Refunds at ticket machines - redundant Oyster Cards

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/replacements-and-refunds/refunds-at-ticket-machines?intcmp=26352

If like me you use contactless (ie a bank or credit card) rather than Oyster PAYG, you should be able to redeem your unwanted Oyster Card's deposit and unused PAYG balance at an LU ticket machine.

I tried it on Barking's non LU ticket machines but wasn't offered the option. Not really a surprise, but still a disappointment.

Oyster PAYG on National rail from 2008

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/tickets/oyster-PAYG-08-01-02.pdf

The new map is here

Oyster PAYG on Freedom Pass

My experiment to find out if PAYG can be put on an older person's Freedom Pass (FP) has resulted in failure. The Oystercard website says it is possible - in fact it proffers the information, and it happily sent the Oyster£ to the barriers at Barking, but it failed to get onto the cards. This is a pity as it means FP holders who want to travel before 9am need to juggle two cards.

This would seem to be a card compatability issue.

Oyster reader at South Tottenham

There's a new Oyster card reader at South Tottenham station. It isn't working at the time of writing and there's no evidence of a barrier for it to control. Presumably the system will rely on the principle that PAYG passengers will be charged £4 (£5) if they don't swipe in and out.

Oyster PAYG (Prepay) on Freedom Passes

TfL tell me that Oyster Pay As You Go (PAYG, formerly prepay) can't be loaded onto Oystercards containing Freedom Passes. Didn't make any sense to me - so I tried it online. www.oystercard.com recognised by its number that the card contained a freedom pass, but did not restrict what products could be loaded onto it.

This makes much more sense, but I can't accept any responsibility if this doesn't work properly. If it does, however, it means Freedom Pass Holders can access cheaper Oyster Fares outside the time that their Freedom Pass is valid.

One Day Travelcards and Oyster

Poor chap on the Gospel Oak Line today had asked for a zone 1-4 (one day) travelcard at Seven Sisters station. I don't know what he finished up with, but he produced an Oyster receipt for PAYG (Prepay), for about the cost of the travelcard. It seems the Underground ticket clerk had assumed he was only travelling on PAYG lines (ie Underground, DLR and a smattering of National Rail lines).

Not impressive. The one day travelcard is not available on Oyster. Instead, the PAYG system caps the PAYG fares at the cost of a travel card - but PAYG isn't available on most National Rail Lines.