Can someone please clarify for me how the 2for1 passes work? It seems like it's most beneficial for those staying outside of London and taking a train in. The deals seem so good though, am I able to buy a random rail ticket just so I can use the 2for1 vouchers?
You can also purchase a travel card (ticket for the tube and buses) at a National Rail station to take advantage of the 2 for 1 deals. It is a paper card that has the national rail logo on it rather than being loaded on an Oyster card. If you are using the Gatwick Express or Southern train service to get to and from Gatwick airport for arrival and departure (not sure about Heathrow Express) you can also use those tickets (have to show both) to access the discounts.
Do you know how the travel pass works? I know when you get it from a metro station you get the Oyster Card and just top up when you need it. How does the travel pass from the train station work?
If you want to use the travel card for the 2 for 1 deals, you purchase a paper card at a National Rail station. The card is put through a reader at the entracne to the stationn or the platform. You retrieve it as you pass through the turnstile. There are single day travel cards and 7 day travel cards. If you use an oyster card, you can also "load" a travel card (either 1 or 7 day) on the card and/or load pay-as-you-go money. You pass the card over a special "reader" as you go through the turnstile. The oyster card does not work with the 2 for 1 deals.
Colleen This is a question which has been discussed previously. Have a look at: http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm?topic=62872 from the archives for a good discussion about it. Hopefully that will help. Please come back to this thread for more clarification.