Now I can't top my Oyster card
 

Kadath Dragon wrote:
On 16 Apr, 13:05, redcat wrote:
Mizter T wrote:
On Apr 16, 8:20 am, wrote:
In article ,
(James Farrar) wrote:
redcat wrote:
Great. My husband and I each got Oyster cards last year and
filled them up on line. This year comes around and I want to fill
up the cards (we live in the US) and now a new bit of red tape in
the system prevents me from doing so, because my credit card
doesn't come with a UK address. Of course it doesn't. It didn't
last year, either. I'm ****ed.
Now I have to get a visitor card.
Or wait until you get to London and top up with cash?
Or with a credit card here, even?
Yes, that would work fine, and could be done at an Underground station
- either at the ticket office or one of the self-service ticket
machines.
I can't top it with a cc here, because for some odd reason when I bought
it last year (here, as offered by LT/Visit Britain) it required a UK
postal code. So, I put one in and the top up worked fine.

Now they want the exact address my cc is associated with. OK. But I
cannot enter a US zip code into that field. It requires a UK one and
rejects anything else.


I got an oyster 2 years ago when in London.
I registered it with my Italian address, putting the postcode of the
hotel I usually stay when in London. Everything is working fine since
then, even the auto top-up activated on an AMEX issued in Italy...

I tried a UK postal code, too. But it didn't take. I will try a
different one, since it seems to have worked with you and with another
poster in reverse.

cat

Now I can't top my Oyster card
 

Kadath Dragon wrote:


I got an oyster 2 years ago when in London.
I registered it with my Italian address, putting the postcode of the
hotel I usually stay when in London. Everything is working fine since
then, even the auto top-up activated on an AMEX issued in Italy...

OK, I tried this way and that and I keep getting:

Sorry, we are unable to process your payment at this time. This may be
because:

* Your payment address is incorrect
* Your telephone number is incorrect or has not been specified
* Your payment card will not authorise this transaction

Please ensure the details on your online account match those on your
payment card statement.

If you are unable to identify an error in the payment details you have
submitted, please contact your card issuer.

Now I can't top my Oyster card
 

redcat wrote:
Kadath Dragon wrote:


I got an oyster 2 years ago when in London.
I registered it with my Italian address, putting the postcode of the
hotel I usually stay when in London. Everything is working fine since
then, even the auto top-up activated on an AMEX issued in Italy...

OK, I tried this way and that and I keep getting:

Sorry, we are unable to process your payment at this time. This may be
because:

* Your payment address is incorrect
* Your telephone number is incorrect or has not been specified
* Your payment card will not authorise this transaction

Please ensure the details on your online account match those on your
payment card statement.

If you are unable to identify an error in the payment details you have
submitted, please contact your card issuer.


My "Final Answer":

I tried it every which way, using a London address, using an AmEx, and I
get the same message (as above).

The Oyster is tighter than Fort Knox :-)

Thanks for everyone's help!

cat

Now I can't top my Oyster card
 

On Apr 16, 12:36*pm, redcat wrote:
Peter Campbell Smith wrote:
You can certainly top an Oyster up at most, maybe all, Underground
stations using a credit card, but I'm not certain that it will accept a
US card, which won't have an embedded chip like ours have. *But the
machines were in use before we had chips and during the transitional
period when some had and some hadn't, so they may well still accept a
card with just a magstripe.

I don't think you should have a problem using any credit card at any
London Underground station - I'm not entirely sure about whether the
machines will accept chip-less cards, but the ticket office certainly
should. You can find ticket office opening times at
http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/im/SI-T.html and
http://tinyurl.com/tubeticket lists the cards accepted for ticket
purchases.


Oh, those darn chips. I had trouble with my lack of one last year at
some small out-of-town places. Hmmm. Thanks for the info!

While most UK-issued cards have a chip in them, merchants are still
allowed to accept cards with magnetic stripes only - as this page
explains: http://www.chipandpin.co.uk/business...ents/2005.html

Now I can't top my Oyster card
 

Martin Deutsch wrote:
On Apr 16, 12:36 pm, redcat wrote:
Peter Campbell Smith wrote:
You can certainly top an Oyster up at most, maybe all, Underground
stations using a credit card, but I'm not certain that it will accept a
US card, which won't have an embedded chip like ours have. But the
machines were in use before we had chips and during the transitional
period when some had and some hadn't, so they may well still accept a
card with just a magstripe.

I don't think you should have a problem using any credit card at any
London Underground station - I'm not entirely sure about whether the
machines will accept chip-less cards, but the ticket office certainly
should. You can find ticket office opening times at
http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/im/SI-T.html and
http://tinyurl.com/tubeticket lists the cards accepted for ticket
purchases.


Oh, those darn chips. I had trouble with my lack of one last year at
some small out-of-town places. Hmmm. Thanks for the info!

While most UK-issued cards have a chip in them, merchants are still
allowed to accept cards with magnetic stripes only - as this page
explains: http://www.chipandpin.co.uk/business...ents/2005.html

Thank you for those. The interactive map is very good. And I am somewhat
comforted by the chip information. But it says they've stopped upgrading
the page 3 years ago. Hopefully, it still holds that card machines
recognize the overseas magstrip/card and will allow me to sign.

I wish we could resort to thumb prints.

cat

Now I can't top my Oyster card
 

"redcat" wrote in message
m...
Martin Deutsch wrote:
On Apr 16, 12:36 pm, redcat wrote:
Peter Campbell Smith wrote:
You can certainly top an Oyster up at most, maybe all, Underground
stations using a credit card, but I'm not certain that it will accept a
US card, which won't have an embedded chip like ours have. But the
machines were in use before we had chips and during the transitional
period when some had and some hadn't, so they may well still accept a
card with just a magstripe.

I don't think you should have a problem using any credit card at any
London Underground station - I'm not entirely sure about whether the
machines will accept chip-less cards, but the ticket office certainly
should. You can find ticket office opening times at
http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/im/SI-T.html and
http://tinyurl.com/tubeticket lists the cards accepted for ticket
purchases.


Oh, those darn chips. I had trouble with my lack of one last year at
some small out-of-town places. Hmmm. Thanks for the info!

While most UK-issued cards have a chip in them, merchants are still
allowed to accept cards with magnetic stripes only - as this page
explains: http://www.chipandpin.co.uk/business...ents/2005.html

Thank you for those. The interactive map is very good. And I am somewhat
comforted by the chip information. But it says they've stopped upgrading
the page 3 years ago. Hopefully, it still holds that card machines
recognize the overseas magstrip/card and will allow me to sign.

I wish we could resort to thumb prints.

cat

When chip and pin was being introduced one of my local retailers said to me
here in the UK "I won't be able to accept anything except chip and pin from
14th February". "Really I said, what are you going to do if some comes in
with a chip and sign card" (they do exist for some disabled people). He
looked a little perplexed. "and", I continued "are you telling me that if
someone from outside the UK comes in with a chipless card tries to use it
you are going to refuse their business?". Next time I saw him he said that
he had phoned his acquirer and asked the questions I had posed and now had a
different view. Trouble is too many people are too parochial - he at least
was prepared to investigate and change his position.

I've just been in New Zealand where I got totally confused. I have a chip
and pin card. They would swipe it and the machine would usually say
something to the effect of "insert the chip". They did that and then
sometimes it would ask for my pin and others print something for me to sign.
On the odd occasion when it didn't tell them to insert the chip it would
usually print for me to sign but occasionally it would ask for my pin! The
local system seems to be no chip plus pin. On the one occasion when
someone couldn't grasp the chip and pin idea I asked them nicely to phone
their authorisation centre and after a bit of "don't know how to do that"
they did, got an explanation and accepted the card.

If there are any problems I always ask the retailer to call the acquirer to
ascertain the answer - works every time.

Now I can't top my Oyster card
 

I wish we could resort to thumb prints.


So muggers have an incentive to run off with my thumb as well as my
card? No thanks!



--
Robin

Now I can't top my Oyster card
 

On 16 Apr, 16:33, "Graham Harrison"
wrote:

I've just been in New Zealand where I got totally confused. * I have a chip
and pin card. * They would swipe it and the machine would usually say
something to the effect of "insert the chip". * They did that and then
sometimes it would ask for my pin and others print something for me to sign.
On the odd occasion when it didn't tell them to insert the chip it would
usually print for me to sign but occasionally it would ask for my pin! * The
local system seems to be no chip plus pin. * On the one occasion when
someone couldn't grasp the chip and pin idea I asked them nicely to phone
their authorisation centre and after a bit of "don't know how to do that"
they did, got an explanation and accepted the card.

If there are any problems I always ask the retailer to call the acquirer to
ascertain the answer - works every time.

I have some chip cards and some swipe cards, but in Italy the
transition to chip & pin has not even started. So when I come to the
UK and I give my chip card, most retailers give me automatically the
pinpad...but then the machine prints out the slip to be signed :-)

Now I can't top my Oyster card
 

Graham Harrison wrote:

"redcat" wrote in message
m...
Martin Deutsch wrote:
On Apr 16, 12:36 pm, redcat wrote:
Peter Campbell Smith wrote:
You can certainly top an Oyster up at most, maybe all, Underground
stations using a credit card, but I'm not certain that it will
accept a
US card, which won't have an embedded chip like ours have. But the
machines were in use before we had chips and during the transitional
period when some had and some hadn't, so they may well still accept a
card with just a magstripe.

I don't think you should have a problem using any credit card at any
London Underground station - I'm not entirely sure about whether the
machines will accept chip-less cards, but the ticket office certainly
should. You can find ticket office opening times at
http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/im/SI-T.html and
http://tinyurl.com/tubeticket lists the cards accepted for ticket
purchases.


Oh, those darn chips. I had trouble with my lack of one last year at
some small out-of-town places. Hmmm. Thanks for the info!

While most UK-issued cards have a chip in them, merchants are still
allowed to accept cards with magnetic stripes only - as this page
explains: http://www.chipandpin.co.uk/business...ents/2005.html

Thank you for those. The interactive map is very good. And I am
somewhat comforted by the chip information. But it says they've
stopped upgrading the page 3 years ago. Hopefully, it still holds that
card machines recognize the overseas magstrip/card and will allow me
to sign.

I wish we could resort to thumb prints.

cat

When chip and pin was being introduced one of my local retailers said to
me here in the UK "I won't be able to accept anything except chip and
pin from 14th February". "Really I said, what are you going to do if
some comes in with a chip and sign card" (they do exist for some
disabled people). He looked a little perplexed. "and", I continued
"are you telling me that if someone from outside the UK comes in with a
chipless card tries to use it you are going to refuse their
business?". Next time I saw him he said that he had phoned his
acquirer and asked the questions I had posed and now had a different
view. Trouble is too many people are too parochial - he at least was
prepared to investigate and change his position.

I've just been in New Zealand where I got totally confused. I have a
chip and pin card. They would swipe it and the machine would usually
say something to the effect of "insert the chip". They did that and
then sometimes it would ask for my pin and others print something for me
to sign. On the odd occasion when it didn't tell them to insert the chip
it would usually print for me to sign but occasionally it would ask for
my pin! The local system seems to be no chip plus pin. On the one
occasion when someone couldn't grasp the chip and pin idea I asked them
nicely to phone their authorisation centre and after a bit of "don't
know how to do that" they did, got an explanation and accepted the card.

If there are any problems I always ask the retailer to call the acquirer
to ascertain the answer - works every time.

You're absolutely right about the provincial part. It was in N. Wales
where the merchant refused my card. So, they were left with no sale. I
guess what it is was that we were dealing with clerks who were worried
about the boss's wrath if they made an executive decision on their own.

I have no chip; and I have no pin. Over here pins are only used for
debit cards, not credit cards.

Credit cards are such a boon to visitors who otherwise would need to
carry wads of cash. It's silly that places don't know how to deal with
foreign, chipless cards. I imagine when I'm back in those same places
this year, those shops will no longer be there. Just a feeling.

cat

Now I can't top my Oyster card
 

neverwas wrote:
I wish we could resort to thumb prints.


So muggers have an incentive to run off with my thumb as well as my
card? No thanks!



So, anyone carry ice could be perceived to be a mugger!