Visitor Oyster Card

Former grad student at UC Davis here. Many trips to Lonon since my student days.

I would suggest you consider the 7-day Travelcard on National Rail paper so two of you can enjoy the 2--4-1,offers. The card is very to use and can cover dys 2-8 of your stay in London. Days 1and 9'are basically arrival nd departure so you won't be traveling much.

" I had not heard of the Visitor Oyster Card but apparently it is exactly the same as a "regular" Oyster Card "

No it not the same, a visitor oyster card has a £3 non refundable fee, you will also pay postage to have it sent to you and you can't load travelcards onto it. A normal oyster has a £5 refundable deposit and you can load it with a travelcard, buy them when you get here. Are you not interested in the 2 for 1 offers?
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g186338-c133479/London:United-Kingdom:Paper.And.Oyster.Travelcards.2.4.1.Offers.html

I am travelling to europe at the end of the year from australia - the way i read it i thought the best option for me was to get one sent out so i bought two already and loaded it up with 25 pounds - and at the end of our stay we get a refund of the amount we didnt use....i'm now thinking that probably wasn't wise as 2 for 1 interests me ALOT

I have a visitor Oyster. It was part of a package deal my local travel agent sold me so I didn't have to pay extra to have it delivered. For how I use it, it is no different than the regular one. But then I don't use travel cards, I am not cashing out the Oyster when I leave London (I have the same card from 10 years ago and just reload it when I arrive for each visit), both of which you cannot do with the visitor Oyster.

Not sure how the discounts would work since my Visitor Oyster looks just like the regular one so how would anyone know it was different?

Oh, and make sure you get a separate Oyster for each of you (you said "an Oyster Card" not "Oyster Cards").

Harley, that is a great link. Thanks for sharing it

I had thought the paper Travelcard a better deal, but after reading the problems some had with the paper Travelcard on the Underground, I am wondering it is worth the risk. A Travelcard can be loaded to the Oyster card, but it would not include the 2 for 1 offers.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g186338-i17-k10078809-7_Day_London_Travel_Card_Paper_not_Oyster-London_England.html

Where did you read about problems with the paper Travelcard on the Underground?

Lola, last comment on the link I posted says this:
"If you are buying the 7 day travel card from the TFL.gov.uk website please be aware that they often don't work on the Underground ticket scanning machines. On my last 2 visits to the UK I had paper travelcards and had problems with all of them. Because they are supplied through a third party London Transport won't replace or refund you for them. On my upcoming trip I'm going to try and Oystercard."

Even if they don't work the barriers (and all paper tickets can have their problems) they should still be valid.

Can you wait till you are in London to buy the Paper travel card? Cause that would solve the 3rd party problem and if they sell it to you directly, they should work no problem right?

photobearsam Buying the paper Travelcard would enable you to get your money back, but I'm not sure that would keep you from having problems using it on the tube, which is a problem I would like to avoid. Maybe someone else can comment as to whether they actually used the paper Travelcard on the underground and whether they had any problems.

I use paper tickets most of the time - admittedly not this type as they are generally one day travelcards from National Rail stations outside of London, but there is no general issue with paper.

My guess is that the stripe was mis-coded when it was issued or has become damaged. Having to use manned gates might be a bit inconvenient at some times but it isn't the end of the world. There isn't a suggestion I read into the comments that the ticket was actually refused.

Try reading this for some background.
https://www.londontoolkit.com/briefing/underground.htm

We used 7-day paper Travelcards on our last two trips to London, in September 2015 and May 2016. We had no trouble using them on the Tube, although I will say that we tended to use buses much more than the Tube.

If you are concerned about the card being taken by the machine, use the manned exit when you leave the Tube station.

OK! I just read the TripAdvisor discussion about the paper travelcard that did not work. They were addressing a travelcard bought from tfl.gov.uk---NOT the 7-day Travelcard one needs for the 2-4-1 offers. That correct one must be bought in person (photo needed) from a National Rail station, not from TFL machines, visitor centers, or any tube station.

And I don't understand what she is talking about, because one cannot buy paper travelcards on the tfl.gov.uk website; only travelcards on Oyster are sold on the website.

I hope that clears up any doubts.

To get back to the question originally asked by Judith,
" I had not heard of the Visitor Oyster Card but apparently it is exactly the same as a "regular" Oyster Card but provides discounts at various venues, such as restaurants, museums, and theaters. Has anyone found it helpful to buy the Visitor Oyster Card?"

Forget the Visitor Oyster Card. Just buy a regular Oyster card when you get to London. There are machines in all tube and train stations from which you can buy them. They look like a regular ATM machine. Just select an amount you want on your Oyster card, pay with your credit card or cash, then the machine will spit out your Oyster card.

The regular Oyster card is the best deal.

"for a 9 day visit, what would be the suggested amount we put on the card?"
Put 30 pounds on your Oyster card.

You can also buy Oyster cards at the Visitors Center in London, across the street from St. Paul's Cathedral. They are sold at some convenience stores and grocery stores in London.

"provides discounts at various venues, such as restaurants, museums, and theaters."
You make it sound like it provides discounts at all restaurants, museums, and theaters.
It does not.
That also sounds like the copywriting of an advertisement.

Most museums in London are free, in case you didn't know.

There have been a rash of postings recently on this Forum about the Visitor Oyster Card and other so-called Passes marketed to tourists. I am beginning to suspect these are ads to push these products now that it is high tourist season.

We bought 7 day travel cards from national rail (to be eligible for 2-4-1 deals) on our May 2017 trip. The last two days husband did have trouble with his card being accepted by the machines, but we just used the manned exits. It added maybe 30 seconds to every tube trip.

We will be in London for 3 days in August, and we bought London Passes. These are fairly expensive, but they include a 25-pound Oyster Card and fast-track entry to many sights. When I added the cost of admissions to the sights we want to see, it was cheaper to purchase the pass. Also nice to know we can skip the lines at most attractions. Check the link www.londonpass.com.

We will be in London for 3 days in August, and we bought London Passes. These are fairly expensive, but they include a 25-pound Oyster Card and fast-track entry to many sights. When I added the cost of admissions to the sights we want to see, it was cheaper to purchase the pass. Also nice to know we can skip the lines at most attractions. Check the link www.londonpass.com.

We will be in London for 3 days in August, and we bought London Passes. These are fairly expensive, but they include a 25-pound Oyster Card and fast-track entry to many sights. When I added the cost of admissions to the sights we want to see, it was cheaper to purchase the pass. Also nice to know we can skip the lines at most attractions. Check the link www.londonpass.com.

nice to know we can skip the lines at most attractions.

what line????

I regularly visit all sorts of places in London, most entirely free, and never see a line.

Yes, the "skip the line" (queue) feature seems to lure a lot of Americans into buying the LP, what they fail to realise is that a lot of attractions don't have that much of a queue (or none at all), Westminster Abbey may be the exception and you can't escape the security check queue.
Don't know if the LP is still claiming free entry to museums that are free anyway, there was an argument about this on TripAdvisor with a LP agent, she lost.

"but they include a 25-pound Oyster Card"
Which I suspect is a zone 1 - 6 card when all you really need as a tourist is a zone 1 - 2 card.

I kind of roll my eyes at "skip the queue!" claims. First, as noted, there rarely are horrible lines to purchase tickets at London venues.

Also, if there's a security checkpoint at the entrance, nobody gets to skip that.

I once bought the London Pass, don't bitterly regret it, but I didn't get my money's worth. Turns out my plans changed - for the better - after arriving in London, so I didn't visit some of the LP-covered venues I might have done otherwise. I did use the LP, but it didn't save me a minute's time in entering any of the covered venues.

I think that whether the LP is "worth it" is a personal decision. If you're the type who crunches the numbers down to the pennies and loses sleep over having spent a few pounds more in total for the LP than you would have spent for all the venues you did visit - then skip the LP. OR, buy the LP and once you hit London, lace up those walking shoes, and hit all the venues you can until you're sure you've gotten your money's worth! I once read a trip report from a solo traveler who recounted in detail her day by day itinerary in London visiting venues covered by the LP. She had a good time and got her money's worth, but to me it sounded like a military endurance exercise rather than a holiday. To each their own!

Now, if you have a bit more tolerance on the money side of it, and think the LP would be a good way to organize your trip and keep you moving to see places you really want to visit - go for it. When traveling solo I'm kinda spontaneous and something like the LP is a motivator to me not to dawdle over a cup of coffee and to move on to the next site/adventure instead. As I said - to each their own!

As to the topic - I think the Visitor Oyster Card is silly, and for the life of me I don't see its purpose. You can buy a regular Oyster card after hitting the ground in London, in a matter of minutes.

" I think the Visitor Oyster Card is silly, and for the life of me I don't see its purpose."

The "purpose" is that TFL make £3 out of every tourist that doesn't know any better.

I've seen long lines at the London Eye and Tower of London, but that is all.

"Which I suspect is a zone 1 - 6 card when all you really need as a tourist is a zone 1 - 2 card."

Well, it is an Oyster card which covers any and all zones you might venture through on your travels. If you only use it for zone 1 & 2, then your cost is capped at what a travel card for that zone would cost. If you happen to venture into zone 6, to the airport or wherever, it covers that also much easier than having to buy a ticket for that one trip.

Thanks for all the feedback and suggestions. I think what will work best for us is to buy an Oyster Card (yes, one for each of us!) when we arrive in London. I chuckled about the comments about Americans being concerned about waiting in lines. I don't remember terribly long lines at museums and other sites when we visited London just briefly four years ago. There were lines, yes, but our wait was never long and that was in August--still the summer tourist season. I'll keep in mind there may be a long line at Westminster Abbey-we didn't have a chance to go there last visit so it's on the itinerary this time! Anyway, thanks again for the Oyster Card advice.

"If you happen to venture into zone 6, to the airport or wherever, it covers that also much easier than having to buy a ticket for that one trip."

You can add some PAYG to a zone 1-2 card to cover that.