How to get an Oyster card refund 2026: balance and deposit

If your Oyster card holds money you no longer need, you can get it back. The method depends on how much is left and when the card was issued.

How do you refund a small balance?

If £10 or less is left on the card, you can claim it straight away at a ticket machine at any Tube station. Choose the refund option and the machine pays out the balance in cash. After that the card is cancelled and will no longer work, so only claim the balance when you truly no longer need the card.

What if there is more than £10?

A larger balance cannot be taken from a machine. For that, sign in to your Oyster account on the TfL website and use the self-serve refund option. If the card is not linked to an account, you can register it and then request the refund — the money is returned to your bank card.

What about the £5 card deposit?

Oyster cards used to carry a £5 deposit, refunded along with the balance. The deposit only applies to cards issued before February 2020. Cards issued later have no deposit — only the remaining credit is refunded.

Oyster or a contactless card — which is better?

To avoid worrying about leftover balances at all, you can pay with an ordinary contactless bank card or phone: the fares and caps are the same as on Oyster, but no money sits frozen on a separate card. If you do use Oyster, do not keep too much on it: top up for specific journeys, and there will be almost nothing to refund later.

What about a lost or broken card?

If your registered Oyster is lost, stolen or stops working, report it through your online account or by phone — any balance and season ticket can be moved to a new card. An unregistered card cannot be recovered, which is another reason to register it. If the card holds both credit and a Travelcard, handing it back refunds the unused credit, while a season ticket refund is handled separately under its own rules. Keep the card until the refund is confirmed, because returning it at a machine cancels it immediately.

You can request a refund and check your balance in your Oyster online account.