You can buy the oyster at the tube station at heathrow...it is not in terminal 5 so you will have to follow the signs. Yes you can use cash at the kiosk and it will work if the ticket booths are manned.

If there are two of you you might want to do a search here for 2for1. You may decide that the oyster isnt the best option for you.

London Underground statons ake credit cards for purchase of oyster cards as do the machines and despite what somebody else might ave written in another thread, my experience is that the machines take the antiquated American magnetic strip cards without any problems.

I have never had the Oyster re-up kiosk take my non chip credit card and I go to London at least once every month for work! Just use cash and don't tie up the queue behind you

Wait a second! Where is the Tube Station at Heathrow? I was assuming you could catch it at every terminal. (Coming into Terminal 4)

There is an underground station in the general locaton of terminal 5; indeed terminal 4 also has its own station...terminals 1,2,3 (I don't think terminal 1 is open anymore, they're doing a lot of work) shared a station....just follow the signs.

Dutyfree...I wouldn't dream of paying cash for anything in any place where credit cards are tgaken for all purchases no matter how large or how small and maybe the machines you use are different than those that I do but no matter...the clerk will take a credit card magnetic strip or chip and signature or whatever.

Actually I think it does now go to terminal 5....sorry about that! It definitely goes through terminal 4!

>>Actually I think it does now go to terminal 5.<<

I've used the tube station at T5 to get to Berlin, and I don't think I was dreaming....

Heathrow has three underground stations, the original for Terminals 1,2, and 3, and one each for the newer terminals 4 and 5. They have a rather odd loop-and-branch arrangement for running the trains, which doesn't affect anyone leaving the airport, but you need to be aware of it when going to it (there are plenty of announcements about what you need to do to get to the terminal you want).

As for how to pay for your Oyster, I can't believe there wouldn't be someone in the ticket office once the trains are running, if the machines fail to take your credit card or if you don't have the right sort of cash.

One more question please: Is there a scanner in the stations to tell you how much you have left on your Oyster card?

Every station, at least in Central London, has a machine sort or two where you can top up your oyster card and check the remaining balances (it can also show you the last bunch of transactions so you can get some idea of how the capping works!). They tell me the barrier gates also display the remaining balance but I haven't seen it but there are machines in all central London stations.

Yes - you can scan your card at the machines that you also top up on.

And, as you touch in/out at the barrier it displays your balance, and cost of the last leg of your journey.