Oyster for out-of-Londoners
 

I normally travel to work in Westminster from Cambridge on one-day
Travelcards or day returns to King's Cross with bike. No interest in
oystercards there obviously.

However, from time to time I stay overnight at my parents' in Putney and
travel on a Network Awaybreak from Cambridge to either King's Cross (with
bike) or Underground Zones 1/2. In the latter case I need to buy single
tube tickets on top (mainly in the morning from Putney when my Network
Card isn't yet valid).

Can I use a fairly small amount of stored value on an oystercard for these
occasional journeys? I've never bought a carnet for Zone 1 trips because
they are only valid for a year and I don't make 10 trips in that time.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

Oyster for out-of-Londoners
 

(Colin Rosenstiel) wrote in message ...
I normally travel to work in Westminster from Cambridge on one-day
Travelcards or day returns to King's Cross with bike. No interest in
oystercards there obviously.

However, from time to time I stay overnight at my parents' in Putney and
travel on a Network Awaybreak from Cambridge to either King's Cross (with
bike) or Underground Zones 1/2. In the latter case I need to buy single
tube tickets on top (mainly in the morning from Putney when my Network
Card isn't yet valid).

Can I use a fairly small amount of stored value on an oystercard for these
occasional journeys? I've never bought a carnet for Zone 1 trips because
they are only valid for a year and I don't make 10 trips in that time.

Oyster Prepay would appear to meet your requirements. A £3 deposit is
required. It's not yet available for bus or Tramlink. No photocard
necessary if bought at a Tube station. All that info is quoted
direct from the Web site ...

http://www.oystercard.com/

K

Oyster for out-of-Londoners
 

In article ,
(Kevingr) wrote:

(Colin Rosenstiel) wrote in message
...
I normally travel to work in Westminster from Cambridge on one-day
Travelcards or day returns to King's Cross with bike. No interest in
oystercards there obviously.

However, from time to time I stay overnight at my parents' in Putney
and travel on a Network Awaybreak from Cambridge to either King's
Cross (with bike) or Underground Zones 1/2. In the latter case I need
to buy single tube tickets on top (mainly in the morning from Putney
when my Network Card isn't yet valid).

Can I use a fairly small amount of stored value on an oystercard for
these occasional journeys? I've never bought a carnet for Zone 1
trips because they are only valid for a year and I don't make 10
trips in that time.

Oyster Prepay would appear to meet your requirements. A £3 deposit is
required. It's not yet available for bus or Tramlink. No photocard
necessary if bought at a Tube station. All that info is quoted
direct from the Web site ...

http://www.oystercard.com/

Thanks, that appears to meet my requirements. Is there really no minimum
amount stored if bought at a tube station? Or is that because a tube
station is then the only place where additional credits (below the £10
online minimum) can be made?

--
Colin Rosenstiel

Oyster for out-of-Londoners
 

Colin Rosenstiel wrote:

In article ,
(Kevingr) wrote:


(Colin Rosenstiel) wrote in message
...

I normally travel to work in Westminster from Cambridge on one-day
Travelcards or day returns to King's Cross with bike. No interest in
oystercards there obviously.

However, from time to time I stay overnight at my parents' in Putney
and travel on a Network Awaybreak from Cambridge to either King's
Cross (with bike) or Underground Zones 1/2. In the latter case I need
to buy single tube tickets on top (mainly in the morning from Putney
when my Network Card isn't yet valid).

Can I use a fairly small amount of stored value on an oystercard for
these occasional journeys? I've never bought a carnet for Zone 1
trips because they are only valid for a year and I don't make 10
trips in that time.

Oyster Prepay would appear to meet your requirements. A £3 deposit is
required. It's not yet available for bus or Tramlink. No photocard
necessary if bought at a Tube station. All that info is quoted
direct from the Web site ...

http://www.oystercard.com/


Thanks, that appears to meet my requirements. Is there really no minimum
amount stored if bought at a tube station? Or is that because a tube
station is then the only place where additional credits (below the £10
online minimum) can be made?

You can't put on less than £5 at a ticket machine (or that might just be
for debit cards, because I never top up with cash). I'm afriad I don't
know about the ticket office, because at Gloucester Road there's always
a huge queue of tourists so I avoid the office when I can.

Oyster for out-of-Londoners
 

In article ,
(Dave Arquati) wrote:

Colin Rosenstiel wrote:

In article ,
(Kevingr) wrote:

(Colin Rosenstiel) wrote in message
...

I normally travel to work in Westminster from Cambridge on one-day
Travelcards or day returns to King's Cross with bike. No interest in
oystercards there obviously.

However, from time to time I stay overnight at my parents' in Putney
and travel on a Network Awaybreak from Cambridge to either King's
Cross (with bike) or Underground Zones 1/2. In the latter case I
need to buy single tube tickets on top (mainly in the morning from
Putney when my Network Card isn't yet valid).

Can I use a fairly small amount of stored value on an oystercard for
these occasional journeys? I've never bought a carnet for Zone 1
trips because they are only valid for a year and I don't make 10
trips in that time.

Oyster Prepay would appear to meet your requirements. A £3 deposit is
required. It's not yet available for bus or Tramlink. No photocard
necessary if bought at a Tube station. All that info is quoted
direct from the Web site ...

http://www.oystercard.com/

Thanks, that appears to meet my requirements. Is there really no
minimum amount stored if bought at a tube station? Or is that because
a tube station is then the only place where additional credits (below
the £10 online minimum) can be made?

You can't put on less than £5 at a ticket machine (or that might just
be for debit cards, because I never top up with cash). I'm afriad I
don't know about the ticket office, because at Gloucester Road there's
always a huge queue of tourists so I avoid the office when I can.

Sounds complicated. I'll ask when I'm next at an Underground ticket
office.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

Oyster for out-of-Londoners
 

You can top up with less than £5. I once topped up with 47p. It was
some spare change that i had left afetr a day out. So I stuck it on my
oystercard.

Dave Arquati wrote in message ...
Colin Rosenstiel wrote:

In article ,
(Kevingr) wrote:


(Colin Rosenstiel) wrote in message
...

I normally travel to work in Westminster from Cambridge on one-day
Travelcards or day returns to King's Cross with bike. No interest in
oystercards there obviously.

However, from time to time I stay overnight at my parents' in Putney
and travel on a Network Awaybreak from Cambridge to either King's
Cross (with bike) or Underground Zones 1/2. In the latter case I need
to buy single tube tickets on top (mainly in the morning from Putney
when my Network Card isn't yet valid).

Can I use a fairly small amount of stored value on an oystercard for
these occasional journeys? I've never bought a carnet for Zone 1
trips because they are only valid for a year and I don't make 10
trips in that time.

Oyster Prepay would appear to meet your requirements. A £3 deposit is
required. It's not yet available for bus or Tramlink. No photocard
necessary if bought at a Tube station. All that info is quoted
direct from the Web site ...

http://www.oystercard.com/


Thanks, that appears to meet my requirements. Is there really no minimum
amount stored if bought at a tube station? Or is that because a tube
station is then the only place where additional credits (below the £10
online minimum) can be made?

You can't put on less than £5 at a ticket machine (or that might just be
for debit cards, because I never top up with cash). I'm afriad I don't
know about the ticket office, because at Gloucester Road there's always
a huge queue of tourists so I avoid the office when I can.

Oyster for out-of-Londoners
 

In article ,
(Richard Jeeves) wrote:

You can top up with less than £5. I once topped up with 47p. It was
some spare change that i had left afetr a day out. So I stuck it on my
oystercard.

So just £5 initially then (plus £3 deposit)?

--
Colin Rosenstiel

Oyster for out-of-Londoners
 

In message , Dave Arquati
writes
You can't put on less than £5 at a ticket machine (or that might just
be for debit cards, because I never top up with cash). I'm afriad I
don't know about the ticket office, because at Gloucester Road there's
always a huge queue of tourists so I avoid the office when I can.

You can top up with a small amount of cash on a Multifare machine
providing it is accepting coins.
--
Kat Me, Ambivalent? Well, yes and no.

Oyster for out-of-Londoners
 

On Sun, 08 Feb 2004 12:23:14 +0000, Dave Arquati
wrote:


You can't put on less than £5 at a ticket machine (or that might just be
for debit cards, because I never top up with cash).
[non Oyster top-up text snipped]

You can top up with "any amount" of cash - the machine specifically
says this when one presses the cash button.

I topped up by a mere 30p last night so I could (unofficially) use
Pre-Pay on a bus.


Cheers,

Jason.

Oyster for out-of-Londoners
 

In ,
Jason typed:

I topped up by a mere 30p last night so I could (unofficially) use
Pre-Pay on a bus.

u - n - o - f - f - i - c - i - a - l - l - y

That's an odd way to spell fraudulently!
:-o





Bob

Oyster for out-of-Londoners
 

How does one get the £3 deposit back ? Sounds like an admin charge to
me. That's one reason I haven't bothered so far (Like Colin, I'm an
out of townie who occasionally comes into London).

You can top up with less than £5. I once topped up with 47p. It was
some spare change that i had left afetr a day out. So I stuck it on my
oystercard.

So just £5 initially then (plus £3 deposit)?

Oyster for out-of-Londoners
 

Ric Euteneuer wrote:

How does one get the £3 deposit back ? Sounds like an admin charge to
me. That's one reason I haven't bothered so far (Like Colin, I'm an
out of townie who occasionally comes into London).

I simply sent mine back, via a form and handing back in at a station. It's a
hassle having to do this each time, but it's my £3 so I'm hardly likely to
let it go. It takes about a month to arrive as a cheque, but I've got my
first one back - my wife hasn't hers yet and our first ones were returned
on the same day. For £3 they get the enjoyment of processing a small
mountain of paperwork each time I take out an oyster card and return it.
--
Ian Tindale

Oyster for out-of-Londoners
 

"Bob Wood" wrote in message ...
In ,
Jason typed:

I topped up by a mere 30p last night so I could (unofficially) use
Pre-Pay on a bus.

u - n - o - f - f - i - c - i - a - l - l - y

That's an odd way to spell fraudulently!
:-o

why fraudulently?

oyster prepay is now (as the OP said, unofficially) working on buses,
and the 70p fare is being deducted correctly.

the only thing is i've noticed a new message coming up when you use a
Oyster pre-pay lately.

whereas a couple of weeks ago the machine was coming up with the 70p
deducted and the new balance, now it just says something like
"Oystercard Valid Z1-4".

However the 70p is still deducted so no fraud involved.

Oyster for out-of-Londoners
 

On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 15:40:27 -0000, "Bob Wood"
wrote:

In ,
Jason typed:

I topped up by a mere 30p last night so I could (unofficially) use
Pre-Pay on a bus.

u - n - o - f - f - i - c - i - a - l - l - y

That's an odd way to spell fraudulently!
:-o

Hmmm...

Is it fraud if I offered to pay a fare - by presentation of an Oyster
card - and TfL or the bus company accepted it by way of a deduction of
credit?


Cheers,

Jason.

Oyster for out-of-Londoners
 

In om,
Steph Davies typed:
"Bob Wood" wrote in message
...
In ,
Jason typed:

I topped up by a mere 30p last night so I could (unofficially) use
Pre-Pay on a bus.

u - n - o - f - f - i - c - i - a - l - l - y

That's an odd way to spell fraudulently!
:-o

why fraudulently?

oyster prepay is now (as the OP said, unofficially) working on buses,
and the 70p fare is being deducted correctly.


In that case I withdraw the remark and offer my apologies. I had not
realised that 70p was now being deducted.

A few weeks ago I used my (PrePay only) Oyster Card on buses a couple of
times, not realising that they were only in use on the Underground and DLR.
The driver allowed me on the bus, despite the fact that the machine did not
accept the card; nothing was deducted from my balance.

That will teach me not to chip in without having read *every* message on the
subject!



Bob