youngtom2910

i will be going to london next month fro a week. I understand that travelcard is a better deal than an oyster card., and that I need a photo for a travelcard.. I think one can buy an oyster card at about any tube station. where would one buy a travelcard? thx.

janisj

You seem to be a little confused. A travelcard is just a fare type. It can be loaded on either an oyster or a paper travel card. Same cost. Are you traveling solo? If so, there is no benefit to paper travelcards. Just get an oyster in any tube station.

(If you are traveling with another person - then paper travelcards matter because they get you the 2for1 discounts for some sites. But otherwise an oyster is better)

alanRow

< I understand that travelcard is a better deal than an oyster card., and that I need a photo for a travelcard.. >

For stays of longer than 4 days a 7 day Travelcard (whether paper or on an Oystercard) will generally be cheaper for transport than loading money onto an Oystercard and paying for each journey. For shorter stays an Oystercard with cash on it will be cheaper than the equivalent 1 day Travelcard (which will always be on paper)

If you - and your travelling companion - want to save money then buying Travelcards at a National Rail ticket office allows you to use the offers on daysoutguide.com . If you buy a 7 day Travelcard then you will need a passport SIZED photo that looks roughly like you

rickmav

If you load your travelcard on the oyster card, at the end of your visit you can return the oyster card to any tube station and receive back any unused money, plus the deposit you put down on the oyster card (£5). Just make sure you have your i.d. with you because they will ask for it in order to give you the refund.

indy_dad

<i><<If you load your travelcard on the oyster card, at the end of your visit you can return the oyster card to any tube station and receive back any unused money, plus the deposit you put down on the oyster card (£5). Just make sure you have your i.d. with you because they will ask for it in order to give you the refund.>></i>

It's easy to confuse the uninitiated on this subject unfortunately. To be clear, there are no refunds for travelcards (e.g. you use 6 days of a 7 day travel card).

What rickmav was referring to is that if you load pay-as-you-go (PAYG) money on your card, you could get the remaining balance refunded.

For a stay of a week, it makes sense to get the 7-day travelcard, usually for zones 1-2. If you don't need the 2-for-1's, put the travelcard on an Oyster (no photo needed and slightly easier to use).

If you want to get a paper travel card for 2-for-1's (only if there are two or more of you) then you will need the photos.