TfL Oyster and contactless

TfL Oyster and contactless

by Transport Trading Ltd.

325 ratings
71 reviews

Archived App

This is an archived listing of the app previously available on the App Store.

Although the app is no longer distributed by Apple, you can still view its description, screenshots, version history, ratings, and metadata for reference.

Details

  • Released
  • Updated
  • September 6, 2017
  • March 18, 2022
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About

Manage your London public transport payment cards on the go. Easily top up credit, purchase travelcards, and view your journey history. Receive notifications for low balances or expiring passes.

Top up pay as you go credit
Buy adult rate Travelcards and Bus & Tram Passes
View Oyster card and contactless journey history
Check contactless payments
Check pay as you go balance and season tickets
Receive balance and expiry notifications
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What users say

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What's New in TfL Oyster and contactless

1.3.10

March 18, 2022

We’ve made bug fixes to make the app easier to navigate

User reviews

Doesn’t function properly

The app is so badly run. It’s constantly glitching or days behind updating so you often go to check your balance and it’s not updated from hours or sometimes days ago, meaning your balance is incorrect. Also so unbelievably annoying that you can’t purchase an oyster using the oyster app. It doesn’t let you connect it to your railcard either and it makes you go to a station to do that but when you go to the stations they all have no clue what you’re talking about unless you go to Euston. And finally the top up action on the app doesn’t work!!! Also the view full history section doesn’t actually show your full history which is very annoying and stops me being able to show work or even check how much it costs me. Sorry for the rant but it bothers me so much that nothing on the app works! Whoever designed this app really needs to work on a lot of the glitches and iron out some of the issues I mentioned
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Useless card

I have to say it’s useless in many ways of ways especially considering it’s TFL AND ITS SERVICES, first the scan for the card doesn’t work (useless) second I toped up the 1,75 that I used the bus and didn’t have enough money and on the app says I still own 1,75 (but it shows my 1 month travel card) and says that I missed a touch in Manor House and that is not true… what a joke of an app and what a joke this TFL is.
In any opportunity they want to ROB someone’s money, just like the other day I thought I had lost my oyster/travel card and I bought a new one zone 1/2 for a week then I found my old one (I thought I was going to get 43 pound back NO 😂😂 the lines were close so I could contact TFL, but since I haven’t used the travel card I thought I would get my money, I was COMPLETELY WRONG l, as I checking on line I would have to pay 5 ADMIN FEE plus the 7 pounds making it 12, next day when I called them up from my 50 pounds they wanted to give me ONLY 20 they said even if I didn’t use it counts as if I had used it..: if that is not a robbery I don’t know what is that the costumer service they are all rude and useless only looking to help TFL to get our money, sorry not get literally ROB our money.

Before they closed the actual offices they used to deal with that in a better way, now FORGET ABOUT IT .
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Good but could be better

Like being able to view Oyster payments as it allows me to keep tabs on my travel budget easily. But not being able to use Apple Pay? Odd and v out of date. And why does the app log me out randomly then not allow me to access my saved passwords directly when I try to log in? All other apps I have allow me to view them (via biometric login), but for this one I have to click out, go into phone settings, find passwords, remember the very long scramble of letters and numbers etc that are saved there, go back to the oyster app and type it in. It won’t allow me to paste!!! A complete pain in the bum that could be easily sorted out. And don’t suggest I use my bank card. There are good reasons to keep my travel separate, primarily for budgeting purposes that the bank card system doesn’t allow me to see.
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Comically bad

The worst app I unfortunately have to use regularly. It actively reduces security. It’s not really a native app at all: just takes you to in-app browsers without any viewport adjustment meaning that mobile devices are treated like widescreen desktop browsers, so UI elements are frequently inaccessible. Preventing paste in the password field results in poorer security because it bars the use of password managers and leads to the use of easily memorable and therefore weak passwords. The card authentication window for Amex renders offscreen, making it impossible to perform multi factor authentication. The usability is pitiful. Payments are frequently dropped so on average it takes three or four attempts to process a payment. Even when payments are made there is no confirmation shown and not even a UI element allowing users to leave the screen so you have to force quit the application to review the balance and confirm if the payment has been successful. Messages are not dated so a message indicating low balance or a pending top up persist without any information about what event they pertain to, and there is no hint for how to dismiss ancient and irrelevant messages.
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Ok but could use some improvements

Like that I can top up my Oyster card and check balance without needing to touch the machines at the station or have to get there early to factor in the time to do this or a queue. Logging in is a bit hit and miss with Face ID and saved password, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I dislike that you have to enter your card details and it doesn’t just connect with Apple Pay to top up your card. What would be great is if you could add your Oyster card to your wallet and use that too via watch or phone. You also can’t remove your payment card details from the app which seems odd that you don’t have control of your own data. But it seems TfL aren’t interested in these obvious and basic improvements. Finally would be useful to be able to apple for refunds and such via the app like when you log in online to your oyster account.
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Developer apps

User experience

🐞

Reported Bugs

20 issues

Random logout occurring at inconvenient times

Bug

Password autofill not working with iOS Keychain

Bug

Paste functionality disabled in password fields

Bug

Journey history showing as blank despite active transactions

Bug

Balance display 24-48 hours out of sync

Bug

Payment processing failures requiring 3-4 attempts

Bug

No confirmation shown after successful payment

Bug

Amex authentication window rendering offscreen

Bug

App treating mobile devices as desktop browsers

Bug

Messages not dated causing confusion about relevance

Bug

Incomplete journey notifications not appearing in app

Bug

Text obscured by notch on iPhone 12+

Bug

Slow card swiping performance (laggy interface)

Bug

Account creation failing with cryptic error messages

Bug

Two-factor authentication code autofill not working

Bug

Duplicate charges appearing on card

Bug

Negative balance errors after top-up

Bug

App crashing on certain device configurations

Bug

Login errors with 'permission denied' messages

Bug

Card addition requiring multiple attempts before success

Bug

Requested Features

20 requests

Apple Wallet/Apple Pay integration for contactless payments

Feature

Google Wallet support for digital card storage

Feature

Journey planner integrated into app

Feature

Railcard linking functionality

Feature

Touch and go payment directly from app

Feature

Payment card management (add/remove/update cards)

Feature

Instant top-up processing without delays

Feature

Biometric login (Face ID/Touch ID) support

Feature

Support for visitor and student photo cards

Feature

Ability to set default payment card

Feature

iPad support and better device optimization

Feature

Accessibility features for visually impaired users

Feature

Support for non-UK credit cards and addresses

Feature

Refund request functionality within app

Feature

Better password autofill and paste support

Feature

Dated messages for transaction history

Feature

Ability to reorder cards in app display

Feature

In-app incomplete journey resolution

Feature

Real-time balance updates

Feature

Account access from outside UK

Feature

FAQ

What can I do with the TfL Oyster and contactless app?

The app allows you to manage your adult Oyster and contactless cards for London's public transport. You can top up pay as you go credit, buy various types of travelcards and bus passes, view your journey history, and check your balance. It also provides notifications for low balances or expiring passes.

How do I collect my top-up or travelcard purchase?

After topping up credit or buying a travelcard/bus pass, it will be available to collect after 30 minutes. You need to touch your Oyster card on a yellow card reader as part of a journey on any London bus, or at any Tube, DLR, London Overground, TfL Rail, or National Rail station within the pay as you go area, tram stop, or River Bus pier.

Is the app free to use?

Yes, the TfL Oyster and contactless app is free to download and use. There are no in-app purchases or subscription fees required to manage your Oyster and contactless cards.

What devices is the app compatible with?

The app is designed for managing your Oyster and contactless cards. For security reasons, it is not supported on jailbroken devices. You can also scan your payment card using your device's camera, or enter the details manually.

Can I use this app for discounted tickets or photocards?

Currently, you cannot add Oyster photocards to this app, nor can you buy discounted tickets through the app. The app is primarily for managing adult rate travelcards and pay as you go credit for standard Oyster and contactless payments.