Purchase Oyster Card at Gatwick Airport? Not Visitor Oyster Cards

According to the website you can buy a regular Oyster card ( not a visitor card) at all London airports, including Gatwick.

http://www.visitlondon.com/traveller-information/getting-around-london/oyster-faqs/which-card-to-buy#P9Bz4Kr0rOuOLElQ.97

Scroll down to Gatwick for the exact location.

I was unable to confirm this information on the official ( TFL) website.

You can buy regular PAYG Oyster cards at nearly every station .The Oyster system works beautifully. On our way out of London all the way to Gatwick we used our Oyster cards and because we weren't sure we had enough on our cards to pay for that, I asked an attendant and his reply was "Did you swipe in?" I said yes, and he said not to worry about it....so I don't know how much that trip cost, off-hand. We travelled all the way from Shadwell Station on the DLR line to Gatwick and some of our party had only 2 pounds left on their cards. There is a 5 pound deposit on each card, but we ended up not returning our cards as we ran out of time, so the deposit probably covered that cost.

Visitor Oyster: I had intended to buy them, but our plan was late when we arrived so I didn't have time in Gatwick to buy them then, so I can't help with that.

You really don't want a Visitor Oyster. Too many restrictions on what it can't do compared to a regular Oyster.

The web site noted in another response is very confusing. In one place it talks about getting a regular Oyster, but then links to a page where it talks about Visitor Oysters. TFL website isn't clear at all on whether or not you can even buy an Oyster at Gatwick of any kind.

But, since the Oyster is valid for payment on the trip from Gatwick into London, that means Gatwick would be considered a station and all stations have ticket machines which sell Oyster cards. I feel you should be able to buy the one you want at Gatwick.

One tip is that if you plan on cashing out your Oyster when you leave, make sure any funds you put on it is from the same source. That is only cash, or only the exact same credit card. Otherwise, you have to mail in your card to get a refund cheque which is in Pounds (which can present all types of issues trying to cash at home if that is outside the UK).

Yes I figured if the Oyster card was an accepted form of payment on Southern in Gatwick Station, they'd have machines dispensing them. Glad others believe this as well.

Agreed Mark we'd prefer the regular Oyster card and thanks for the heads up re: using the same payment type to make ease of a refund better.

Trudy glad things went so smoothly using the card. I agree getting through the terminal with less on the card makes up for not being able to return the cards for the deposit.

Fingers crossed we'll be able to get regular Oyster cards!
Thanks everyone :)

Let us know what you find out.

I think that website I posted is very specific about where to buy a regular Oyster card at Gatwick Airport: exit through customs and go to the Concierge Desk in either the North or South Terminal, the Skybreak Centre in either terminal, or at the airport train station.

The link to the Visitor Oyster Card is provided because one cannot buy this one at the airports other than Stansted. You buy in advance online and it is sent to your home address.

Just below that link it explains that you can buy a regular ( not Visitor) Oyster card at all of London's airports, and then it lists the specific location for each airport.

Thanks Lola! I misread the info in the link and thought they were only referring to Visitor cards. Thanks for pointing out the info. again, I need to slow down and actually digest what I'm reading ;)

Hello, I had a question to add if it's OK. We are arriving at Gatwick airport also and I'm not sure if I read that correctly but you could use your card to get to London from the airport? I was under the impression that there was no tube stops at Gatwick and you had to use the Gatwick express, bus, or taxi. This is our first time flying into Gatwick, the last time we arrived at Heathrow and we did use the tube, thank you.

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the original question.

Raymond,

Your question goes with the initial discussion, so no problem as far as I'm concerned.

True, there is no Tube at Gatwick. The Gatwick train to Victoria station does allow using the Oyster card to pay for it (unlike the Heathrow Express which requires a separate ticket). And you get a discount using the Oyster over buying an individual ticket on the Gatwick train.

When you buy an Oyster Card, I suggest using a credit/debit card. When I went to cash out my remaining balance and deposit at the Tube station, the ticket machine didn't work. The attendant nearby sent me to a "TfL Visitor Centre," this was at the King's Cross/St Pancras Tube station (but there are others), which ended up doing the refund and posted it back on my card. This is a super convenient way to get the refund and not end up with U.K. coins on my way out of the U.K.

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/where-to-top-up-and-buy-tickets/visitor-centres

So, my college age son will be traveling to Gatwick on the 21st, from the US, which means he is too late to get the Vistors Oyster at the cheaper shipping rate (and he's on a student budget). So he should be fine getting an Oyster Card in UK? Does he need additional items for this such as a picture, etc.? And what are the basic differences between the regular card and the Vistor's? I agree that the websites seem to make it sound like the only way a non UK resident can get an Oyster is before they leave the country, with added shipping expenses.

FYI, he is going to study abroad in Wales in mid-September, but will be touring Europe (mainly Italy) for 3 weeks in advance. He is basically flying into London to drop off bags with my cousin who lives in the East-End, before catching the bus to Paris the same day. So he won't be doing much site seeing upon arriving, but he will be leaving from London in January, and also going back to visit London in between, for a weekend (or two) during his semester. He has UK passport and plenty of family there, but is not a resident. Rick Steves has been his inspiration for the past few months! That, and various backpacking around Europe books aimed at the under 25s. Thanks in advance for any info.

Steps for a visitor getting a standard Oyster card in London:

1. Clear customs and immigration.
2. Find the Tube station or at Gatwick the Train station.
3. Look for a ticket machine that has a large yellow circle on the front of it.
4. Select Oyster Card from the ticket options.
5. Select how much value you want to place on the card.
6. Pay the total the machine shows. You can use a credit card or cash (GB Pounds only for the cash).
7. Machine spits out the card.
8. Use the card to pay for all Tube, bus and some train services within the London area.
9. Reload at any of the Tube ticket machines with the yellow circle on front of them anytime.

A Visitor Oyster is restricted in that you can't cash it out when you leave London and get your deposit back. You can't load travel cards for multiday discount travel onto the Visitor Oyster. I'm sure there are other bad things about the Visitor Oyster. You can do all of this with the standard Oyster. Just make sure all the funds you load into the Oyster all come from the same source: all cash or all funds from the exact same credit card. Otherwise you have to mail in the Oyster if you want to get a refund for unused balance issued by check in pounds which you will have to pay to collect on through your home bank./

Thank you. I will cut and paste that information for my son and his traveling companion. I'm sure it will be hugely helpful!