Londoners – could you save £100s on TfL fares with this hidden discount?

sutols

No need to register your Oyster card before linking to your Railcard. I've linked mine for years and it's not registered. It's sometimes a problem finding a member of staff to do the linking!

Lions_89

I used to link it when I was under 30 and had the railcard, some staff have no clue, others can do it.

pritchah

sausage_time said:

clint42 said:

Just to point out. This doesn't just apply to Londoners. I live in Scotland, but regularly visit London and have been applying my Senior Railcard to my Oyster card for the last 4 years. The current one is still valid until April '25.

I have been passing this information on to friends since I found out about it. Very handy.

Same here - don't live in London, but apply my Railcard to my (ageing!) Oyster Card.

I come down to London from north Wales just a few times a year, so could only save a few ££s, but interested in that all the same

Some v basic questions- does an Oyster card have to be a physical card, or can I have it on my phone or on my Google wallet? I think I'm right in thinking that my first Oyster will cost me £7 in admin?

MSE_James

Yes, it has to be a physical Oyster card

MilesT6060842

Some v basic questions- does an Oyster card have to be a physical card, or can I have it on my phone or on my Google wallet? I think I'm right in thinking that my first Oyster will cost me £7 in admin?

And yes it will cost you £7 in admin.  If any of your friends/relations has an working Oyster they don't need and hasn't been registered, buy it from them instead! 

(You can get lucky on eBay as well but most ebay sales or for collectors, and most cards on eBay are disabled.)

You can do contactless payment card PAYG on a phone, but can't get any railcard discount that way (yet..long term aspiration to allow linking of railcard to PAYG for contactless fares across greater London including rail, as a later delivery for Project Oval I understand--Oval is rolling out contactless PAYG gates to greater london rail stations) 

pritchah

MilesT6060842 said:

Some v basic questions- does an Oyster card have to be a physical card, or can I have it on my phone or on my Google wallet? I think I'm right in thinking that my first Oyster will cost me £7 in admin?

And yes it will cost you £7 in admin.  If any of your friends/relations has an working Oyster they don't need and hasn't been registered, buy it from them instead! 

(You can get lucky on eBay as well but most ebay sales or for collectors, and most cards on eBay are disabled.)

You can do contactless payment card PAYG on a phone, but can't get any railcard discount that way (yet..long term aspiration to allow linking of railcard to PAYG for contactless fares across greater London including rail, as a later delivery for Project Oval I understand--Oval is rolling out contactless PAYG gates to greater london rail stations) 

Ah - I think I might have had an old Oyster years ago but got rid of it as I never used it. I'll see if I can find it or maybe ask for a replacement (although that might cost me)

TransportforWales is just introducing PAYG for some stations in south Wales - I wonder if they've thought of being able to link railcards to this. Probably not, but I'll put the thought in their minds!

Thanks for your comments

gcowboy

Can the Senior Railcard be added to two Oyster Cards? If one has a normal Oyster and a 60+ Oyster, for instance.

Jaybee_16

gcowboy said:

Can the Senior Railcard be added to two Oyster Cards? If one has a normal Oyster and a 60+ Oyster, for instance.

I thought the 60+ Oystercard gave free travel, so no reason to link it to a senior railcard.

Humbleb4

The newsletter this week overestimated the number of Londoners who are missing out on savings. Many senior railcard holders in London will already have Freedom passes or 60 plus oyster cards for off peak travel.