Author Topic: Oyster card for infrequent visitor to Larndan (Read 2872 times)

Polar Bear · « **on:** 16 September, 2014, 07:25:49 am »

How does a provincial chappie get one of these things please?

CrinklyLion · « **Reply #1 on:** 16 September, 2014, 07:30:51 am »

Wander up to ticket office in Kings Cross and ask for one was what I did!

Polar Bear · « **Reply #2 on:** 16 September, 2014, 07:39:21 am »

Trouble is, I'll be arriving at a tube station somewhere out on the northern edge and will need to travel asap.

Jurek · « **Reply #3 on:** 16 September, 2014, 07:53:16 am »

You can pick one up at a tube station somewhere out on the northern edge.

Polar Bear · « **Reply #4 on:** 16 September, 2014, 07:53:55 am »

AH, I see. One can buy a visitor card at most stations. I guess when Bojo gets rid of staff at stations that will become a machine dispenser.

Thanks Crinkles.

Edit: Cross-posting with Jurek. Thanks Jurek.

Jaded · « **Reply #5 on:** 16 September, 2014, 08:03:33 am »

If I could find my original one, you could have the distress one I got last week!

marcusjb · « **Reply #6 on:** 16 September, 2014, 08:06:37 am »

As of today, you can use your contactless bank card in place of an Oyster card. The daily capping is the same as an Oyster card.

For the infrequent visitor, this should be really good. For the idiot that lives in London but uses public transport about once a month, and keeps misplacing his Oyster card, it should also be great.

Polar Bear · « **Reply #7 on:** 16 September, 2014, 08:43:53 am »

Jaded, that would be excellent. Here';s hoping that you find your new one.

marcusjb, I like the concept but plan to visit Larndan with my plastic membership card for the futbal, an oystercard and a couple of tenners in my pockets for vittels. I'm also digging out an old crappy nokia for emergencies only.

I must have become a bit of a crusty luddite because I'm very much opposed to the proliferation of contactless payment bank cards. The fraud potential is staggering to a naive old codger like me*.

* I worked for 16 years for a large UK bank on developing their fraud prevention and knowledge-based tracking systems. I do not bank online and I have a specific credit card which is used for online purchases only. This is also the card linked to my paypal account. I still prefer to use cash on a day-to-day basis and happily visit my branch to pay in cash and cheques as well as do bank transfers.

tiermat · « **Reply #8 on:** 16 September, 2014, 08:51:36 am »

I agree, PB, hence why you either a) need to refuse the contactless cards or b) get something like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/BLOCKING-PROTECTOR-LEATHER-WALLET-scanning/dp/B004PXMNVW

jsabine · « **Reply #9 on:** 16 September, 2014, 09:26:40 am »

I'd say you want a normal Oyster card not a visitor one - the visitor ones serve no useful purpose AFAICT.

PB, am I right in thinking you've got a railcard? If so, the Underground ticket office will be able to associate it with the Oyster, so you'll get a third off off-peak fares. (This does mean you can't later lend the Oyster to anyone else though.)

Polar Bear · « **Reply #10 on:** 16 September, 2014, 10:47:19 am »

Ah, interesting jsabine. I guess that I'd need to carry the card with me as well jsut in case.

tiermat, that wallet is a very very good idea.

hellymedic · « **Reply #11 on:** 16 September, 2014, 11:01:33 am »

Buy a PAYG Oyster Card online. Register for online use. Buy a not very big top-up online and activate this at the outer Lahndan station you choose.

Polar Bear · « **Reply #12 on:** 16 September, 2014, 11:03:34 am »

How do I 'activate' the card?

hellymedic · « **Reply #13 on:** 16 September, 2014, 11:25:09 am »

Touch it in on the yellow pad of your chosen station, as you would anyway.
You have to choose and use the station within a a narrow time window.

Oyster cards ordered online can be posted to any UK address if purchased with UK plastic.

Polar Bear · « **Reply #14 on:** 16 September, 2014, 11:43:33 am »

How narrow is the narrow time window please?

hellymedic · « **Reply #15 on:** 16 September, 2014, 12:40:52 pm »

I can't remember; you'd have to go to the website.
You can buy the top-up online when you've got the card and activate it when you use it.
You can also get Auto-Top-Up so the card tops up by a specified amount £20 in my case) when the balance dips below £8, so you're never stranded but they have some of your dosh.
You can stop the Oyster if it leaves your possession but Auto Top-Up and registering online will inform Big Brother of your whereabouts.
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/oyster/oyster-online?intcmp=11723

Kim · « **Reply #16 on:** 16 September, 2014, 12:53:45 pm »

Take your mollusk to (or buy it from) from a ticket office, and they should be able to Disabled Railcard-ify it for you (they'll obviously need to see your railcard card, possibly some ID or other stuff?). This will give you reduced fares on ...more things than I remember it used to.

ETA: Applies to some other railcards, too:

http://www.oyster-rail.org.uk/railcard-discounts/

Jaded · « **Reply #17 on:** 16 September, 2014, 01:43:54 pm »

When you do Oyster stuff on-line, and need to go to a station the earliest it can happen (at the machine) is the next day.

hellymedic · « **Reply #18 on:** 16 September, 2014, 01:56:53 pm »

I think you then have 48 hours to activate or collect it, after which it gets refunded to your payment card.

jsabine · « **Reply #19 on:** 16 September, 2014, 05:01:45 pm »

I think it's a week to activate. I also think that if you buy an Oyster online with extra $TOPUP, it gets posted to you with the topup already activated.

I don't know if you can do things like add the railcard discount or setting up auto-topup (which given your comments about banking security I guess you wouldn't want) before you've physically got the card though. (I recently had to get a replacement Oyster - I got them to activate the auto-topup before sending it out, but suspect this may only be possible on a replacement card not on a first issue. I also did it through the callcentre rather than online.)

TBH, if you're going to be starting at an Underground station with open ticket office anyway, I'd be inclined to just get the Oyster card from the ticket window anyway: that way you can put exactly as much money as you want on it, and get them to do the railcard discount too.

hellymedic · « **Reply #20 on:** 16 September, 2014, 05:22:57 pm »

I don't think any Tube only stations have open ticket offices now BICBW.

jsabine · « **Reply #21 on:** 16 September, 2014, 08:08:27 pm »

I wasn't sure about how far the plans for ticket office closure had gone but yes, picking a random North London station opening hours are pretty restricted.

Quote

Ticket office opening times
Monday - Friday   07:30 - 09:45
Saturday     10:30 - 12:30
Sunday     11:30 - 12:30

Polar Bear · « **Reply #22 on:** 16 September, 2014, 08:40:34 pm »

The station in question is Arnos Grove. Seems that they have proper opening hours still.

Valiant · « **Reply #23 on:** 17 September, 2014, 06:20:52 pm »

They now cap contactless?

AWESOME! I no longer have to carry a wallet or oyster thanks to my contactless wristband!

jsabine · « **Reply #24 on:** 18 September, 2014, 02:02:22 am »

Aye, contactless payments are capped, and because it's done offline they're even capped on a weekly¹ basis if that's cheaper for you than daily.

1 - As long as you are happy with a Monday-Sunday week anyway.