when to purchase Gatwick Express, where/when to purchase Oyster Card

If you want a Travelcard to enable 2-4-1 discounts DO NOT get a Travelcard loaded on an Oyster!!!!!

It MUST be a train ticket (a paper one with the "Crows Feet" logo on it, NOT a TfL/LU Circle and Bar logo) or it will not allow the discounts.

It is a promotion by the train companies so the require that a train ticket - a proper Travelcard will do - to activate the discounts. It could also be a return ticket to Gatwick, and then you could have a limited zone Travelcard on an Oyster as well. But you godda have a train ticket. Have a look at the DaysOut FAQs page. https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/faqs for exactly which tickets qualify.

If you want the 2 for 1 offers then you do not want Oyster cards.

Just buy the Gatwick to Victoria tickets on the day – take a Southern train rather than the Gatwick Express, it’s cheaper but only slightly slower. The paper train tickets will enable you to get the 2 for 1 offers.

Buy a 7-day paper travel card at a National Rail station (Victoria, maybe Gatwick will sell them - not sure on that). That card will also qualify for the 2 for 1 offers.

You need to pre-print any vouchers you need for the 2 for 1 - do that at home.

No you don't need to register anything

Keep it simple.

So the 7 day travel card sold at Rail stations w/ the crows feet logo covers all public transport in London- Tube, buses etc? What is the cost of the 7 day Card? Its the same card as the one you'd buy from a Tube station, but you don't add it to an oyster card and it has different discount offers? (Same card but sponsored by different entities and offers different discounts?)

No advantage to buying Gatwick to Victoria ahead of time?

Also the Southern rail /non GE may have strike issues my travel day "The RMT union have instructed their members to take strike action on Tuesday 3 and Thursday 5 October. Southern are working on plans for their services on these dates, and we will advise you of the impact as soon as it is known..."

Octobere 5th is going to be a mess in London. The tube drivers will be out on strike that day and the Southern rail drivers will also be striking. However, Southern rail says they will operate a full service. Not sure if it will have an effect on Gatwick Express since it is run by Southern Rail.

You might want to get familiar with the National Express bus service that has buses between Gatwick and Victoria Coach Station this is located a couple of blocks from Victoria Rail Station.

"So the 7 day travel card sold at Rail stations w/ the crows feet logo covers all public transport in London- Tube, buses etc?"

Yes.

"Its the same card as the one you'd buy from a Tube station, but you don't add it to an oyster card and it has different discount offers? (Same card but sponsored by different entities and offers different discounts?)"

In effect, yes. There are three ways you can get a 7 day Travelcard. You can put it on an Oyster Card. You can buy a paper one at a tube station, and get one with a "circle with a slash through it" logo. Or you can buy a paper one at a train station, and get one with a "crows feet" logo. Only this last option will work for the two for one offers.

"What is the cost of the 7 day Card?"

For zones 1 and 2, which is all that most visitors need, it's currently £33.

One other small detail - the railway version is effectively a "Season Ticket" which has a short life of just 7 days. All railway season tickets require a photo-card which issued free by train companies but which does require a user-provided photo of the holder. You can get one in most stations but - I imagine like in other countries - photo booths these days are expensive. You are advised to bring a copy or two of a passport sized photo from home, or in the UK you can often get them at Costco - maybe so in other places.

A 7-day Travelcard on an Oyster doesn't need a photocard; neither does a paper one issued by TfL (the Underground) with the roundel and bar on it. But neither of those will work to get you a 2 for one discount.

Hi Nigel,
I didn't notice your response until now, post trip. The 7 day travel card from the rail station did indeed require photos! I just so happened to have them since I also purchased a Two Together rail discount card and needed a set of passport photos for that as well which I had been able to get from my AAA office here before I left. In the end, I didn't use any 2-4-1 deals since I had the London Pass anyway. Thank you for your responses! Jody

"...the railway version is effectively a "Season Ticket" which has a short life of just 7 days. All railway season tickets require a photo-card which issued free by train companies but which does require a user-provided photo of the holder. You can get one in most stations but..."

Glad it worked out....