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Hi Mike
So my 20(!) year old Oyster holding my Z1 and 2 Annual Travelcard finally stopped working yesterday. I requested a replacement online and it should be on my doormat in a week or so. This page – https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/refunds-and-replacements/faulty-oyster-card suggests I may be able to claim for travel costs incurred whilst waiting for the replacement but it seems vague. Will I receive details with the replacement Oyster or is there a form online? Or do I just need to call or email nicely and show evidence of costs? Thanks!
Hi JG,
It is a bit vague, I agree. In fact it seems to be saying that you need to get a replacement card first and use it once to allow it to be registered. From what you’re saying you’ve ordered the card online which means it should be registered and have the travelcard and any PAYG credit already loaded.
I’d certainly keep records of any costs incurred and if they don’t mention it with the new card then call the helpline and enquire. My experience with replacement kids zip cards is that they’re usually quite quick, and those also include a photo which must add to the processing time.
Out of interest, did you have to pay for a new card online, or does the fact that it was an old damaged card mean that they waived the fee? In fact, did the old card have a deposit on it, and if yes, have the refunded that?
Thanks Mike
My old card was one of those briefly issued by London councils around 2004 – in my case Lewisham, and I did use it as my library card for a few years before that functionality was cut back. I’d be interested in the history behind them, but that’s for another time… fair to say when I showed to TfL staff the normal reply was “that’s not an Oyster card!”.
So it had a notional penny deposit on it and that with the rest of the balance and validity appears to have been transferred entirely to the new card – I incurred no additional costs. I can imagine an observant inspector might be surprised to see an Oyster balance ending in 1 or 6, though I guess the actual sum doesn’t appear on a routine check.
On my original query I’m thinking the procedure for claiming must be similar to a forgotten season ticket. I’ll keep a track of my travel costs and hopefully the new card will arrive soon.
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