How to change default payment card for Oyster card

Slinky

OH's Oyster card wouldn't work this morning so I've been tasked with working out why. Turns out it was trying to debit to a card that is no longer active. I've gone in and sorted out the issue and paid for a chunk of credit, but it gave the message at the end of the transaction that future transactions will be debited to the card ending XXXX which is the old inactive card. It gave a message that I could update the payment card details (exact wording I've now forgotten), but the area of the website which it referred to wasn't visible from the home page I'd been returned to, and I'm darned if I can find anywhere on the website to change the payment card details.

Can anybody please point me in the right direction?

TIA

giraffe69

If you go to the Oyster site and click contactless (top right) and then "My contactless cards" there is a list of any expired cards and at the base of this a button to add a contactless card. You can't, for some reason, remove any old expired cards.

jon81uk

I don't think you mean contactless, I assume its the auto-topup for Oyster you are trying to change?

Do you need to use Oyster to get a railcard or similar discount? Can you switch to contactless instead?

Slinky

Sorry yes, it's the auto topup. After I'd put money on the card it gave a message about reverting to the old card number next time. I want to remove that card as the account is closed.

I topped it up for him this morning, it said something about the last time he'd tried to use it/had used it. It's taken £40 (I can see the debit gone through on my account), but it wouldn't work for him again this evening.

Slinky

Ah.  I've now found an old email where they said they would stop his card if he didn't top up within 3 days of them trying to take a payment in December which he didn't action. I guess we're now also looking at trying to un-stop the card since I've put credit on it.

jon81uk

Sounds like you need to phone TfL. I’ve never used auto-top-up as used to have travelcards and now use contactless instead. But TfL are always very helpful by phone.

But unless you need Oyster because you get a railcard discount I would suggest using contactless instead. 

Slinky

He's going to speak to somebody at a ticket office next trip into London, then migrate to contactless when the credit runs out as it appears it's no cheaper to have the Oyster card now.

jon81uk

Slinky said:

He's going to speak to somebody at a ticket office next trip into London, then migrate to contactless when the credit runs out as it appears it's no cheaper to have the Oyster card now.

There are no ticket offices on the Underground. The staff near the ticket machines almost certainly won’t be able to see the details of which cards are linked to the account. The Oyster phone team will be much better placed to help compared to the general staff on the Underground.