Soon, you’ll be able to top up your Oyster card wherever you are, using your smartphone.

The days of queuing up at the ticket machine after you see that red light will be over when a new TfL app launches.

The free app, which will be free and available for iPhone and Android devices will let you check your Oyster credit, top up, buy travelcards, and, handily, give you a “low balance” alert so you can avoid that awkward moment at the gates.

Already, the system has been changed so that you no longer have to nominate a particular station to “collect” your credit when you top up online.

Instead you can get your credit or travelcard by touching in at any Tube or Rail station – cutting down the collection time from up to 24 hours to just half an hour.

You will need an Oyster online account, which you can sign up for at oyster.tfl.gov.uk