Yesterday TfL suddenly announced that the fee for an Oyster card will rise today from £5 to £7.
But what they didn't announce is that this a £7 rise, not a £2 rise, because you will never see that £7 again.
Oyster cards have been with us since 2003. Initially they were provided free, but in 2009 a refundable deposit of £3 was introduced and in 2011 this was increased to £5. No problem, you could always get your £5 back if you asked.
In 2020 the 'deposit' was renamed a 'fee' and was only returnable (as PAYG credit) if you were still using your Oyster card a year later. For Londoners this was probably fine, it'd generally only be tourists who wouldn't be around in a year's time to get their money back.
But as of today if you buy a new Oyster card you never get any of your money back, TfL keeps it all.
It's yet another nudge for passengers to swipe with contactless, as well as a guaranteed revenue stream to help fill TfL's coffers.
When I blogged about the introduction of a card fee in February 2020 I never thought it'd apply to me. But within a month lockdown hit so I needed to request a refund on my Travelcard and blam, my existing Oyster card was stopped. I had to buy a new one to continue with pay as you go, and only a year later did I get my fiver back. I used it for three trips on the District line, thanks for asking.
Yesterday a new Oyster card cost £5 and you'd get it back. Today it'll cost you £7 and you won't. This is what happens when a deposit is stealthily replaced by a fee and nobody mentions the ramifications.
