I thought I had this all worked out in my mind, but now I am confused. I do not need the 2 for 1 offers via the 1 day Travelcards purchased from the Railroad. We will be arriving at Heathrow on a Monday around 11:30 in the morning. We will be traveling from there to our bed and breakfast in zone 4 on the opposite side of London. We plan on traveling back to the downtown in the late afternoon on Monday and every other day until we leave on the Eurostar Saturday. We have several sites each day that we plan to go to which probably means multiple trips on the tube. Should we get the 7 day 1-4 Travelcard loaded onto an Oyster with enough extra for the trip from Heathrow to our B&B or just plan on using Oyster pay as we go since it has a daily cap?
Posted by
Newcastle, WA, USA
643 posts
I believe the 7 Day travelcard only works in Zones 1-2. So in that case, you can buy it, but you will still have to put additional funds on the Oyster Card (which you will attach your 7 Day travelcard to) to get to your place in Zone 4. If it were me, I'd just get an Oyster Card and load 20 Pounds on to it and use it that way, since you're not going to central London every day.
Posted by
san diego, california, us
149 posts
The 7-day Travel card is available for all 6 zones, although most visitors only buy a card for zones 1-2 since that's where most tourists stay and most tourist sites are located. You can also get them for zones 1-4, and zones 1-6. In general, a 7-day Travelcard is the more economical option if you are going to use it 5 or more days in London, especially if you want to use the 2for1 offers. If I understand your post correctly, you will only be using it for 3 days--Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and you have no interest in the 2for 1 offers. I would therefore just get an Oyster PAYG card. (BTW, there is no such thing as "downtown" London. I assume you mean central London, which is primarily zone 1, and to a lesser extent, zone 2. Not being snarky--just don't want you to get confused looks if you ask a Londoner about how to get "downtown.") Have a great trip!!
Posted by
OP
Londonderry, OH, USA
3 posts
Thanks for the input. Actually, we will be going into central London each day- I typed that incorrectly. We also may be leaving in the morning during peak times So, I think it may be more economical to buy the 7 day Travelcard for zones 1-4 and just pay for the trip from Heathrow to the B&B. Does anyone know if there are any benefits to just carrying the Travelcard vs. loading it onto the Oyster?
Posted by
san diego, california, us
149 posts
The advantage of loading the Travelcard onto the Oyster is that it allows you to use both payment options, PAYG and Travelcard. Since you don't plan to use the 2for1 offers, I don't see the advantage of a National Rail paper Travelcard. However, there is no disadvantage either, unless your B&B is not within walking distance of a rail station and you have to take public transportation to a rail station to purchase it. (You can't buy paper Travelcards at Heathrow). If you load a Zone 1-4 Travelcard onto an Oyster, you could use it to get from Heathrow to your B&B on the tube, but you would have to pay an extension fare from Heathrow to Zone 4, at which time your Zone 4 Travelcard would kick in. Quite frankly, in your case it is probably a wash. I suggest you go ahead and pay the one-time fare to your B&B from Heathrow and buy a Travelcard from a rail station since that seems to be your preference.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Buy an Oyster card at Heathrow and load a zone 1-4 Travelcard on it. Also load about 5 PAYG pounds on it to cover your ride from Heathrow to zone 4. A single ticket for zones 5-6 costs £4.00. That same ride using Oyster will cost £1.40 during peak hours and £1.30 during off-peak hours. Get a refund on your unspent PAYG pounds when you get to St. Pancras on Saturday.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33823 posts
It really is pretty simple and I believe that Tim has summarized it best. If I were doing it, that's what I would do, with one teenie weenie change. Ever coming to London again? If so, leave enough PAYG money on the card to get you into central London next time. The money doesn't expire.
Posted by
BC, Canada
345 posts
It doesn't expire, but it falls asleep and has to be woken up by a ticket person. Sadly, my oyster is about to hit that two year mark. I'll have to visit a ticket person before being able to use my three remaining pounds when I'm in London next year.
Posted by
OP
Londonderry, OH, USA
3 posts
Thanks to all of you for the suggestions and I will do exactly as Tim and Nigel suggest! I don't know if I will be back to London so I'll just decide when I leave if I want to cash it in or keep it in the hopes that I return.
Posted by
Newcastle, WA, USA
643 posts
JumpinBug, thanks for the tip about having to wake up Oyster cards after 2 years. It will save my wife and I a surprise when we arrive in London from Amsterdam this September!
Posted by
BC, Canada
345 posts
Glad I can help someone else. I wish I'd thought about it sooner, would have given our Oysters to a friend spending a week in London. They just have to be scanned at any turnstile or even ticket window to check the balance in order to stay active. The balance is still good, but it just takes that extra step to get going again, by a real person.