Oyster with railcard vs contactless

Clamshell

I visit London about monthly, and usually use the tube while I'm there. I have an Oyster with Senior Railcard attached, so I get about 33% off - v good. However, being signed up to Oyster means TfL keep at least £20 of my cash on account, forever, for auto top-up. Is Oyster still worth it, despite being permanently minus £20? Or would I be better off just using contactless - full whack but only pay as you go, so money in pocket rather than TfL coffers? For any clever mathematicians, assume I use it 12 times p.a. Thanks!

katejo

Clamshell said:

I visit London about monthly, and usually use the tube while I'm there. I have an Oyster with Senior Railcard attached, so I get about 33% off - v good. However, being signed up to Oyster means TfL keep at least £20 of my cash on account, forever, for auto top-up. Is Oyster still worth it, despite being permanently minus £20? Or would I be better off just using contactless - full whack but only pay as you go, so money in pocket rather than TfL coffers? For any clever mathematicians, assume I use it 12 times p.a. Thanks!

I am not a genius maths expert but would have thought that the senior railcard benefit would make it worth it, better than using contactless. £20 isn't a huge amount to keep on your account.

Neil49

Can't you disable auto topup to avoid keeping a minimum of £20 on the card. I have a card with senior railcard attached and have just a few pounds credit on it. I just check my balance when I get to London and stick a tenner onto it if necessary. 

martindow

The loss of interest on £20 is £1 if you are lucky enough to get 5% in a savings account.  Your railcard discount gives zone 1 journeys at £1.60 instead of £2.40, I think, so you would be losing money paying full fare on your second journey.  Well worth getting your Senior Railcard reduction.  The only hassle is getting the railcard re-associated with the Oystercard each year when you renew it. 

TheAble

Neil49 said:

Can't you disable auto topup to avoid keeping a minimum of £20 on the card. I have a card with senior railcard attached and have just a few pounds credit on it. I just check my balance when I get to London and stick a tenner onto it if necessary. 

Yes - surely just disabling auto top-up is the solution? It is optional.

jon81uk

As above, there is no need to have auto top up, its something you've chosen to enable. Just put £5-10 onto the card when you need to, that can now be done on the TfL Oyster mobile app.

PRAISETHESUN

It's a faff to have to get the railcard re-linked each year at the station but other then that it's a no brainer really, since it saves money in the long run. The balance lasts forever as far as I'm aware if you're worried about it expiring, but it's very straightforward to get a refund if you desperately need the cash back