£223 million left on oyster cards by London passengers

Some tourists like to take home their Oyster cards as a memento of London, others pass them on to friends or anyone who might need one.  Either way Transport for London has announced it has nearly a quarter of a billion pounds in unused Oyster money. TFL were criticised for not reminding holders they have unused money on their cards.

If unused for 12 months Oysters are officially “dormant”.  There are now 41,826,317 such cards and the number is increasing.

A London Assembly Lib Dem leader pointed out that people are always entitled to claim their money back from these Oysters.  With contactless payment now so popular the amount of unused money has soared. Ms Pidgeon commented, “TFL needs to run a campaign promoting how the public can easily claim back their own money.  It should also stop peddling the misleading claim that many people are not claiming back their deposits and money left on Oysters as they wish to keep them as souvenirs of their visit to London”.

They can still keep their cards even if the money is claimed back.

Oysters require a £5 deposit with fares loaded on top. Customer services for Oyster can be contacted on 0343 2221234.  Contactless bank cards can also be used rather than topping up credit.