Oyster updates its services to allow customers to top-up anywhere

These updates allow anyone who uses the new TfL app or Oyster Online to buy pay as you go, Bus and Tram Passes or Travelcards to add it to their Oyster card from any yellow card reader 30 minutes after purchase.

This means that passengers can update their card when travelling on any of London’s 9,000 buses, or any Tube or rail station, tram stop or River Bus pier as part of their journey.

“The huge success of the Oyster card has shown how innovation can make a real difference to people’s day-to-day lives,” said London’s Chief Digital Officer, Theo Blackwell. “The Mayor and I are determined to use smart technology to make London an even better place to live, work and visit, and this TfL app is a great example of how a simple improvement can make travelling around our capital even easier.”

These updates come a month after Oyster launched its new app which allows customers to easily check their pay as you go balance and top up their card with just a few taps on their smartphone, with more than 100,000 customers already downloading the app.

“The Oyster card is synonymous with London and has transformed the way people travel by allowing them to pay as you go with minimum effort,” added Shashi Verma, Chief Technology Officer at TfL. “These latest improvements allow customers to collect their travel products from anywhere on the TfL network after just 30 minutes – making the commute or visit to see friends and family quicker and convenient. As smartphones become an increasingly essential part of our customers’ lives, we will continue to develop our app and add new features to help everyone get around London.”

Throughout 2018, further updates to the Oyster and Contactless system will also be introduced, including:

• Expanding the Mayor’s ‘Hopper fare’ to allow unlimited journeys on buses and trams within an hour in early 2018
• Adding the ability to view journey history for Contactless payments through the TfL app
• Introducing weekly capping on Oyster to bring it in line with Contactless
• Introducing pay as you go to cover the Elizabeth line, which once fully open will see services running from Reading and Heathrow in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east by December 2019.

To use the new TfL app, customers need to have a blue Oyster card and an Oyster Online account, which can be set up in a few minutes directly within the app or by visiting http://oyster.tfl.gov.uk.

As well offering access to the new app, Oyster Online also gives access to email updates on service changes on their regular route and protects their Oyster card against any loss or theft.