Graham J wrote:
No, because you can't put credit or tickets on it online, you can only order
credit or tickets, you still have to collect it somehow (by passing through
gates normally as it happens). However in itself this is an extremely handy
feature of use to many users. Just not those who only ever use buses or
trams with their card.

You can, however, happily top up oyster cards at corner shops that are
"Ticket Stop"; at the touchscreen ticket machines at tube stations.

One daft thing that you can't do (but I'm sure you used to be able to
do) was use the credit on an oyster card at a tube ticket machine to buy
a paper one day travelcard.