7day Travelcard, buy online vs at National Rail station

1. Just one person can rock up to the ticket office with all the paperwork in hand.
2. Normal paper is fine.

Make sure the attractions on offer with the 2for1 are ones you really want to see. Some are a tad naff.

To be honest, pay-as-you-go with a contactless bank card/Oyster Card/phone app is sufficient for most needs as there is a daily cap which pretty much works out as the same as the various Travelcards.

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/

Paper 7-day season tickets for zonal travelcards are in the process of being discontinued at National Rail stations. They haven't fully gone yet with sales just discouraged but are planned to be by June.

So, Marco, does that mean the loophole allowing folks just staying in London to take advantage of 2-for-1 offers by means of the weekly travel card will soon close?

Yes, if the final withdrawal does takes place. There is a chance I suppose that they could decide just to continue in the current position of not advertising or promoting the legacy paper option.

Single & return paper tickets will remain to/from London Terminals so there would still be ways round it.

Thank you both very much, ramblin' on and Marco.

@ ramblin' on: 'all paperwork' is just passports and photos, right?
@ ramblin' on: indeed some discounted attractions are not worth visiting but as this will be my 3 teenage kids' first visit to Britain, well, Tower of London, Cutty Sark/Maritime Museum/Royal Observatory, Kew Gardens, London Canal Museum, the Royal Albert Hall Tour and the Harry Potter Tour with Platform 9 3/4 that are part od 2FOR1 are rather tempting to visit at this discount.

Now, we'll arriving in London on July 2nd. So, after the withdrawal...

@Marco: when you say this will take place 'by June' would this bean before the biginning of June? How might I monitor this situation? Obviously I can't leave this until the last minute (read mid-June) before I order the non-discounted travelcards from the VisitBritan website - they'd take some time to be delivered abroad.
@Marco: you said 'Single & return paper tickets will remain to/from London Terminals so there would still be ways round it.' Would you please elaborate?

@Marco: when you say this will take place 'by June' would this bean before the biginning of June?

The Rail Delivery Group (association of railway companies) brief says effective Wednesday 1 June.

@Marco: you said 'Single & return paper tickets will remain to/from London Terminals so there would still be ways round it.' Would you please elaborate?

If you had a ticket to "London Terminals" issued by a National Rail company in on the first day and out on the last day these would comply with the ticketing requirements for the offer, at least for attractions in Central London.

Would something like this, which would cost GBP12.5, be within the letter of the law?

If so, is a photocard needed?

OUT
Sun 3 Jul
Ladywell to London Cannon Street

20m, 0 changes
Anytime Day Single

€6.26
You’ve selected the 13:53, but you can travel on any eligible train.
Travel any time of day.
Travel is allowed via any permitted route.
Travel also permitted to stations near London Cannon Street. View stations
RETURN
Sat 9 Jul
London Cannon Street to Ladywell

19m, 0 changes
Anytime Day Single

€6.26
You’ve selected the 08:57, but you can travel on any eligible train.
Travel any time of day.
Travel is allowed via any permitted route.
Travel also permitted from stations near London Cannon Street. View stations

Yes that kind of thing although you needn't use a ticket for actual travel if you don't want to.

The 2FOR1 is intended to be usable by London residents even if getting the tickets isn't always straightforward.

There has been quite a crackdown on sham train tickets being used for the Days Out Promotion.

I'm not sure that a ticket from Lewisham (Ladywell) in zone 3 with several days in central London and then another to go the other way would always be seen as genuine, within the spirit if the offer.

Those tickets are singles, not returns. A lot of the things you want to see are in Greenwich, basically adjacent to Lewisham. Cannon Street wouldn't be a direct route.

Perhaps it would be allowed.

It isn't clear if two singles (both only valid one day) form a gap of usable days such as a Return ticket would.

All the FAQs are at https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/faqs

If you are making a one way journey or your ticket is valid for one
day, you can use your National Rail tickets and offer vouchers only on
the day of travel.

If you are making a return journey, you can use your National Rail
tickets and offer vouchers any day on or between your outward and
return journeys. For example, if you arrived on Thursday and will
return on Sunday, your tickets will be considered valid for the offers
on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

All tickets should show that you have travelled to the attraction by
train, whether that be ‘London Terminals’ for 2FOR1 London
attractions, or the train station nearest to the attraction itself.
Tickets that have a destination too far from the attractions location
may be denied by attraction staff. Details of the attractions nearest
station can be found on the attraction’s listing page.

Thanks @Nigel!

I actually searched or a return ticket on trainline and I posted the result given which is indeed two singles. After reading your post I saw that this area is served by Southeastern, searched at their site for a return ticket, the result is again two singles; not sure what I'm doing wrong here and what to do to get a "proper" return ticket.

But you're saying that even with a "proper" return ticket we might be refused the 2FOR1 discount at the attractions in Greenwich if the attendant is vigilant? Still, could they also deny it at Tower of London / Kew Gardens/ London Canal Museum/ Royal Albert Hall Tour and the Harry Potter Tour with Platform 9 3/4?

Yes if you are doing 2For1 attractions in Greenwich you need a ticket to Greenwich at least for an in London journey.

The precise terms are below.

If you are making a return journey, you can use your National Rail tickets and offer vouchers any day on or between your outward and return journeys. For example, if you arrived on Thursday and will return on Sunday, your tickets will be considered valid for the offers on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

All tickets should show that you have travelled to the attraction by train, whether that be ‘London Terminals’ for 2FOR1 London attractions, or the train station nearest to the attraction itself. Tickets that have a destination too far from the attractions location may be denied by attraction staff.

I'd like to thank everyone for giving feedback on this. Unfortunately it looks like this loophole doesn't work anymore.