Pay-As-You-Go Oyster questions

I’m going to be using a Pay as You Go Oyster card when I am in London from 10 Dec – 14 Dec and again 28 Dec – 30 Dec.  Because of my travel plans and scheduled activities while in London it doesn’t make sense to get a week pass or even a daily pass.   

Here are some questions:

Do I get the £3 deposit back when I am done using the card?

How do I know how much credit I have left on the card?  I’d hate to be in the middle of a journey and then not be able to get out of the tube station because I don’t have enough on the pass!

If I have extra £’s on the pass at the end of my time in London can I get that amount refunded to me? 

I don't know about the £3 but whenever you touch your card to the reader, it will tell you the balance.  Not at every station though.  If you have enough money for a single journey, the turnstile will let you in, if you dont then it wont.  If for some reason you do run out of money, they turnstile will still let you out, you'll just have to top up before the next journey.  Does that make sense?

June

One more thing, you only pay for two journeys in one day, equaling the price of a day travelcard.  I believe this comes to £5 something but the price varies according to the number of zones you're crossing.  If you were to buy the tickets at a machine and chose a "return" ticket, it would dispense a day travelcard.

June

One more thing, you only pay for two journeys in one day, equaling the price of a day travelcard.  I believe this comes to £5 something but the price varies according to the number of zones you're crossing.  If you were to buy the tickets at a machine and chose a "return" ticket, it would dispense a day travelcard.

I'm not sure I'm following this.  Are you talking about the fact that if I use pay-as-you-go I'll never be charged more than the equivalent day pass?   That part I understand. 

That's what I mean.  But I guess you already knew that

You don't get your £3 back but you can use your card as much or as little as you want when you are in the city.  You don't get your money back though, as far as I know so don't top up more than you are going to use. 

You can also check in many stations at specific booths - you'll see that they have a round yellow button on it...you scan the oyster card & it tells you how much you have...then you can also add to the card if needed.

You will get your 3 pound deposit back if you return the card to the station - they are meant to do that at least.  I have done it before.

Thanks for all the replies.  Since it sounds like I can get my £3 deposit back, I think I'll go with the Oyster card.   I can ask more questions on Sunday if I see you at LaTasca!  I hope we make it. 

Since you're talking about getting the deposit back, I assume you're not moving to London, however - if you're planning to travel in London even a few times a year (I can't remember if you're moving to the UK or if you're just visiting), it might be worth hanging on to your Oyster card.  I live 300 miles from London but I'm in the city often enough (visiting friends, taking the train down to catch a flight from Heathrow, etc.) that I find having an Oyster very useful - as long as I keep a bit of credit on it, I don't have to fight the huge lines at the King's Cross tube station and can just be on my merry way when I get to London, which saves at least 15 minutes, and it's a much less messy way to travel overall.  Just a thought!