OK, so I've been convinced that the Heathrow Connect is a much less expensive, and only slightly slower, way to get from the airport to Paddington. Now, is it worth it to pre-purchase the tickets at heathrowconnect.com, or just wait until we get there? (more convenient/saves time, is there a middleman charge, does it work like 'will call'...?)
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
According to the Web site, the price for a ticket is the same whether you buy it online or at the station.
The bigger question is this: Unless you're going to take a train somewhere from Paddington or are staying within walking distance of Paddington, why take either the Heathrow Express or Heathrow Connect? The fare on the Tube is £4 to anywhere in central London.
Posted by
OP
El Cerrito, CA, United States
58 posts
I thought the regular tube line takes a lot longer and can be really crowded if you go at the wrong time (e.g., commute)... we fly out of Heathrow at 12pm, which means we need to be there at 10am, which means we're on the tube around 9am? Sounds pretty close to commute time on a weekday.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Yes, it takes about an hour to get between Heathrow and central London on the Tube. However, if you take either the HEX or the HC, you still have to allow for the time it takes to go between Paddington and your hotel. Overall, you'll only save about 15 minutes.
If you're flying home from Heathrow, you should be there at 09:00, not 10:00. If you're flying somewhere else in Europe, 10:00 is okay.
Yes, it will be rush hour; but the heaviest Tube traffic will be going into London, not going to Heathrow.
Posted by
Nashua, NH
2 posts
We're just back from London and took the Heathrow Connect both ways to Heathrow. Upon arrival, we bought tickets from a machine in Terminal 5 that sold both Connect and Express, Leaving London, we bought tickets at Paddington from the ticket agent the night before we were to leave.
For us, going into London at 9:30 am and leaving Paddington at 5 pm, the Connect took 25 min. to Heathrow and the trains were nearly empty both ways. Great savings over the Express price!
Posted by
Vancouver, BC, Canada
107 posts
I would buy tickets at the airport, works great.
Posted by
london
3 posts
Hi there, I from Los Angeles and living in London. Unless you're travelling during traffic hours take the tube not the heathrow express. You'll save so much money. London is an expensive city...when there's an easier, less expensive option take it!
Posted by
Guthrie, OK
251 posts
We're staying within a 5 minute walk to our hotel from Paddington Station and will be taking the Heathrow Connect. I would like to purchase tickets before we leave (October). I just like the idea of prepaying for as much as I can. I see that I can purchase tickets online through their website, but it's in pounds. If I make a puchase with my credit card, is there an extra fee for the conversion?
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Cindy,
If you have a Capital One credit card, you will not pay a foreign conversion fee. I don't know about other specific cards, but I believe that in most cases you will have to pay the fee.
However, there is no real advantage in buying Heathrow Connect tickets ahead of time. Since you're going to need some British pounds anyway, get cash from an ATM when you arrive at LHR and buy your tickets on the spot.
Posted by
Boulder, CO, USA
780 posts
I was in London during the December holiday season last year and bought my Heathrow Connect ticket about 20 minutes before it arrived. They had plenty of room and it only took a minute to buy it. I wouldnt bother getting it ahead of time. It will only be a waste of money if you decided to get alternate trasnsport instead.