Why is the Oyster card in London called Oyster?

Question

Why is the Oyster card in London called Oyster?

Answer 1

Someone from the famous advertising company Saatchi and Saatchi was bought in to think of a name. Oyster was conceived and subsequently promoted because of the metaphorical implications of security and value in the component meanings of the hard bivalve shell and the concealed pearl. Its associations with London through Thames estuary oyster beds and the popular idiom 'the world is your oyster' were also significant factors in its selection as was the uniqueness of the word Oyster.

Answer 2

Yep, the world is your oyster, as the saying goes.

There's a very similar card in HK which works very well, I'm not sure if the same company brought the technology to London but over there it's known as an Octopus card, so maybe they wanted to keep the acquatic theme going!

Answer 3

just to give it a cool name as they couldnt think of anything else.

Answer 4

Oyster was conceived and subsequently promoted because of the metaphorical implications of security and value in the component meanings of the hard bivalve shell and the concealed pearl. Its associations with London through Thames estuary oyster beds and the popular idiom 'the world is your oyster' were also significant factors in its selection as was the uniqueness of the word Oyster.

Answer 5

Its just a silly name thought up by an advertising agency. I would imagine the idea is to give the impression of it "opening up" London to you ...also it opens up the automatic gates in a oyster-ish kind of way.