Upvote:0
You can go to any train station with an attendant on duty to cancel your card. You'll get a full refund for any unused credit, plus a refund of the £5 deposit on the card itself.
If you still need an Oyster card, you can then request a new one, for which you will be required to pay a £5 deposit, and buy some credit.
If you explain to the attendant what you're trying to do, they may be able to make the process easier than cancelling your card, then getting a new one. But in a worst-case scenario, that is what you can do.
Depending on how often you travel each week, you should also consider buying monthly passes. When I was in London a couple of months ago, the monthly pass saved me a fair amount of money. But I was using the metro system nearly daily, and often train + buses which adds up pretty quickly on a pay-as-you-go schedule.
Upvote:0
A full refund of the PayG, but excluding the £5 deposit, can be obtained without cancelling the card - I have requested this successfully. I'm sure a part of this refund can be loaded into the Oyster immediately. Hence, = partial refund.
Upvote:2
Oyster cards are essentially free. There is a five pound deposit, but you get that back when you close down the card.
It would seem to be most convenient to get a full refund on your current card, and then buy a new one for the amount you actually want. Auto-topup may be a good option in the future.