Hello everyone!
I purchased the London Pass and the Oyster Card. I have received them in the mail and will have them in hand when I land at Heathrow. Can I use the Oyster Card for the Heathrow Express to travel to London?? If not, is there a better/faster way to travel in to London from Heathrow? Trains? Tubes?
Thanks everyone,
Natalie
Just use the Piccadilly line on the tube, it goes into central London, unlike the Heathrow Express which runs to Paddington. What's the destination? The Oyster card won't work on the Heathrow Express, but it does on the Piccadilly Line on the tube.
Can I use the Oyster Card for the Heathrow Express to travel to London??
No. The Heathrow Express is run by the airport and only accepts its own tickets.
Oyster Cards are accepted on the slower commuter trains between Heathrow and Paddington that stop at all stations, and on the tube (Piccadilly line). Depending on where you are going in London, the time advantage of the Heathrow Express may be used up in getting from Paddington to your final destination.
. . . and Oyster Card. I have received them in the mail and will have them in hand when I land at Heathrow.
Not sure what you mean here by "hand them in". You use the Oyster card to get through the turnstiles at your start and end station (or when you get on a bus), and it calculates the correct fare and docks that from the total on your card.
Oyster cards will be accepted for PAYG payment for the Heathrow Express from some date in September but won't be in the regular zones. If the Express / Paddington is near where you are staying, look for buying an advance ticket online.
"Have them in hand" does not mean "hand them in".
You have purchased Visitor Oysters. There are restrictions on them. Most importantly, you cannot cash them out when you leave London as you can with a regular Oyster (you can keep them indefinitely and any leftover funds will be available to use on your next visit). Too late now, but it would have been less costly to buy them at the ticket machine in the Tube station at Heathrow. Other than that, they do work mostly like the regular Oyster. You can add funds to them at any Tube station if needed.
I always take the Tube from the airport. It is a fun and inexpensive ride (around £5 to £6 using the Oyster). Takes about 1 hour. To me easier than the trains because I normally stay near King's Cross and it means no changes.
Natalie, you can use the Oyster card for Heathrow Connect which is on the same platform (at least it is at Terminals 2-3) as the Heathrow Express. It just takes an extra 15 minutes to get to London Paddington; that's it. It's still quick. So if you want to arrive at Paddington in 30 minutes, take the Heathrow Connect and use your Oyster Card. The fare will count toward the daily cap too. I learned that here in this forum.
You did not say where your hotel is located. The ”fastest” depends on this. The cheapest option will be the tube.
Hi!
I will be staying near London Bridge / Borough Market.
Thanks,
Natalie
For London Bridge area, then the Piccadilly line (the Underground, or Tube) would be best (probably not much longer and cheaper). To compare, you can actually just punch your hotel into Google maps, set Heathrow as the starting point, and select Public Transport as the mode for directions. You can also go to the London Transport site ( https://tfl.gov.uk/ ) and use the "Plan Your Journey" link.
Thank you everyone!!!!
I appreciate the advice,
Natalie
Hi Natalie, Where are you staying? I was thinking of staying in that area as well. How did your trip go with the travel. I might be doing the same route?
Thank you Laura
