I'm heading to London in May for several days before joining a Seymour tour of SE England gardens. I saw several older posts about the Oyster card but none mentioned a "visitor" oyster card. Is this a daily new thing? I'll be in London for 4-5 days and it seems like this card doesn't have to be topped off with money if you run low and has a daily cap. Am I understanding this correctly?
Also is there somewhere at Heathrow that I can purchase an Oyster card?
You certainly don’t want a visitor Oyster card and you don’t even need a regular one. You can just use a contactless card or phone or smart watch pay - tap in and out on the tube and just tap in on buses. You will be charged once a day and the system will work out the cheapest charge automatically.
Oyster cards can still be used if you wish - some people prefer to use one rather than risk losing a credit card. But they cost a non-refundable £7 and you will be charged as above and you will have to keep the card topped up with £s.
Here is a helpful discussion explaining differences between Visitor and regular oyster cards.
Yes, you can purchase the Oyster card at Heathrow.
This will be a "regular" Oyster card; what most visitors to London buy.
The visitor Oyster card is sold online and mailed to you (more expensive)....you don't need to do this because it's so simple to buy the Oyster card once you get to Heathrow or into London.
Depending upon where your hotel is located, you might take the Heathrow Express train into London. If your hotel is near Paddington Station in London, this is a good option.
Oyster cards can be bought at train and tube stations in London, also at small food stores. If you use a machine at Heathrow or inside one the tube stations, it will look like an ATM machine. You use a credit card to pay, choose an amount to put on it (20 to 30 pounds) and then your Oyster card will pop out.
There are dozens of YouTube videos guiding you through the purchase of the Oyster card.
I'm sure others will chime in about this, but you can also tap your credit card or phone to pay for rides on the tube.
Ok so the consensus is forget the visitor card. Might be time to load a cc to the apple wallet.
It's very easy to just tap your credit card entering/exiting the Tube and when entering the bus. Then you don't have to think about how much do I need to load on an Oyster card, what do I do with leftover funds, etc. It worked very well for me last month. Don't know if you're traveling solo or with someone - if with someone else, each person has to have their own credit card to tap on/off.
Have a great trip!
I was worried about having my cc out to tap---afraid I might drop it rushing through the turnstiles. However, I uploaded my card to my phone and put my phone on an lanyard for double security. Remember to use the same credit card each time!
Might be time to load a cc to the apple wallet.
This is the way.
As others have suggested best just to use a contactless credit card, phone or watch (or ring!)
Remember to tap in when entering a station and tap out when leaving. In the centre this will be done at the barriers - if you go further afield and there are no barriers then look out for a tapping out point.
For buses you just tap in when boarding the bus and no need to tap out.
Remember to use the same card and what's good is the system will work out the cheapest deal for the day i.e. if you do lots of trips it will cap at the day pass price.
Have a great trip!
I love my oyster card. I don’t want my phone out or my credit card. I feel just a little easier with the Oyster Card.
I use the same one on every trip and as a family we often share our oyster cards with whomever it is that is going on a trip. It gets returned and ready for the next trip.
Just remember, by saying each person needs their own card, and to use the same card both in and out, and all day (to get the daily cap) it is a bit more subtle.
A group can all use the same "credit card" if each have it loaded to their own phone or watch, or if each have a card issued in their name on the same account.
What you really want is each person to have a pay method, and consistently use that single pay method each time. So a card loaded on my phone, I use it to tap in or out each time all day. If you have multiple cards loaded, just make sure your favorite one is default.
Personal preferences aside, it makes no sense for a first time, one time (or even if you plan on returning) visitor to create a delay for themselves to purchase an Oyster card, load it, monitor it, maybe take more time to top it up, then take more time to recover funds, or worse, if you have over 10 GBP on there, then you need to deal with a lengthy process to recover the funds. Just tap and go.
it makes no sense for a first time, one time (or even if you plan on returning) visitor to create a delay for themselves to purchase an Oyster card, load it, monitor it, maybe take more time to top it up, then take more time to recover funds, or worse
As so often happens on this forum with the proponents of Tap and Go, very heavily over stating the perceived issues with Oyster. It takes literally two minutes to buy an Oyster Card at any ticket machine. Every tube turnstile or DLR/Uber boat/bus reader tells you your live balance and topping up again takes two minutes or less. It is a very fast and easy process.
It’s true that it’s easy to buy and load up an Oyster cards. But it’s a process that you don’t need to do if you have a contactless method of payment and nearly everyone does. And you have to pay £7 to get an Oyster. And then manage the amount to put on the card.
My thoughts having just been there and purchased the oyster card.
If everyone has their own contactless way to pay, you don’t need it. You really don’t. We bought 3 and loaded it up with 30 pounds each.
We only took the tube a few times, used most of the pounds to get to our hotel. We ubered a lot, too, which was really reasonable with 3 people. So, in the end we have money left on the oyster cards, and we don’t even know how much.
One of the reasons we bought them was I won’t carry my CC, so just in case DH loses his, one is at the hotel in the safe. I could have just gotten the oyster card, and the other 2 use their CC.
I’ve been using the same Oyster card for a decade. I fall into the not wanting to chance losing a credit card or having to always have my phone out category. If I didn’t already have an Oyster Card and was only going to be in London once, I’d go the contactless route.
As so often happens on this forum with the proponents of Tap and Go, very heavily over stating the perceived issues with Oyster.
Whether to purchase an Oyster card (what an odd name) or simply use tap-to-pay has become one of the three most contentious topics here on RS. Another is the acquisition of local cash prior to travel, and a third is how much of said cash to acquire. Agreement will be reached on these as soon as evolution provides us with wings on pigs.
According to Saatchi and Saatchi (the advertising agency involved in choosing the name of Oyster-
“Oyster was conceived … because of the metaphorical implications of security and value in the hard bivalve shell and the concealed pearl. Its associations with London through Thames Estuary oyster beds and the major relevance of the popular idiom ‘the world is your oyster’ were also significant factors in its selection.”
An alternative to throw into the debate is to get a pre-paid credit card. You can load it with a low amount so doesn't matter if gets lost and if you have any credit left you can spend it when you get home
Isn't there a substantial fare difference when using a credit card to tap vs a pre loaded Oyster Card? Or is the single fare the same?
Contactless and Oyster fares are exactly the same, and the same cap. But cash fares (which are still available) are substantially higher than contactless/Oyster.
There is at least one ticket machine at each tube station which accepts physical cash (notes/bills and coins).
Just back from 17 days in London using the tube a lot. I received a 50£ loaded oyster card as part of my RS London tour so of course that’s what I used. My phone is one with a wallet style cover flap and I would find it awkward to open it and hold it just right to go through the gate. I noticed some people fumbling with their phones to get it to scan correctly. A card in hand is very quick and easy whether it’s a credit card or oyster card. I had the same spot behind a zip pocket on the front of my crossbody travel purse that my card went in and out of then rezipped every time I used it. I felt more comfortable not handling my credit card often in a crowd of rushing people so I reloaded money on my oyster card when I was almost empty and kept using it.
It is very easy to put more money on the oyster card. It’s not a test of personal character or intelligence which you decide to do for goodness sake, so go with what you’re comfortable with. I find my small motor skills in my 70s aren’t as good as they used to be, so keeping my credit card more secure and less handled was the best decision for me.
One oddity is that the TfL ticket machines are amongst the very few places you will find that don't take contactless payment but require card insertion. On the basis presumably that if you want to contactless you should do it directly.
Ok so the consensus is forget the visitor card. Might be time to load a cc to the apple wallet.
If you're going to add one, I would add at least one more. Make one a Visa and one a MasterCard, if possible. And I would suggest this even if you are using the actual cards, rather than Apple Pay.
FWIW, I have around 6-7 credit/debit cards in my Apple wallet, and 99% of the time they work fine. But every now and then, one won't go through for some reason and I have to use another. It's also a very nice backup if you lose your physical cards. I once went to visit my daughter in another state and accidentally left my wallet at home. But I was able to use Apple Pay the entire 2 weeks with no problem.
ETA: With regards to the Oyster card, I use an Oyster card myself but that's because I get a discount as I am hard of hearing, and I don't get that if I'm using a credit card. I'm getting ready to head to London in a few weeks with two of my grandchildren, and ordered the 11-15 Zip Oyster photocard for them. This way they get a discount (or get to ride for free, depending on the transit) and can keep their own cards with them to use. I had to pay for them, but since we're there for 10 nights, I figured it would be worth it.
For those who would like to use their iPhone I would suggest setting up Apple transit express. You designate a credit card in your Apple wallet to pay for transit fares. When set up you do not need to unlock your phone, open the wallet and authorize the payment. You just tap and go like an oyster card or contactless credit card. Super easy and it works well in London and New York City.
For Googlers, this link might be useful:
Posted by Johnew52 Preston UK
Oyster cards can still be used if you wish - some people prefer to use one rather than risk losing a credit card.Posted by Carol now retired Lynnwood, Washington
I love my oyster card. I don’t want my phone out or my credit card. I feel just a little easier with the Oyster Card.Posted by jaimeelsabio Mid-Atlantic area
I fall into the not wanting to chance losing a credit card or having to always have my phone out category.Posted by WorthywowUK Malvern UK
An alternative to throw into the debate is to get a pre-paid credit card. You can load it with a low amount so doesn't matter if gets lost and if you have any credit left you can spend it when you get homePosted by Lyndash Arlington TX I
felt more comfortable not handling my credit card often in a crowd of rushing people so I reloaded money on my oyster card when I was almost empty and kept using it.I find my small motor skills in my 70s aren’t as good as they used to be, so keeping my credit card more secure and less handled was the best decision for me.
These comments feel like me. I’ve never lived in an area with public transportation as a way of life, so the idea is uncomfortable to me.
A pre-paid transit card with a minimal amount of $$ on it means if dropped, lost or stolen, no big loss to me.
Easy to put it in a badge holder on a lanyard attached to your bag or clothing or body for easy access without worrying about putting something more precious like a cc or phone back in a secure location and making sure it is re-secured. Also leaves your hands free for carrying bags or holding hand-rails.
My 2 cents.
I used my phone and it worked well. I think it really comes down to the individual and their habits to whether an Oyster card makes sense or just tapping with the phone. My phone is always on a lanyard and slipped in a side pocket of my cross body purse, so there is no fumbling around to pull it out or anything. And for others, perhaps it's not so readily available.
