18+ Student Oyster photocard

You can report your 18+ Student Oyster photocard as lost, stolen or damaged online. Once reported, we'll stop it and send you a replacement that includes any Travelcard, Bus & Tram Pass and/or pay as you credit on your lost or stolen card. You'll need to pay a £10 admin fee to get a replacement.

If you are having difficulties reporting your Oyster photocard as lost, stolen or damaged online, you can call us on 0343 222 1234 (Monday - Sunday, 08:00-20:00).

In some cases, you may be able to claim a refund when your 18+ Student Oyster photocard is lost or stolen. Go to the 'how to claim a refund' section of this page to find out more.

Faulty 18+ Student Oyster photocard

If your 18+ Student Oyster photocard doesn't work when you touch it on a yellow card reader, it may be faulty.

If the card has no visible damage such as scratches, cracks and bends you can get it replaced for free. We will transfer any Travelcard, Bus & Tram Pass and/or pay as you go credit you had on to your replacement Oyster photocard and post it to you.

Call us on 0343 222 1234 (Monday - Sunday, 08:00-20:00) to report your card as faulty. If the card does have visible damage or is lost, you will have to pay a £10 card fee to get a replacement. We may ask you to send us the failed 18+ Student Oyster photocard to confirm that it is faulty.

Your Oyster photocard may also not be working because:

• Your concessionary travel has been stopped because your education establishment has reported that you are no longer eligible for the scheme. Check with your education establishment first
• You have a negative pay as you go balance. You'll need to top up before you can travel. Check your balance at Tube station ticket machines, ticket offices or at Oyster Ticket Stops

In some cases, you may be able to claim a refund when your 18+ Student Oyster photocard is faulty. Go to the 'how to claim a refund' and section of this page to find out more.

Changing your photo

If the photo on your 18+ Student Oyster photocard photo is faded or has started to fade, or your appearance has changed, you must change your photo immediately or your Oyster photocard may not be accepted for travel.

You can change your Oyster photocard photo online. You'll need to pay a £10 admin fee to change your photo.

The photograph you use must be a true likeness of you and show all of your face. You should not be wearing anything that covers your head, unless worn for medical or religious reasons. If you are having trouble changing your photo online, call us on 0343 222 1234 (Monday - Sunday, 08:00-20:00).

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There are different scenarios when you can claim a refund for or against a season ticket and/or pay as you go credit on your 18+ Student Oyster photocard.

Can I claim for a refund if I don't need my season ticket anymore?

We will normally refund the remaining value of a Travelcard or Bus & Tram Pass season ticket that you no longer need, but as soon as you've stopped using it, you should:

• Cancel your ticket or surrender your Oyster card at a Tube station ticket office
• Post us your Oyster card
• Call our customer services team

Go to the 'how to claim a refund' section for details on how to contact us.

If you post us your photocard it will be cancelled. If you still need a photocard, you'll have to re-apply for a new one and pay the £10 application fee.

Can I claim for a refund if my 18+ Student Oyster photocard has been lost?

We will not refund any fares paid before you reported your 18+ Student Oyster photocard lost or while you are waiting for your replacement photocard to arrive.

Can I claim for a refund if my 18+ Student Oyster photocard has been stolen or destroyed by fire?

We will not refund any fares paid before you reported your 18+ Student Oyster photocard stolen or destroyed, or while you are waiting for your replacement photocard to arrive.

We will consider a refund of the £10 application fee if you provide:

• A copy of the crime reference report or,
• A letter to prove it has been destroyed from the fire service or an insurance company

Can I claim for a refund if I left my 18+ Student Oyster photocard, with a valid season ticket, at home or mislaid it?

If you have a valid Travelcard or Bus & Tram Pass on your 18+ Student Oyster photocard and leave it at home, or temporarily mislay it, we will consider giving you refund.

You must provide original tickets or receipts for fares you paid on the day you were without your 18+ Student Oyster card. Once provided, we will refund you the pro rata day value of your Travelcard.

You can't get a refund if your 18+ Student Oyster photocard:

• Was used on the day your claim was made from
• Only has pay as you go credit on it

You can only claim this refund up to twice in 12 months

Can I claim for a refund when I can't use my season ticket on my 18+ Student Oyster photocard due to illness?

If your Oyster card has a valid Travelcard or Bus & Tram Pass on it and illness prevents you from using it, we will consider a refund if you either:

• Cancel your ticket or hand your 18+ Student Oyster photocard in to a Tube station ticket office immediately
• Post us your photocard
• Call our customer services team

Go to the 'how to claim' run section for details on how to contact us.

If you're unable to do this, you'll need write to us and confirm the start date of your illness, and provide a medical certificate. If you don't have a medical certificate we may accept other proof, such as a letter from your employer on their headed paper.

If your ticket is cancelled, or your Oyster photocard is returned to us or it is stopped within six weeks after the start of your illness, we'll calculate the refund from the start date of your illness. However, if it's more than six weeks, we'll calculate your refund on the basis of your season ticket having last been used six weeks prior to the surrender/cancellation date.

You can't apply for a refund due to illness if you only have pay as you go credit on your Oyster photocard. 

We charge a £5 admin fee to process this type of refund

Can I claim for a refund when my 18+ Student Oyster photocard is faulty?

If your Oyster photocard stops working we will consider giving you a refund.  If you send your faulty Oyster photocard in to us we will consider a refund of any tickets you've bought from the date you reported your card faulty until we issue a replacement.  You must provide original tickets or receipts of fares for proof of travel.

Do not cut up your photocard before you send it to us.

If you do not send your undamaged faulty photocard in to us we will not issue a refund.

Changing zones on your Travelcard?

If your Travelcard is valid for more than a month, you can change it for one with fewer or more zones.

Reducing the number of zones on your Travelcard
To do this you need to:

• Download and complete a Season Ticket Altered Availability Form 
• Take it and your 18+ Student Oyster photocard to your nearest Tube station ticket office

The current Travelcard on your Oyster card will be cancelled and a new Travelcard for the required zones will be added. Our customer services team will calculate if any refund is due and contact you. We charge a £5 admin fee to process this.

Adding more zones on your Travelcard
To do this you need to:

• Download and complete a Season Ticket Altered Availability Form 
• Take the form and your Oyster card to your nearest Tube station ticket office

The cost of adding more zones to your Travelcard will be calculated by our customer services team. Once calculated, they will call and tell you when and where the new Travelcard can be added to your 18+ Student Oyster photocard. A £5 admin fee will be charged.

Call our customer services team

You can call us on 0343 222 1234 between 08:00 - 20:00, Monday to Sunday (including public holidays)

When you call, you will need to confirm that you are the owner of the Oyster photocard you are calling about by providing the following details: 

• Your Oyster photocard number
• The answer to the security question you selected when you applied for your Oyster photocard If you don't know, or have this information, a member of our customer services team will ask you some other questions to find your card and identify you as the owner.
  

By Post

If you are claiming a refund by post you need to download and complete a 'Application for Refund' form.

Send your complete form, along with any tickets, supporting evidence or your 18+ Student Oyster photocard to: TfL Customer Services, 14 Pier Walk, 4th Floor, London, SE10 0ES.

At a Tube station ticket office

The following type of refunds can be processed, while you wait, at a Tube station ticket office:

• Refunds of pay as you go credit
• Refund of a Travelcard or a Bus & Tram Pass season ticket issued on an Oyster card or a printed season ticket (you will be charged an admin fee)

You can't get a refund at a Tube station ticket if you have paid for tickets or pay as you go credit or your 18+ Student Oyster photocard with different debit or credit cards and cash. The maximum cash refund value at a Tube station ticket office is £250.

Download an Application for Refund form,complete the form, along with any tickets or supporting evidence and take it to your nearest Tube station ticket office. You will be asked to provide proof of your name and address.