We will be in London for 4 days next year. We will be using the tube maybe 3-4 times and doing a lot of walking and using the river boats a couple of times as well.
Is this card necessary?? How much is it for ride on the tube from lets say Victoria Station to Tower Hill??
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
I'm betting that you will ride the bus or metro more than you think. It was so convenient to jump around on the bus or metro with our Oyster Card, We had a 7-day card which seemed to have a lot of capacity. We never had to refill it. On some days, we rode the public transit 6-8 times. Works great.
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
The Oyster card is a stored-fare card that will mean avoiding having to pay fares on the underground and buses and get you cheaper fares. I would very strongly recommend getting one if you plan to travel by bus, as buses in central London no longer accept cash and the ticket machines at stops are often unreliable. Victoria to Tower Hill single is £4 cash and £1.90 if you use an Oyster card. Some of the Thames boats offer cheaper fares to Oyster holders.
Posted by
St. Albert, Canada
73 posts
I still have mine from my trip four years ago. Couldnt tell you if it still had money on it (could one find out somehow on the net?), but bringing on our trip to Paris in the spring because you just never know Lol. Do you think it will still work or be valid?
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33847 posts
Everything about Oyster Cards, written by Transport for London is at https://oyster.tfl.gov.uk/oyster/entry.do
Posted by
Tuscaloosa, AL
1152 posts
DK, we registered two of our Oyster cards online and I just logged on to check the balances. We haven't used the cards for a couple of years now, but they still show a balance.
Posted by
Washington, DC
888 posts
We have Oyster cards left over from a few years ago, and now I can't wait to see how much we have left on them. I say go ahead and get the Oyster card. It will be so convenient and will save you time because you don't have to purchase a single fare every time you ride. It will also be much cheaper as previously stated. Just buy yours at Heathrow (if that is your first point of entry) and then jump on the Tube with your card and head into London. If you don't plan on keeping your card, you can turn it back at a Tube station and get your balance returned to you, so no worries about losing money on it either.
Posted by
Port Coquitlam, BC, Canada
629 posts
Do yourself a favour and buy the oyster card. There's a certain joy of hopping on and off of buses and going thru turnstiles without constantly pulling out more cash. It also keeps your wallet hidden from others. As stated above, you will probably use transit more than you expect to. Don't forget that when using the oyster card there is a maximum amount that you will pay per day regardless of how much you ride. We used transit constantly and saved our energy for once we arrived at the sights, museums, galleries and parks, etc.