Are oyster cards still being used?

Yes, Oyster cards are still in use. I have one from many years ago and still add money to it and use it whenever I am in London. Last year a colleague borrowed my Oyster card when she was in London for business and it worked seamlessly.

They are still valid, as will any balance left on them. But, if there isn’t there is no advantage to using an Oyster rather than any other form of contactless payment like cards, phones or smart watches. Charges will be the same. Some people like using a separate card rather than contactless. But with Oyster you will need to allow some time to top up balances as required., which you won’t with contactless.

We've enjoyed lending our Oyster cards out, and always getting them back with a few extra pounds added!

They're useful for people who don't want to be pulling their credit or debit cards out in the Underground, or for families with children who may not have their own contactless cards.

I must say, I don't find the 2 or 3 minutes it takes to top off our cards onerous.

And they're fun to have, making great souvenirs.

I also have a “friends and family” collection of Oyster Cards. It is a great thing to share these with your neighbors.

Thanks everyone for all the replies. I’m happy to be able to give them to this young couple…she’s finished law school and the bar exam and London will be a well deserved treat for them both. Thanks again.

Denny you might share with them that they can purchase interesting Oyster card holders in museum gift shops.

I love the one I bought at the British Library.

I always take a snap together valet tray when I travel. Holds keys, chain, earrings, mini flashlight. Perfect for holding Oyster card holder as well.

Think the brand is Vlando. Bought it from Amazon.

Thanks Claudia. I will pass it along to our neighbors.

If it is a really old first generation card (without a "D" in the bottom left hand corner on the back) then it cannot be managed through the TFL Go app.

However, it works as it always did for travel & you can still get journey summaries from machines in stations if you need to.

No reason not to offer the cards, but if they are a young couple, there is a good chance that they use Google Pay or Apple Pay. Using your phone removes the need to pre-load an amount, that might not be used, and can just tap and go. Needless to say, I tapped my way in and out of the gates, since that was the easiest for me and required no thought or extra steps.

I will just say, as someone who lives here, that I haven't used an oyster card in over a decade. However, I know that some visitors seem to really like them so it's worth sharing them with your friends and then they can decide what works best for them.

A lot of UK residents also use Oyster cards, including me, because of the 1/3 tube discount I get in respect of my National Senior railcard, and the lower multi modal cap as well.

The app doesn't matter. When you are in the UK you can also add credit to your Oyster at any time through your TfL account no matter how old the card is.

The app doesn't matter. When you are in the UK you can also add credit to your Oyster at any time through your TfL account no matter how old the card is.

As mentioned before, I didn't use an Oyster card, but this makes me wonder, what extra steps are needed if one does choose to use the card? Does one need to set up an account?

No, you don't need to set up an account. You can add funds at any ticket machine at any tube station.

Every time you go through a rail station gate, or tap onto a bus or the London Cable car or off an Uber boat on Oyster the reader tells you the cost of your current/latest journey and your balance. So there are never any surprises to be had.
You will see there and then if something has gone wrong and you have been over or under charged. Yes it is possible to be under charged, very rare but it has happened to me.
You can also go into a negative balance, so if you only have £2 on the card but make a £3 journey you will go £1 overdrawn, deducted from your next top up. You will be allowed out of the gates!!

Stuart, that's great to know! Thank you! Do you know the old Kingston Trio song about Charlie on the MTA ( the Boston public transit system ) - about a poor fellow who lost his ticket and couldn't leave the train? Ever? His wife would throw him a sandwich through the open window every day....

Silly, of course, but I've always wondered what happened if we went over our balance.