Oyster virgin - be gentle
 

Hi All, Having finally decided to get one of these PAYG cards, it arrived
today. I was under the impression from what I read on the website that it
would come with a photocard that I could attach my own photo to.

It didn't of course and I suppose when I phoned the helpline I shouldn't
have been surprised that it was down due to "a technical problem"

Is is always so painful the first time?

Jeff

Oyster virgin - be gentle
 

"Jeff Mowatt" wrote in message
...
Hi All, Having finally decided to get one of these PAYG cards, it arrived
today. I was under the impression from what I read on the website that it
would come with a photocard that I could attach my own photo to.

It didn't of course and I suppose when I phoned the helpline I shouldn't
have been surprised that it was down due to "a technical problem"

Is is always so painful the first time?

If you are only using the prepay feature then you do not need a photocard.
You only need one if you load a season ticket onto it.

Peter Smyth

Oyster virgin - be gentle
 

Peter Smyth wrote to uk.transport.london on Fri, 31 Dec 2004:

If you are only using the prepay feature then you do not need a photocard.
You only need one if you load a season ticket onto it.

Actually, since you never actually have to open the wallet, how do
"they" know whether you have a valid photocard or not?
--
"Mrs Redboots"
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/
Website updated 18 December 2004

Oyster virgin - be gentle
 

In article ,
Mrs Redboots wrote:
Peter Smyth wrote to uk.transport.london on Fri, 31 Dec 2004:

If you are only using the prepay feature then you do not need a photocard.
You only need one if you load a season ticket onto it.

Actually, since you never actually have to open the wallet, how do
"they" know whether you have a valid photocard or not?

I've been asked for the photocard once. (It's been checked by a person
about two dozen times in the same period).

--
Mike Bristow - really a very good driver

Oyster virgin - be gentle
 

Mrs Redboots wrote:
Actually, since you never actually have to open the wallet, how do
"they" know whether you have a valid photocard or not?


Has anyone gotten round to sewing their Oystercard into their coat
sleeve? You could keep the photo card seperate just in case and as
long as you don't need to pass the card through a ticket window you
should be ok - surely?

Oyster virgin - be gentle
 

Has anyone gotten round to sewing their Oystercard into their coat
sleeve? You could keep the photo card seperate just in case and as
long as you don't need to pass the card through a ticket window you
should be ok - surely?

I've seen women with it in the bottom of their handbags, they just plonk the
whole handbag on the reader pad, or more often have to tip everything out
holding everyone else up when it doens't work ;)

I found the other night I can't keep my Oyster in the same wallet as my
works ID (which also has an embedded chip to get me in and out of
buildings) - the Oyster pad reads the works ID and ignores the Oyster. It
flashes up a code 70 (read error - re-present card). Putting it on a ticket
machine shows "Your smartcard is not initialised for Prestige". The system
at work ignores the Oyster card totally.

Oh well, it's progress I guess, but not as we know it ;) I'm sure a silver
foil pad would make the wallet work one way for Oyster, the other way for
work ID ...

Cheers,
Dave

Oyster virgin - be gentle
 

wrote to uk.transport.london on Sat, 1 Jan 2005:

Has anyone gotten round to sewing their Oystercard into their coat
sleeve? You could keep the photo card seperate just in case and as
long as you don't need to pass the card through a ticket window you
should be ok - surely?

I haven't done that, as I wear more than one coat (not at a time!). But
I do keep it in the front flap of my hand-bag, and only take it out on a
Routemaster, as I can't manipulate my bag on to a conductor's tiny
reader!
--
"Mrs Redboots"
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/
Website updated 18 December 2004

Oyster virgin - be gentle
 

On Sun, 2 Jan 2005 14:09:15 +0000, Mrs Redboots
wrote in :

I haven't done that, as I wear more than one coat (not at a time!). But
I do keep it in the front flap of my hand-bag, and only take it out on a
Routemaster, as I can't manipulate my bag on to a conductor's tiny
reader!

You British and your euphemisms!

--
Ivan Reid, Electronic & Computer Engineering, ___ CMS Collaboration,
Brunel University. Room 40-1-B12, CERN
KotPT -- "for stupidity above and beyond the call of duty".

Oyster virgin - be gentle
 

Dr Ivan D. Reid wrote to uk.transport.london on Sun, 2 Jan 2005:

On Sun, 2 Jan 2005 14:09:15 +0000, Mrs Redboots
wrote in :

I haven't done that, as I wear more than one coat (not at a time!). But
I do keep it in the front flap of my hand-bag, and only take it out on a
Routemaster, as I can't manipulate my bag on to a conductor's tiny
reader!

You British and your euphemisms!

Giggle H'm - I hope you don't mean what I think you mean...... because
I certainly didn't mean what I think you thought I meant.
--
"Mrs Redboots"
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/
Website updated 2 January 2005

Oyster virgin - be gentle
 

"Dave Plumb" wrote in
:

Has anyone gotten round to sewing their Oystercard into their coat
sleeve? You could keep the photo card seperate just in case and as
long as you don't need to pass the card through a ticket window you
should be ok - surely?

For a while now I've been tempted to do something like that so that the
Oyster sits somewhere halfway up my forearm, and then go to one of the
more touristy central London tube stations and go through the barriers
by waving my arm over the oyster scanner and at just the right moment
clicking my fingers with a flourish. Very puerile but I'd love to see
the expression on people's faces!

I've seen women with it in the bottom of their handbags, they just
plonk the whole handbag on the reader pad, or more often have to tip
everything out holding everyone else up when it doens't work ;)

By wife does this (puts the Oyster in her handbag and plonks that on the
reader). She tells me it's never not worked -- but then she's got a
small compartment on the front of the handbag which it lives in, rather
than being in the main bit of the bag where it can get mixed up with
everything else.

I found the other night I can't keep my Oyster in the same wallet as
my works ID (which also has an embedded chip to get me in and out of
buildings) - the Oyster pad reads the works ID and ignores the
Oyster. It flashes up a code 70 (read error - re-present card).
Putting it on a ticket machine shows "Your smartcard is not
initialised for Prestige". The system at work ignores the Oyster card
totally.

This is what really prompted me to reply to this thread. My workplace
also uses an embedded-chip smartcard to get through doors and it works
in a very similar way to Oyster -- simply wave the card within a couple
of centimetres of the reader and the door opens. I was wondering if any
problems would be caused if I also put the Oyster into the holder for my
works ID ... and it looks like it would. Oh well, so much for that idea.

Oh well, it's progress I guess, but not as we know it ;) I'm sure a
silver foil pad would make the wallet work one way for Oyster, the
other way for work ID ...

With the added bonus that "they" wouldn't be able to read the secret
information from your card from afar with their Evil Scanning Devices :)

Iain