We will be in London 6 nights in May. Trying to sort out which Card to get-Oyster, Travelcard or Travelcard added to Oyster. The more I read on the official sites the less I understand. We would only need Zones 1 and 2, finishing up with a trip to Heathrow which would likely require a supplement. I THINK the 7 day Travelcard added onto Oyster is the best option for us, but I’m unclear how this differs from just a 7 day Travelcard. Some sites describe 2-for-1 admission discounts available with the card if you purchase it at a train station- is this still true?
Posted by
Royaume-Uni nul points, pas plus
2600 posts
If “we” means two of you, and you want to take advantage of the 2for1 deals on admission to various sites, then a paper 7 day travel card bought from a train station is what you want.
If you’re not bothered about the 2for1 just get two Oyster cards on arrival (or use a contactless bank card- one each), stick £30 on each for pay-as-you-go, and job done. A travelcard is designed for the same, regular journeys but the differences are so narrow between a travelcard and pay-as-you-go it’s not worth the time figuring it all out.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33998 posts
If you decide you want a paper 7 day Travelcard for the week in order to take advantage of the Days Out Promotion yielding 2 for 1 tickets at some places, be aware that you MUST obtain them from a National Rail station - not an Underground or Overground station, and not from an Underground ticket window or machine at a joint station. Paper Travelcards issued by the Underground are not valid for the promotion, although they are valid for the covered travel.
Rail 7 day Travelcards are considered a "Season Ticket" and therefore require a Photocard. Photocards are made up for free at the ticket office but you need to provide passport sized photos of each person, or you can pay to use the photo machine at most stations.
If you aren't willing to go through all that rigmarole - as well as either getting Oysters for the Heathrow bits (or using contactless credit cards) it is simplest to either get Oysters for the duration which will be capped each day or use contactless cards which will also be capped.