Does unused credit on PAYG Oyster expire?

Simple question. My mum's been over this week and I got her a PAYG. She
still has plenty of credit left, and is going back to Spain... no idea when
she'll be back, but it probably won't be within a year.

Rather than take her card back and use her credt, I told her she may as
well hang on to it for her next visit. But if she doesn't use it, will it
expire??

I wouldn't have thought so, but when you buy eg one of those £5 phone
cards, the credit expires if you don't use it within a period of time
(which I think should be illegal). I'd rather she hang on to the Oyster as
I have a season ticket, but I wouldn't want the money to go to waste if in
a year or more of non-usage the credit will disappear....

On Jun 18, 1:27 am, "Tristán White" <Tristan_Wh...@rocketmail.com>
wrote:
> Simple question. My mum's been over this week and I got her a PAYG. She
> still has plenty of credit left, and is going back to Spain... no idea when
> she'll be back, but it probably won't be within a year.
>
> Rather than take her card back and use her credt, I told her she may as
> well hang on to it for her next visit. But if she doesn't use it, will it
> expire??
>
> I wouldn't have thought so, but when you buy eg one of those £5 phone
> cards, the credit expires if you don't use it within a period of time
> (which I think should be illegal). I'd rather she hang on to the Oyster as
> I have a season ticket, but I wouldn't want the money to go to waste if in
> a year or more of non-usage the credit will disappear....

Tristan

No. PAYG credit does not expire. Also, the PAYG Oystercard is
transferable

Rgds
Jeff

jeffandsue@malta777.freeserve.co.uk wrote:
> On Jun 18, 1:27 am, "Tristán White" <Tristan_Wh...@rocketmail.com>
> wrote:
>> Simple question. My mum's been over this week and I got her a PAYG. She
>> still has plenty of credit left, and is going back to Spain... no idea when
>> she'll be back, but it probably won't be within a year.
>>
>> Rather than take her card back and use her credt, I told her she may as
>> well hang on to it for her next visit. But if she doesn't use it, will it
>> expire??
>>
>> I wouldn't have thought so, but when you buy eg one of those £5 phone
>> cards, the credit expires if you don't use it within a period of time
>> (which I think should be illegal). I'd rather she hang on to the Oyster as
>> I have a season ticket, but I wouldn't want the money to go to waste if in
>> a year or more of non-usage the credit will disappear....
>
> Tristan
>
> No. PAYG credit does not expire.

I would have said the same about Bus Savers until recently.
--
Michael Hoffman

<jeffandsue@malta777.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1182153620.052242.252610@k79g2000hse. o
> On Jun 18, 1:27 am, "Tristán White" <Tristan_Wh...@rocketmail.com>
> wrote:
>> Simple question. My mum's been over this week and I got her a PAYG.
>> She still has plenty of credit left, and is going back to Spain...
>> no idea when she'll be back, but it probably won't be within a year.
>>
>> Rather than take her card back and use her credt, I told her she may
>> as well hang on to it for her next visit. But if she doesn't use it,
>> will it expire??
>>
>> I wouldn't have thought so, but when you buy eg one of those £5 phone
>> cards, the credit expires if you don't use it within a period of time
>> (which I think should be illegal). I'd rather she hang on to the
>> Oyster as I have a season ticket, but I wouldn't want the money to
>> go to waste if in a year or more of non-usage the credit will
>> disappear....
>
> Tristan
>
> No. PAYG credit does not expire. Also, the PAYG Oystercard is
> transferable

It doesn't expire, but I thought that you had to do something to
re-activate the card if you don't use it for an extended period (a
couple of years?).

Michael Hoffman <cam.ac.uk@mh391.invalid> writes:

> jeffandsue@malta777.freeserve.co.uk wrote:
>> On Jun 18, 1:27 am, "Tristán White" <Tristan_Wh...@rocketmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Rather than take her card back and use her credt, I told her she may as
>>> well hang on to it for her next visit. But if she doesn't use it, will it
>>> expire??
>>>
>>
>> Tristan
>>
>> No. PAYG credit does not expire.
>
> I would have said the same about Bus Savers until recently.

From transportforlondon.custhelp.com

"Is there a time limit for using Oyster to pay as you go?

No, if you use Oyster to pay as you go, it does not have an expiry
date. It will sit on your card until you are ready to use it again.

However, if you do not use for two years it will stop working, even if
you still have money on it to pay as you go. If you wish to use the
balance or, in the case of a registered Oyster card, have it returned to
you, you will need to contact the Oyster helpline."


Maybe we need a sharing system for those infrequent users (and
potentially far flung) to get there Oyster card back to London within
the 2 year time frame.

Matt.

Matt Jackson wrote:

> From transportforlondon.custhelp.com

> "Is there a time limit for using Oyster to pay as you go?

> No, if you use Oyster to pay as you go, it does not have an expiry
> date. It will sit on your card until you are ready to use it again.

There is a potential problem with the Student Oysters (and others) - from
the 2005/2006 academic year TfL switched from a photo card and a separate
Oyster (which could be transferred to the new year's photocard easily) to
issuing the annual ticket on an Oyster with the photo printed on it. Whilst
the Oyster can still be used after the end of the year (with the discount
deactivated) it doesn't appear to be possible to transfer money from the old
card to the new. As one who uses the travelcard almost exclusively and
doesn't go beyond Moor Park *that* often (and almost never travelling
exclusively up there), I have very limited options for using up the credit
on the old cards. And because of the photo, I can't even give the old card
to someone else to use.

Tim Roll-Pickering wrote:

> There is a potential problem with the Student Oysters (and others) - from
> the 2005/2006 academic year TfL switched from a photo card and a separate
> Oyster (which could be transferred to the new year's photocard easily) to
> issuing the annual ticket on an Oyster with the photo printed on it. Whilst
> the Oyster can still be used after the end of the year (with the discount
> deactivated) it doesn't appear to be possible to transfer money from the old
> card to the new. As one who uses the travelcard almost exclusively and
> doesn't go beyond Moor Park *that* often (and almost never travelling
> exclusively up there), I have very limited options for using up the credit
> on the old cards.

You can't get a refund on your old credit?
--
Michael Hoffman

Michael Hoffman wrote:

>> There is a potential problem with the Student Oysters (and others) - from
>> the 2005/2006 academic year TfL switched from a photo card and a separate
>> Oyster (which could be transferred to the new year's photocard easily) to
>> issuing the annual ticket on an Oyster with the photo printed on it.
>> Whilst the Oyster can still be used after the end of the year (with the
>> discount deactivated) it doesn't appear to be possible to transfer money
>> from the old card to the new. As one who uses the travelcard almost
>> exclusively and doesn't go beyond Moor Park *that* often (and almost
>> never travelling exclusively up there), I have very limited options for
>> using up the credit on the old cards.

> You can't get a refund on your old credit?

No. Each time I've registered the new card and brought a season ticket I've
asked about transferring over the balance (and because it's touch and go as
to when the new card comes you have to have balance on there for the
interim) and been told it's not possible.

Tim Roll-Pickering wrote:
> Michael Hoffman wrote:
>
>>> There is a potential problem with the Student Oysters (and others) - from
>>> the 2005/2006 academic year TfL switched from a photo card and a separate
>>> Oyster (which could be transferred to the new year's photocard easily) to
>>> issuing the annual ticket on an Oyster with the photo printed on it.
>>> Whilst the Oyster can still be used after the end of the year (with the
>>> discount deactivated) it doesn't appear to be possible to transfer money
>>> from the old card to the new. As one who uses the travelcard almost
>>> exclusively and doesn't go beyond Moor Park *that* often (and almost
>>> never travelling exclusively up there), I have very limited options for
>>> using up the credit on the old cards.
>
>> You can't get a refund on your old credit?
>
> No. Each time I've registered the new card and brought a season ticket I've
> asked about transferring over the balance (and because it's touch and go as
> to when the new card comes you have to have balance on there for the
> interim) and been told it's not possible.

Not transferring the balance. A *refund.* If you have the cash, then you
won't need to fuss about a transfer. If you want you can add the cash
back on to the new card.

From Oyster help:

"""
I no longer need my Oyster card. How can I get a refund of my unused
ticket or travel value and my £3 deposit (if applicable)?

You can take your Oyster card to a Tube station ticket office for a
refund of your unused ticket or travel value and the £3.00 deposit if
applicable.

Alternatively you can.

Post your Oyster card, with a covering letter to:

Oyster Ticketing and Refunds, 55 Broadway, London, SW1H 0BD

Please let us know if you've changed your details, so we can be sure to
send any refunds to the right address.
"""
--
Michael Hoffman