Hello,
I am traveling with my 83 year old sister in March to London and Paris. My sister does not have a Smartphone so obviously she cannot download any apps. To stay on the same payment schedule as her, when we use either the Undergound in London and the Metro or Bus in Paris, can we pay at the entry gate just by tapping our Credit Cards?? Thanks very much. Ken Novak
You definitely can do that in London. You just have to make sure that you use the same credit card for rides, including tapping in and tapping out. So in a nutshell, you would use your own credit card to get on and off the tube, tapping in and out, and your sister would use her own credit card to get on and off. And as noted below, you do not need to tap when you get off a bus.
With regards to Paris, you can but I believe you have to load the digital ticket on your card first, with a Navigo card or something like that. But I'll let someone else explain that who is more familiar with it.
To use tickets, you must purchase a Navigo Easy card (2€) and load them onto this card. For the bus, you can use a Visa/MC to tap at entry.
Just to clarify, you each need a chip-enabled card, which you will tap going into and out of the Underground (but only getting on a bus in London, which you didn't ask about). The other comment mentioned "the same card," and the person meant to use the same card on the way out as you used on the way in, not that you and your sister should use the same card. You can't. Enjoy your trip!
Each of you have to have your own credit card for tapping in and out of London’s Tube.
Can’t use one card for two people.
On buses…..also good for seeing the city…..you tap in but don’t need to tap out as you do on the Tube.
In Paris, I believe the plan is in motion to have credit card tapping, but not yet.
You will need Navigo Easy cards which you then load with bus and Metro tickets.
That can be done at the airport, or at every Metro station by easy to use machines.
Some stations have ticket desks with staff.
I find it easier to buy two cards for E2 each, and have Metro tickets on one and bus on the other.
Again, you both need your own cards.
Get the CityMapper app on your phone for use in both cities.
And the Bonjour RATP app for Paris.
Here’s a video about the Paris system, 10 months old so the prices have just increased slightly.
https://youtu.be/OebkiMItV4k?si=G43TH7ExCyNUtloq
Have a great trip!
In Paris, I believe the plan is in motion to have credit card tapping, but not yet.
This can be done on the bus, right now.
Some stations have ticket desks with staff.
All stations have at least service staff as long as trains are running.
I find it easier to buy two cards for E2 each, and have Metro tickets on one and bus on the other.
You can do this if you want but there is absolutely no advantage to the user. Navigo easy cards keeps MTR (métro/train/RER) tickets separated from BT (bus/tramway) tickets separate. The concern is mixing airport tickets with MTR tickets, which cannot be done.
Thank you all.
For clarification, on the UNDERGROUND we will each need our own credit card to tap OUT OF THE METRO? Am I reading this correctly? You have to tap your credit card on the way OUT OF THE METRO? This one confuses me. Certainly is easy enough to understand you need to tap your card ON THE WAY ONTO THE UNDERGROUND, but out of it? Huh?
many tap systems require tapping in and out because the trips are not all the same price. This was true of the RER in Paris until recently -- you used a ticket, but had to use it to exit as well as enter because different trips different prices.
The TfL website explains it well:
https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/ways-to-pay/pay-as-you-go?intcmp=79963
Pay as you go means that you only pay for the journeys you make when you travel.
With pay as you go, you don't need to buy a ticket before you travel. All you need to do is touch in and out using contactless (card or device) or an Oyster card to pay the right fare.
Pay as you go is cheaper than buying a paper single or return ticket (train companies may offer special deals on some journeys).
In Zones 1-9, your pay as you go fare is capped so you can travel as much as you like in one day or week (Monday to Sunday), without paying more.
https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/touching-in-and-out
To pay the right fare, always touch in on a yellow card reader at the start of your journey and touch out at the end. On a bus or tram you only need to touch in.
Because where you touch in and out tells us where you've travelled from and to, so we can charge you the right fare for your journey.
To pay the right fare on all Tube, DLR, London Overground, Elizabeth line, National Rail, River Bus and IFS Cloud Cable Car journeys:
Always use the same contactless card, device or Oyster card to touch in and out. For example, don't touch in with an iPhone and touch out with an Apple Watch or contactless card.
Always touch out even if the gates are open. If there are no gates, use a freestanding yellow card reader next to entrances, exits or on platforms.
To pay the right fare on buses and trams:
Always touch your contactless card, device, or Oyster card on the yellow card reader at the start of your journey
You don't need to touch out at the end of your journey. If you do, you may pay more than you need to.
If you don't touch in and out, we cannot tell where you've travelled from or to, so your journey will be incomplete.
As we cannot work out the right fare for your journey, we'll charge you a maximum fare.
How are you traveling between London and Paris? Last spring the Eurostar was selling Navigo Easy cards preloaded with 2 rides in the cafe car in the train.
Also, keep in mind traveling underground requires lots of stairs at some stations. You may find traveling by buses in either city more knee friendly.
kenbkb, here is how it works in London. To travel on the tube, you will head into an underground/tube station. There will be a line of entry points where you have to tap your credit card. Once it clicks, the gate will open and you'll walk through. You will then make your way to the Underground train, get on the train and take it to your destination.
When you get there, you will get off the train, make your way to the exit. Near the exit, you will again need to go through a line of exit points where you tap your credit card again and the gate will open for you. When you do this make sure that you use the same credit card that you use to tap in. There are plenty of staff people standing around so you can always find help if you need it.
It's also important to use the same credit card during your whole visit, as there is a cap each day. After you reach that cap (I forget how much it is), your trips are free, but you have to keep using the same card so that it can be tracked on that card. Does that make sense?
How are you traveling between London and Paris? Last spring the Eurostar was selling Navigo Easy cards preloaded with 2 rides in the cafe car in the train.
Jean makes a good point. I took two of my grandkids to London and Paris early last year and we took the Eurostar from London to Paris. During the train ride I decided to get us some lunch so I went to the counter and ordered some ham and cheese baguettes for us with drinks. While I was there the staff member told me that they were selling Navigo Easy tickets at no markup. It was a good price and it was very convenient and so I got one for each of us. It was great not having to search around for a ticket machine once we got to Gare du Nord.
Mardee, OK I get everything you say. Thanks so much for all that.
Because you purchased that Navigo ticket on the Chunnel, I shall look to do that also on our trip from London to Paris. Since the Paris Metro as I understand it does not accept credit card tapping like the London Underground does, I presume that is why you were purchasing the Navigo cards? As far as "loading" goes, is loading an attempt to gauge how often you are going to use the Metro? And how exactly do you "load" a Navigo card?
kenbkb:
I explained in my answer to you earlier about how to load tickets onto a N. Easy card.
I also put a link to a good video about it.
It’s very easy to do.
Just to make it clear in case it wasn't, you each need to use your own credit card to tap in and out. You cannot use the same card for both of you. Also, no one there calls it the "Chunnel" anymore. that is an old contraction for "Channel Tunnel" that was used mostly in the U.S. when the tunnel first opened. Today, people just call it the Tunnel. Just in case you want to try to fit in, the correct name for the train in the tunnel is the "Eurostar."
As far as "loading" goes, is loading an attempt to gauge how often you are going to use the Metro? And how exactly do you "load" a Navigo card?
kenbkb, loading is just a term that is used to describe the process of purchasing digital tickets (short for uploading or downloading).
In simple terms, to "load" tickets onto your Navigo Easy card, you will tap your card to the machine, then follow the prompts to select tickets (like single rides or 10-packs), and pay with your credit card. Once you do that, they will be "loaded" onto your card, and you can use them until they run out. At that point, you will have to load more on to your card. Does that make sense?
S J,
Thank you for that YouTube video there sure was a lot of information in there. I think what I am taking away from it is that I will get a weekly pass which will cover not only using the Metro but taking the RER to the airport. Does this sound like a plausible idea to ensure I cover ourselves?
Thanks, Mardee.
And everyone else who has spent time responding to my queries.
Kenbkb:
The Navigo Decouverte is the weekly pass.
It covers Metro, buses and a RETURN trip to CDG airport.
It runs from 00:01 hrs on a Monday morning until 11:59 pm the following Sunday, then you can get it reloaded for another week.
So if you are staying in Paris from a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday for the rest of that week, it’s well worth it.
It needs a photo.
You cannot buy them at the airport, but can at any Metro station.
See the video.
A N. Easy card is the one that will get you into town from the airport: that cost is E2 for the card, and E14 for the trip into the city from the airport .
If you stay with just N. Easy cards, the card has to have nothing on it before you add a E14 trip back to the airport.
That is because any other Metro tickets cannot be distinguishable from an airport one by the machine when you tap in to board the RER train to the airport, and if they are mixed and you happen to be inspected by staff you could be fined for supposedly using just a Metro ticket.
Clear as mud?!
I’m hoping you will take Eurostar from London and avoid the airport….much more civilized!
Complicated for a first visit, but it soon makes sense.
The Navigo Découverte is actually a card costing 5€. It may contain a day pass, weekly pass (M - Sun), or a monthly pass. ND cards are no longer sold at airports, but if you already have one, you can load the weekly pass, 32.40€, or the monthly pass, 90.80€, and use it immediately from either airport.
S D,
Well, the weekly one is out for us, do not want to have to worry about getting a photo placed on the card.
You kind of answered my question by saying that if we just have a regular Metro card on our ride to the airport we could be fined for not having a RER card. I was trying to figure out how they could distinguish that. I did not find this in the video so this is my question how can you separate the purchase of a regular metro fare from that of a RER fare, that is, how do you make that distinction when purchasing your loads? Thanks for being patient with me.
For most tourists, there are only two Navigo cards of interest; the Navigo Découverte (holds passes) or the Navigo Easy (holds primarily tickets). Either card can hold a day pass 12.30€.
Airport tickets, 14€, may be loaded onto the Easy card as long as the card does not already contain an unused MTR (métro/train/RER) ticket. MTR tickets may not be loaded onto an Easy card containing an unused airport ticket. Bus/tramway tickets (BT) can be mixed with an airport ticket or MTR ticket.
To simplify even more:
N. Easy card initially costs E2.
Bus and Metro tickets can be loaded onto one card.
RER B ticket to CDG airport must be the only ticket on that card as the ticket checking machines cannot distinguish where you are going if there’s also a metro ticket on there.
Fines are high if an inspector checks.
There’s an option on ticket machines at metro stations to check what is left on your card and get a printout.
So: either use up/empty your N.Easy card before adding an airport E14 ticket on it.
Or, buy another N.Easy and keep it just for return to airport.
