The World is your Oyster (Oyster Card)

Member Name: Whizz11

Product:	Oyster Card
Date:	28/02/09 (502 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Handy, cheaper

Disadvantages: Doesn't always swipe first time

Travelling in London

I, like millions of other people travel to and around London every week day for work and so have found the Oyster Card an invaluable tool to help me in my journey.

What exactly is an Oyster Card?

An oyster card is basically a credit card sized card ticket which has an amount of preloaded electronic money on it (it can store up to £90 worth of credit) that allows users to travel by swiping the card over electronic readers to gain access to the transport system. The card is valid on the London Underground, buses and the Docklands system.

I think the main advantage of this card of me is that it means I can load a certain amount onto it for the month and then not have to worry about having actual cash on me to buy a new ticket each day. The Oyster Card can be carried in your wallet just like a credit card and so is small, handy and easy to use.

The card itself is a bright blue colour and has the word Oyster written on it. I have always wondered why the name Oyster was chosen and after a little research found out it was because of this:

"Oyster was conceived and subsequently promoted because of the metaphorical implications of security and value in the component meanings of the hard bivalve shell and the concealed pearl. Its associations with London through Thames estuary oyster beds and the popular idiom 'the world is your oyster' were also significant factors in its selection as was the uniqueness of the word Oyster."

The Oyster card is classified as a contactless smartcard which is activated by passing it over special electronic readers on the gates to gain access to the transport system. These gates are basically the barriers that you pass through to get to the certain lines you need on the underground. What's great about the Oyster card is that you can keep it in your wallet or card carrier and do not have to get it out and put it through the machine like you would a paper ticket. This makes the Oyster more durable and so will last a long time and also saves you the hassle of having to remove your ticket every time.

The oyster card reader is located at the top of the barrier. It has a round yellow disc on it so it's very easy to spot. It also has a little light next to it that will change to green to signify that you have been given access. One of my criticisms though with the Oyster card is that it doesn't always swipe first time and you are given a red light meaning you have to swipe your card again. This often causes backup at the gate, especially at rush hour in the mornings or evening. Generally I find it is because you are standing too close to the gate and so if you back away a bit you should be ok to swipe after that. One thing I would urge is that you need to make sure that you swipe in and then remember to swipe out to complete a full journey and to avoid being charged a full amount.

The other great thing about the Oyster card is that it's cheaper to use per journey than if you buy a ticket with cash. The price does vary depending on which zones you travel in but across central London a one way journey is charged at £1.60 so a return will be £3.20. I think, although I have not purchased one for a long time now though, that a cash ticket is £4 for a one-way journey so as you can see this is a significant savings. Even if you are only in London for a few days a month an Oyster card is still a better option in my opinion because the cash does not expire. An Oyster card also has a daily price capping which means even if you done a lot of journeys in one day you will only be charged up to a maximum amount for that day. This price varies again between zones and in peak and off-peak time but if we take zones 1-2 as an example this price cap is £5.10 off peak and £6.70 peak.

There are various ways to purchase an Oyster card. This can be done on the internet (www.tfl.gov.uk), in person at tube stations or on the telephone on 0845 330 9876. You can also top up your Oyster card at these locations too. I would advise using the internet as the tube stations can get awfully busy, especially on Mondays and so it's often better to not have to wait in line. Once you have an Oyster card it is registered to you so if you lose it you can cancel it online to stop other people from using it. Of course, I know some people see this as the way for the government to track our every move and spy on us but as I don't really use mine for any criminal activity I don't really care!

Another thing I like is that if you swipe in and then there is a long delay on you line and you have to swipe right out again without going anywhere you can go back up to the ticket office and have them refund your money back onto the card. This however, must be done within 15 minutes of swiping out again otherwise they will not refund it for you. I also like the fact that if you journey is delayed for fifteen minutes or more (this happens quite a bit to me, sitting in tunnels for ½ hour at a time) you can log onto the website given above and ask for a refund. You can enter your Oyster Card details so they can see you are telling the truth and then you will be sent a credit voucher in the post that you can then put back onto your Oyster card to compensate you for your inconvenience.

The first Oyster card was issued in July 2003 and by March 2007 there were over 10 million Oyster card in issuance.

Summary: The Oyster Card