Arrive Monday and have Heathrow to Paddington ticket already. Will take the tube to Portobello Road and back to Paddington.
Tuesday and Thursday out of London, no need for transportation ticket as my hotel is a block from Paddington.
Wednesday wandering London and maybe will need 4 tickets.
Friday need one ticket one way from Paddington to St. Pancras.
What is my best option? So confused. Do not want to use credit card. Thanks.
Your best option is to use a contactless credit or debit card. I'm not sure why you wouldn't want to do that. Bear in mind that even if your card is one of those increasingly rare ones that charges an international conversion fee, an Oyster card is going to cost a flat £7 AND you'll still need to either tap your credit or debit card or convert cash top it up.
Single trip tickets are the most expensive options and I definitely would not recommend that, so it comes down to contactless or Oyster. Important to note it doesn't have to be a credit card for contactless- you can use a bank debit card or even a prepay debit card like Wise or Revolut if you prefer.
Breathe.
If you choose not to use your credit or debit card for public transport then get the Oyster Card.
I always use one because I find it easier but that works for my style of travel.
4 tickets? 4 tickets for what?
Do you have an iPhone? Can someone show you how to use Apple Wallet?
Contactless is the way to go IMHO. Why don’t you want to use a credit card? Afraid of losing it? In that case, use your Apple Wallet (assuming you have an iPhone) and just tap in and out on the tube using your phone.
I admit that can be daunting the first time if you have never done it… but once you do it the first time you will be off and running.
An Oyster card is seven quid, non-refundable. I don’t recommend it.
EDIT: okay, y’all make fair points about quibbling over seven quid for an Oyster card. :-)
Also: I am on Team Bus! isn31c makes an excellent point. The bus is dirt cheap, and you get to sightsee as you travel between Point A and Point B. Since I moved to Chelsea/Fulham I have basically not taken the tube at all (unless going a distance, like to Liverpool Street or Whitechapel) and so I am unclear on why I forgot to mention how great that option is.
"Luckily for me I don't take my advice on how to travel London from a forum who don't want you to know about all the options."
That's certainly not the case here. Travelcard not relevant to the OP. All other options mentioned. But you do make a good point about quibbling about spending £7 on an Oyster card when you've spent far more on flights and accomodation. Not everyone is comfortable using their contactless card to tap, and for some people it may be worth getting an Oyster for peace of mind.
“ You've spent hundreds of $ to get here, hundreds of £ on hotels, and balk at paying £7 on an Oyster Card (little more than the price of a take out coffee in London).”
This is not what I read in the OP at all. Janet doesn’t even mention the price of the Oyster card. All she did was list the journeys she plans to make and the asks if she needs an Oyster card for them given that she doesn’t want to use her credit card.
I have a physical Oyster card that I purchased a long time ago on a previous trip to London. While I have Google Pay and a CC that doesn't charge foreign transaction fees, I like the actual Oyster card as it never glitches. My boyfriend has had problems in some Tube stations using Google Pay and had to start tapping his actual CC.
If you plan to go to London again in the future or have friends/family traveling there, I don't think the seven pound investment in an Oyster Card is a bad one. My card has more than paid for itself on my six trips that I have used it.
Janet may be like me. I don’t want to have my phone or credit card out in the busyness of a Tube station. I prefer not to risk having it drop from my hand. In any city I travel to, if there is a transit pass on paper or card, I will use it.
Thank you all for your replies. Have been traveling for 60 years, solo for the past 15 and know my way around. Somehow the London ticket system bamboozled me.
isn3ic-you answered me perfectly. I'd say PERFECTLY but don't want to shout! Thank you so much!
Dutch and Claire--a shout out to you-thanks!.
Luckily for me I don't take my advice on how to travel London from a forum who don't want you to know about all the options.
what kind of bilgewater is that? Since when has this Forum been united about anything? Don't need conspiracy theories and a sense of everybody else is wrong but you. There is no superiority battle here.
Present your knowledge without the backspin.
I don’t like getting my credit card out in public either, as I know I will drop it or lose it, so I always use an Oyster card in London.
I’ve had the same one for at least ten years and just top it up when I arrive.
All the bigger stations will hopefully have manned kiosks to help you buy the card.
Load about £25 on it to begin with…you can easily top it up at machines in stations.
Keep it for a souvenir, plus you can lend it to anyone else going to London after you, and of course use it again on your next visit!
It’s very easy, and if you lose it, at least you haven’t lost your own credit card or phone.
And do try out the buses as well as the Tube…..you see more of the daily life out on the streets.
Here is the website for London Transport:
Have a wonderful trip!
