Easy Rider (Oyster Card)

Member Name: Trishajs

Product:	Oyster Card
Date:	06/06/09 (19 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: So easy to use- reduces so much hassle

Disadvantages: Getting your first card or losing it

I got a job working in Bristol recently and one of things I missed the most (sad as it may seem) was my Oyster card. It takes a little while to apply for a card and then you have to load it up- (auto top up is available), but that small effort pales into insignificance compared to the hassle I had in always finding sufficient cash for my fares. Until you are away from London and traveling to and from a location in the rush hour, you don't appreciate just how much time just tapping the Oyster card saves. Queues that would take seconds to get onto a bus in London took what felt like forever. I would recommend that everyone who lives or ever visits London gets an Oyster card- not least because it means the fare is not only significantly lower than paying in cash- but also because you don't have to be constantly looking for change.
It is great for budgeting too. Get paid, load the Oyster card with sufficient monies to last till your next pay cheque- job done!
You can register your card and get a replacement if you lose it, but for the sake of the £3 I would suggest you get a back up - it'll pay for itself - probably on day one.

Summary: Don't leave home without one