TKD wrote:

You need to go to your *nominated* station or it gets refunded.

Also in that case auto top up would not be set up on your card.

Yes, the Oystercard website makes that bit clear enough.

Having tried this yesterday, I can answer my original question - which
was "will I be charged for a journey when swiping my card to receive my
auto top-up instruction?" - the answer is "yes". The barriers open
immediately upon loading the top-up.

If you just want to swipe the card to load the auto top-up instruction,
but you don't want to make a tube journey, you'll then need to go to a
ticket window and have the new journey cancelled.

fatherivy wrote:
TKD wrote:

You need to go to your *nominated* station or it gets refunded.

Also in that case auto top up would not be set up on your card.


Yes, the Oystercard website makes that bit clear enough.

Having tried this yesterday, I can answer my original question - which
was "will I be charged for a journey when swiping my card to receive my
auto top-up instruction?" - the answer is "yes". The barriers open
immediately upon loading the top-up.

If you just want to swipe the card to load the auto top-up instruction,
but you don't want to make a tube journey, you'll then need to go to a
ticket window and have the new journey cancelled.

In which case, you might as well have queued at the window for the top-up.

Dave Newt wrote:
fatherivy wrote:

If you just want to swipe the card to load the auto top-up instruction,
but you don't want to make a tube journey, you'll then need to go to a
ticket window and have the new journey cancelled.


In which case, you might as well have queued at the window for the top-up.

Indeed, however the instructions were that you had to collect the auto
top-up instruction from a *barrier* and not a ticket machine. I assumed
that meant you couldn't collect it from a window either.

fatherivy wrote:
Dave Newt wrote:

fatherivy wrote:

If you just want to swipe the card to load the auto top-up instruction,
but you don't want to make a tube journey, you'll then need to go to a
ticket window and have the new journey cancelled.


In which case, you might as well have queued at the window for the top-up.


Indeed, however the instructions were that you had to collect the auto
top-up instruction from a *barrier* and not a ticket machine. I assumed
that meant you couldn't collect it from a window either.

You're right - I meant why bother with doing the online transaction at
all if you have to queue up at a window anyway because of the slightly
shambolic loading system.

Dave Newt wrote:
fatherivy wrote:
Dave Newt wrote:

fatherivy wrote:

If you just want to swipe the card to load the auto top-up instruction,
but you don't want to make a tube journey, you'll then need to go to a
ticket window and have the new journey cancelled.


In which case, you might as well have queued at the window for the top-up.


Indeed, however the instructions were that you had to collect the auto
top-up instruction from a *barrier* and not a ticket machine. I assumed
that meant you couldn't collect it from a window either.

You're right - I meant why bother with doing the online transaction at
all if you have to queue up at a window anyway because of the slightly
shambolic loading system.

It's not shambolic - it's just intended for people who actulally use
the Tube.