Transport for LondonUsing Oyster online
- Check what's on your Oyster card
- Set up Auto top-up
- Protect your Oyster card
- See your Oyster journey history
- Apply for a refund
Setting up an Oyster online account
To set up an Oyster online account you'll need to provide:
- Your name
- Your address
- An active, valid email address
- Your Oyster card number
You can't set up an Oyster online account if you have an Oyster photocard, Freedom Pass or Visitor Oyster card.
If you don't have an Oyster card, you can get one online and set up an Oyster online account at the same time:
If you're visiting London, you can buy a Visitor Oyster card online from our Visitor shop
Features of Oyster online
Check what's on your Oyster card and top up online
You can check how much pay as you go credit you have and top it up. You can also check when the Travelcard or Bus & Tram Pass on your Oyster card expires and renew your Travelcard.
Auto top-up
Auto top-up makes sure you never run out of pay as you go credit by automatically topping up your Oyster card with money from your credit or debit card, whenever your pay as you go balance falls below £10.
Your card is automatically topped up when you touch your Oyster card on a yellow card reader at the start or end of a journey on bus, Tube, tram, DLR, London Overground or National Rail services.
How to set up Auto top-up
- Create or log in to your Oyster online account
- Select 'add/renew/top-up ticket' and then 'pay as you go with Auto top-up'
- Add some pay as you go credit (minimum £10)
- Select a Auto top-up amount (£20 or £40)
- Choose a station or tram stop from the dropdown list for where you want to activate Auto top-up
- You need to activate within eight days
Activating Auto top-up
To activate Auto top-up, touch your Oyster card on the yellow card reader at the start or end of your journey at the station or tram stop you selected. You can't activate Auto top-up on buses.
If you activate Auto top-up on your Oyster card but don't make a journey, or if you don't touch out, you'll get charged a maximum Oyster fare of up to £8.30.
You only need to activate Auto top-up once. Your Oyster card will then top-up automatically when you travel.
Managing Auto top-up
You can manage your Auto top-up settings online. You can:
- Change your Auto top-up amount
- Change the credit/debit card you use to pay for Auto top-up
- Settle a failed Auto top-up payment
- Cancel Auto top-up
Log in to your Oyster online account and select the 'Manage Auto top-up' tab. Follow the on-screen instructions.
Protect your Oyster card
Protect your Oyster card by adding it to your Oyster online account. Protecting your Oyster card means that no one can use your pay as you go credit, Travelcard or Bus & Tram Pass on your Oyster card once you've reported it as lost or stolen.
Find out more about reporting your Oyster card lost or stolen
Journey history
Log in to your Oyster online account to see the journeys you've made using pay as you go, a Travelcard or a Bus & Tram Pass.
See all the journeys you have made right up to the end of the previous day. You can see up to eight weeks worth of journey history and select which week you want to view. Your journey history can be downloaded as a csv text file, which can be used with most spreadsheet/database applications.
You can also get your journey history emailed to you on a weekly or monthly basis.
You can only see your journey history from the day after you set up an Oyster online account.
Tell us what you think about the online journey history service
Online journey history icons and information explained
Online journey history icons and information explained
| Icon | Meaning | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Recent journeys | This will appear in the date header for any date within the past three days, to indicate that there may still be some data (such as bus journeys) that has not yet been received, or incomplete journeys that may later be shown as complete | |
| Capped fare | This indicates any journey where the daily price cap has been reached | |
| Extension Fare | This indicates that you have been charged for travelling outside the zones covered by your Travelcard | |
| This icon is used for all of the following situations: | ||
| Incomplete journey | This indicates that either the start or end of your journey was not recorded | |
| Continuation of previous journey |
You have not been charged for this journey because: | |
| Unspecified location | This indicates that we are unable to show where you touched in or touched out, although the location may appear later | |
| Pending transaction | This indicates that the transaction detail is not yet available. You may see this for some bus journeys, which can sometimes take a few days to appear online | |
Online refund applications
If you don't touch in at the start and out at the end of your journey on Tube, DLR, London Overground or National Rail services, you will have an incomplete journey and may be charged a maximum pay as you go fare. Find out more about touching in and out.
If you have an Oyster online account, you may be able to apply for a refund of the difference between the maximum fare charged and the actual fare for the journey you made.
To apply online for a refund:
- Log in to your account
- Check the card overview screen - you can only apply for a refund if your incomplete journey is displayed here
- Select the journey you want to apply for a refund on and follow the instructions on screen
- You can only apply for one incomplete journey refund per calendar month. You must apply within eight weeks of making the incomplete journey
Sometimes, you can't apply for a refund online for incomplete journeys. This may be because:
- We have processed an automatic refund for the journey
- The incomplete journey has been adjusted at a station
- Only adult, non-discounted fares are eligible
- There was a valid Travelcard on the Oyster card
