FAQ
Will I lose money if I buy a top-up prematurely?
Time-Based Products
Here’s how it works with a time-based top up (1, 4, 13 week or Any 5 Day):
The “start date” of your top-up runs from the first time you use it – and not from the date you buy it. This excludes Annual products, where you need to choose a ‘start date’. You have six months from the date of purchase to make use of 1, 4, 13 week or Any-5-Day products.
Each time you top up with the same type of product on the same key card, the new pass will stay inactive until the old pass has expired. This means you can leave a gap between the expiry of the current pass and the start of the new one if you wish.
Multi-trip Products
With Multi-trip products, you have 6 or 12 months (depending on the type of product) to make use of your trips from the date of purchase. Each time you top up with the same type of trips on the same key card, the new trips will merge with the old trips extending them all to the new expiry date.
Collecting your Top Up
Please keep in mind that while you do not need to make use of your top up immediately, you must collect your top up on the bus reader within two months of purchase (by placing your card on the bus reader). You can be making use of another travel product when you do this, but this allows your top up to be loaded onto your card by the bus reader.
After this time your top up may not be able available collect on the bus reader, and you will need to contact us (thekey@oxfordbus.co.uk) to get the top up re-actioned. Please not that the expiry dates are still from the date of purchase rather than collection, so it's wise not to top up too far in advance from when you intend to use the product.