Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2017 23:02:12 GMT
I have another question about Oystercards! I have a very old Oystercard which I use to travel on the underground. It probably dates back to 2004!
It still seems to work OK with all ticket barriers but I was recently reading about improvements in new Oystercard technology which mean that cards purchased today have much better security features. Can anyone give more detail about this and what it means to the commuter? Would there be any practical advantage in me transfering my products to a newer Oystercard?
|
|
|
|
Post by snoggle on Mar 1, 2017 23:38:30 GMT
I have another question about Oystercards! I have a very old Oystercard which I use to travel on the underground. It probably dates back to 2004! It still seems to work OK with all ticket barriers but I was recently reading about improvements in new Oystercard technology which mean that cards purchased today have much better security features. Can anyone give more detail about this and what it means to the commuter? Would there be any practical advantage in me transfering my products to a newer Oystercard? If my memory is working the original smartcard model used for Oyster was the Mifare card. This was later replaced by the Desfire card. I understand the Desfire is less susceptible to some forms of fraud / copying than the original Mifare card. As TfL has not instituted a formal programme of card replacement I would not be overly concerned about the card security issue. The only imponderable in all this is quite how TfL are changing the Oyster system to migrate it. I originally thought this meant TfL would institute a formal card swap out programme to move every card holder from both Mifare / Desfire to a new form of Oyster card. As ticket offices have been closed down across the LU network this removed a key way of handling a card swap out programme reasonably effectively. However there are still many people in possession of Oyster cards who never go near the Underground and did not obtain their card that way. Quite how a card swap out programme could be put together for these people is quite a challenge. When you throw in vast numbers of cards that are not registered and not even in the London area then it all gets harder still. My guess, and it is only a guess, is that TfL have reassessed or are reassessing how current Oyster cards will work with the "Back room system" and avoid / reduce the need for any form of card swap out. As I say that's a guess from reading between the lines of a few snippets of information I have seen. When / if TfL decide to do something then by all means follow their guidance about your Oyster Card but don't be surprised if you hear nothing about a card swap programme. In the meantime keep using your Oyster Card and only swap it out if it starts to become unreliable - regularly missed reads or errors when touching in / out. I am sure others on the Forum will correct any / all of the above if I have got anything wrong.  |
|
rincew1nd
Administrator
Junior Under-wizzard of quiz
Posts: 10,286 
Member is Online
|
Post by rincew1nd on Mar 1, 2017 23:59:34 GMT
Old Oyster cards are becoming collectors items in their own right, I understand that the colour of the roundel is relevant.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2017 0:14:41 GMT
Thanks for the replies and information! As my Oyster card is still working OK at the moment I will not change it.
Interesting that old Oyster cards are becoming collectors items! Can you give any more details about this?
|
|
Antje
侵略! S系, でゲソ! The Tube comes from the bottom of London!
Posts: 605
|
Post by Antje on Mar 3, 2017 6:26:57 GMT
If it has a single red or white roundel, the card can go on eBay for at least double digits if there is demand. I don't know why it does, but I have the latter.
|
|
|
|
Post by MoreToJack on Mar 3, 2017 10:23:06 GMT
Old Oyster cards are only worth as much as people will pay for them. Any 'single Roundel' card is "more valuable", any "special edition" card is more "valuable" still. The rarest is the Gold mk.1 Visitor card.
If your old Oyster is working stick with it. Although the new cards are more secure, this is a benefit to TfL and not a disbenefit to yourself. Your card will continue to work.
However, if you *do* want to get it replaced, approach any member of station staff. As long as it is lacking a D in a box on the back there will (should) be no questions asked - these older MiFare cards will become obsolete over the next few years, and many are failing.
|
|
|
|
Post by aslefshrugged on Mar 3, 2017 12:23:10 GMT
I've still got the old Oyster staff pass I was issued around 2000 or whenever, we got them a few years before they went public, its working fine.
|
|
|
|
Post by jimini on Mar 3, 2017 14:24:24 GMT
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2017 17:22:57 GMT
Do you mean that a member of station staff could potentially transfer the Oyster card at a station even without ticket facilities or would they give me another Oyster which I could transfer myself? Old Oyster cards are only worth as much as people will pay for them. Any 'single Roundel' card is "more valuable", any "special edition" card is more "valuable" still. The rarest is the Gold mk.1 Visitor card. If your old Oyster is working stick with it. Although the new cards are more secure, this is a benefit to TfL and not a disbenefit to yourself. Your card will continue to work. However, if you *do* want to get it replaced, approach any member of station staff. As long as it is lacking a D in a box on the back there will (should) be no questions asked - these older MiFare cards will become obsolete over the next few years, and many are failing.Thanks for the interesting information! |
|
|
|
Post by MoreToJack on Mar 3, 2017 22:18:25 GMT
Do you mean that a member of station staff could potentially transfer the Oyster card at a station even without ticket facilities or would they give me another Oyster which I could transfer myself? If the card is still read by the readers it will take less than a minute for a replication to be carried out. If it can't be read it can take up to twenty minutes for a manual verification and re=issue to be carried out. Every LU station has "ticket facilities". |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2017 0:48:51 GMT
I meant with the ticket offices now closed there could be more problems with requests like this? So a member of staff could do things like a oyster card transfer or can this be done on the ticket machines? Do you mean that a member of station staff could potentially transfer the Oyster card at a station even without ticket facilities or would they give me another Oyster which I could transfer myself? If the card is still read by the readers it will take less than a minute for a replication to be carried out. If it can't be read it can take up to twenty minutes for a manual verification and re=issue to be carried out. Every LU station has "ticket facilities". |
|
|
|
Post by snoggle on Mar 4, 2017 1:53:12 GMT
If the card is still read by the readers it will take less than a minute for a replication to be carried out. If it can't be read it can take up to twenty minutes for a manual verification and re=issue to be carried out. Every LU station has "ticket facilities". I meant with the ticket offices now closed there could be more problems with requests like this? So a member of staff could do things like a oyster card transfer or can this be done on the ticket machines? A lot (but not all) of the functions that the ticket office used to do can now be done via a staff log-on on the ticket machines. I recently had to have some discount entitlement details updated - took the chap a couple of minutes signed on to a ticket machine. I was dreading the process but the reality was very efficient. |
|
|
|
Post by MoreToJack on Mar 4, 2017 2:05:36 GMT
I meant with the ticket offices now closed there could be more problems with requests like this? So a member of staff could do things like a oyster card transfer or can this be done on the ticket machines? As I said. approach any member of station staff. All of the Oyster-related functionality previously available at a window is still available via staff - although if it's more unusual not all are fully confident in the use of the TOM (Ticket Office Machine; now the back-of-house system). Railcards etc. are one of the things that is vastly improved and sped up as a result of the closures. |
|
|
|
Post by stapler on Mar 4, 2017 8:18:19 GMT
Sorry, Jack, not sure what you mean by
<<railcards etc are one of the things that is vastly improved....">>
|
|
|
|
Post by miff on Mar 4, 2017 9:25:17 GMT
If it has a single red or white roundel, the card can go on eBay for at least double digits if there is demand. I don't know why it does, but I have the latter. Never knew that - I have a red one! Just looked on ebay - one sold recently for £51, and another is currently on 'buy it now' for £95, though I bet it won't sell at that price. |
|
rincew1nd
Administrator
Junior Under-wizzard of quiz
Posts: 10,286
Member is Online
|
Post by rincew1nd on Mar 4, 2017 9:42:56 GMT
Sorry, Jack, not sure what you mean by <<railcards etc are one of the things that is vastly improved....">> I *think* he means applying railcard discounts to an Oyster is now a simpler process. |
|
|
|
Post by MoreToJack on Mar 4, 2017 10:09:14 GMT
Exactly that. Apologies, in my sleep-deprived state I was overly brief.
The fact is that *any* member of station staff can now apply a railcard (or other) discount to an Oyster, and it's a very quick process. Under the old system you'd have to rely on one or more windows being open, and wait in what was often a much longer queue.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2017 10:46:28 GMT
I've still got the old Oyster staff pass I was issued around 2000 or whenever, we got them a few years before they went public, its working fine. Hang onto it, that seventeen year old Vintage Oyster card will become more valuable as time goes by, imagine it will be worth a lot by now, being older than 2004 when the general oyster cards came out. I am surprised that it still works after all these years of intensive daily usage..... |
|
|
|
Post by aslefshrugged on Mar 4, 2017 11:40:38 GMT
I've still got the old Oyster staff pass I was issued around 2000 or whenever, we got them a few years before they went public, its working fine. Hang onto it, that seventeen year old Vintage Oyster card will become more valuable as time goes by, imagine it will be worth a lot by now, being older than 2004 when the general oyster cards came out. I am surprised that it still works after all these years of intensive daily usage..... I moved from stations to trains 14 years ago so I only use it about twice a day to get the bus to and from Leytonstone, if its nice out and I'm not in a hurry I walk so it doesn't get used at all. Plus its a staff pass so I have to hang on to it as I'm supposed to have it on me for ID when working |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2017 9:21:42 GMT
I meant with the ticket offices now closed there could be more problems with requests like this? So a member of staff could do things like a oyster card transfer or can this be done on the ticket machines? As I said. approach any member of station staff. All of the Oyster-related functionality previously available at a window is still available via staff - although if it's more unusual not all are fully confident in the use of the TOM (Ticket Office Machine; now the back-of-house system). Railcards etc. are one of the things that is vastly improved and sped up as a result of the closures. Thanks for the information here. I didn't know that station staff can still help with so many things even with the ticket offices now closed. |
|
|
|
Post by MoreToJack on Mar 5, 2017 10:44:06 GMT
Indeed. Although TfL publicity tended to make this clear, scaremongering from the Unions - and continually banging on about keeping offices open after they'd been closed and removed - has weakened the point.
It's far from perfect, but in many areas it's an improvement on what came before.
|
|
|
|
Post by spsmiler on Mar 7, 2017 14:44:02 GMT
Old Oyster cards are only worth as much as people will pay for them. Any 'single Roundel' card is "more valuable", any "special edition" card is more "valuable" still. The rarest is the Gold mk.1 Visitor card. If your old Oyster is working stick with it. Although the new cards are more secure, this is a benefit to TfL and not a disbenefit to yourself. Your card will continue to work. However, if you *do* want to get it replaced, approach any member of station staff. As long as it is lacking a D in a box on the back there will (should) be no questions asked - these older MiFare cards will become obsolete over the next few years, and many are failing. I have a single logo white Roundel card. Its a Mifare card and I still use it, sometimes. Out of interest I looked on eBay to see its potential value and was stunned by some of what what I saw. Quite a few people were asking £20 - £40 for Oystercards, sometimes just the one and other times a collection of Limited Edition cards. However, I did note someone offering a LU150 Limited Edition card for 99p plus £1.50 postage - and someone else offering another LU150 card at a whopping £140.00. Perhaps also noteworthy is that these are Desfire cards - at least mine is! The 99p card is far too cheap, I wonder if the seller realises that they probably could get more by returning it to TfL? I suppose that for a serious collector it would not matter if the Oyster card has been cancelled or has a large negative value on the PAYG e-purse. People wanting to actually use a card bought this way might think otherwise - but being realistic anyone buying an Oyster card to actually use would be far better off sourcing it from an official retailer, whether LU, TFL, an airline / Eurostar etc. If for no other reason than this way they can also be sure that the card's history is not going to land them in trouble. Unlike paper and card transport tickets RFID smart cards carry their history and status in an electronically readable format and if ever it was found that they were blocked because they had been reported stolen then even transport ticket collectors could find themselves in hot water. I say this because in the early days of Oyster I went out one day without my card so I bought what I assumed to be a brand new Oystercard from a newsagent shop. Later I discovered that it had actually been registered to someone else. Because it worked I guessed that it had not been reported stolen, nevertheless not wanting ownership of something that carries the name of someone who I did not know I took it to a station and asked for a refund - which was paid in cash. Simon |
|
