Pixelbox

A few times a week I find myself in the unfortunate situation of being pressed up against the back of someone whos Oyster card has failed to scan and consequently the gates to the tube failed to let them through. Having to catch the Northern line I spend enough time squashed up against people and it really annoys me when I have the unexpected "bonus squash" before I have even got onto the platform. So I intend to spread the word about how to use your Oyster card properly and avoid adding extra annoyance to your fellow passengers. 1. Get your Oyster card ready before you get to the barrier - no one wants to wait for you to rummage around in your bag in rush hour. 2. Put your Oyster card on the outside pocket in your wallet - You may have seen other people just scanning their wallet but it doesn't mean you should just try to see if yours works... Make sure it is kept away from other debit/credit cards and as close to the reader as possible when you scan it. 3. Don't keep trying if it fails - If your Oyster card fails to scan, don't try again straight away they have a delay before they will be read again. So step out of the way and then re-join the queue. 4. Keep it away from you phone - Oyster cards use passive RFID tags which can be sensitive to other radio waves. So store them separately just to be sure. 5. Keep it topped up - There are loads of ways on the TFL site on how to auto top up your Oyster card. No need to put just £5 on at a time now is there!