2 for 1 offers

Hi CM
I used the 2 for 1 the last time I was in London and it's not difficult at all. There are just a few things to keep in mind...

First off, the Travelcard you need is a paper card issued by National Rail, NOT the Travelcard you can add to your plastic Oyster card (although both cost the exact same and allow you to use the exact same transit options). The only way you can get the 2 for 1 discounts is by having the National Rail card, so yes, you do need the NR Travelcard if you want to take advantage of the offers.

Second, I never noticed specific times on anything we did, but the Days Out site will have detailed information about each individual offer and any restrictions. Do be aware though that many offers are only available at certain times of the year, so be sure to check the offers you want to use are still going to be valid during the time you'll be there (we JUST missed out on a 2 for 1 for the London Eye).

Third, you will need to print out the offer and present it when you show up to the site (Tower of London, Hampton Court, etc.). There may be a smart phone option, but I'm not certain about this - best to print it out to be safe.

As for negatives, if you don't mind a trip to a National Rail ticket office (which are easy to find throughout the main tourist area of London) and you don't mind carrying a little extra paperwork, I can't think of any negative to saving a fair chunk of change on some of the more expensive sites in London.

The post above has lots of good information. Here's more: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g186338-c195600/London:United-Kingdom:2.4.1.Travelcards.Step.By.Step.html

And the official website has lots of details. For starters, here's their Frequently Asked Questions page: https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/faqs

I'm planning on this option for our group of 6 - but wondering if all 6 have to be present to purchase the travel cards (from National Rail). Can 1 person in the group take all 6 passport size photos and buy 6 cards?

Yes, that is allowed.

If you arrive at Gatwick Airport, I believe that there is a way to buy rail tickets to and from London that satisfy the ticket requirement and then you don't have to bother with specific travel cards.

You don't actually need a travel card to use the London two-for-one vouchers from the DaysOut website. You can also use the two for one vouchers if you take a National Rail train (NOT the Tube) into one of the London terminals. If you have a single ticket, the voucher will only be valid for the day of your train trip. If you have a return ticket, the voucher will be valid for any days on or between your departure and arrival times. This is explained on this page: https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/travel-by-train/is-my-ticket-valid-for-2for1

I used a return trip Gatwick express ticket (Gatwick to Victoria station) successfully with the two-for-one deals with no problems at Churchill War Rooms, Shakespeare's Globe for the tour, and Tower of London on three separate dates. As I understand, a regular National Rail train ticket will also work.

So only get a travelcard if it will save you money in the long run.

Tip 1: when using your ticket to travel into London you speak to the attendant and ask them to let you through instead of putting your ticket into the machine. If you put the ticket into the machine, the machine may eat your ticket and you won't be able to keep it as proof that you've travelled by train. This is explained on their FAQ page, https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/faqs

Tip 2: Each individual two 4 one deal has specific exclusions (e.g. Some only work Monday through Friday, some have a period of blackout dates, some exclude holiday periods etc.) so check each voucher separately when printing the vouchers off the DaysOut website. We had to change around some plans to accommodate the different exclusions.