when buying if you want a refund on the card (which I knew) or refund on money left over.

So what I forgot to ask is, can you buy a new Oyster from the machines at train stations (when the ticket office is shut) or will we need to go to a newsagents that sells them?

 

[Maharani]

Do they have ordinary credit/debit cards? You can use them as an oyster (and yes it does top out for the day/week so you don't end up paying more)

To add: they must be contactless debit cards. They'll have this symbol on them if they are:

I find this the easiest method of payment.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

can you buy a new Oyster from the machines at train stations (when the ticket office is shut) or will we need to go to a newsagents that sells them?

I'm fairly sure the answer to that is no - the ticket machines at "used to be BR" type stations can't sell new oyster cards.

I am less sure about machines at Underground stations - logic would suggest it would be a good idea to have such things where the ticket office has been removed, but that may be a step too far.

 

[Bungle73]

By "used to be BR stations" are you talking about National Rail stations, or the stations on the LO that used have non-TfL services?

You really should go and ask this question over on the TA London forum. They're experts at giving advice on this sort of thing.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

or the stations on the LO that used have non-TfL services?

I was referring to the likes of Southern etc like at Streatham Hill. I keep forgetting that LO now have stations south of the river... at me

And in answer to the original question, a page I didn't find yesterday -

Buying tickets - Transport for London

the 'visitor and travel information centres' listed includes one at Gatwick Airport (North Terminal Arrivals) open daily 07:15 - 20:00

where Oyster can be bought.

(Note - there may be multiple travel enquiry things at gatwick, e.g. national express, railway ticket office/s, etc. It's a long time since I've travelled through gatwick)

 

[Bungle73]

I was referring to the likes of Southern etc like at Streatham Hill.

National Rail.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Buying tickets - Transport for London

the 'visitor and travel information centres' listed includes one at Gatwick Airport (North Terminal Arrivals) open daily 07:15 - 20:00

where Oyster can be bought.

(Note - there may be multiple travel enquiry things at gatwick, e.g. national express, railway ticket office/s, etc. It's a long time since I've travelled through gatwick)

Yeah, found that myself, but they arrive at South Terminal, so sounds like a faff having to go to North Terminal. Have told them to just go to a newsagents near Streatham Hill. I also saw somewhere that National Express ticket offices sell Oysters, but the info is very vague

 

[Steel Icarus]

Help
On an over ground from Crystal Palace going to Cutty sark...which involves changing to tube at Canada water for one stop then getting the DLR. When do I have to beep my Oyster card? Just when I get to Cutty Sark or at Canada water also?

 

[Pickman's model]

Help
On an over ground from Crystal Palace going to Cutty sark...which involves changing to tube at Canada water for one stop then getting the DLR. When do I have to beep my Oyster card? Just when I get to Cutty Sark or at Canada water also?

swipe in on entry and out on exit and at no intermediate point. you don't need to swipe when changing trains.

 

[Steel Icarus]

Thx Pickman's

 

[Lucy Fur]

Help
On an over ground from Crystal Palace going to Cutty sark...which involves changing to tube at Canada water for one stop then getting the DLR. When do I have to beep my Oyster card? Just when I get to Cutty Sark or at Canada water also?

At Canada Water, you may have to touch in on the pink card reader.
info here: Pink card readers - Transport for London