Our situation:
- We arrive at Heathrow on a Friday mid-morning, 2 adults and one 10 year old who looks older, 3 pieces of carry-on luggage
- Apartment is near Gloucester Road tube station (Piccadilly Line)
- We will purchase two 7 day paper travelcards (zones 1 and 2) for the adults (probably at Victoria Station)
- We are debating between a car service (for 45pounds) or Piccadilly Line to apartment. Will probably take car service on return to Heathrow.
Questions/Help Needed
- If we decide to take the tube in to the apartment, I think just single cash tickets (5.50pounds) make sense? Although then we need to get ourselves to Victoria Station. The single ticket won't allow us to go from Heathrow to Victoria Station and then back to Gloucester Road will it?
- DD is 10 but looks like a young teen. I see that 10 and under is free on the tube with an adult with a paid ticket/pass. Should we get her a photocard (10pounds?) or just carry a copy of her passport with us any time we are on the tube? It looks like we'd have to apply for a photocard on-line for her but maybe take some documentation to a British Post Office???
- I am now confused as to how to purchase the paper travelcards at a National Rail station. I saw a reference to it really being a 7 day Season Ticket? Is the photo for a separate photocard (with an additional fee)?
Questions: London - Travelcards, 2 for 1, Heathrow
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Hi Iowamom,
For the 7-day paper travelcard you do need to bring a passport photo for each card. There is no additional fee unless of course you have to hop into a photobooth to get the photos.
My experience is that you will get the child admission as the free one on the 2-for-1's. It will be interesting to see if that is the case with you since the child won't actually have the travelcard (but I bet that's still how it will be rung up).
My 10 year old looks 10 years old, so we haven't had a issue. Technically, it does say to get a photocard if your child looks older than 10. I doubt they would say anything most of the time, but if they did I bet they wouldn't want to deal with a passport, etc.
You'll need separate tickets for the Victoria Station and apartment trips because you will exit the station and go back in at VS. You may want to consider getting pay as you go Oyster cards to save a little money though it will require extra effort to get your deposit back in the end.
Interesting thought re the free ticket/admission on the 2 for 1. I had assumed we would get the 2nd adult ticket free since that is who holds the second travelcard. I suppose we could also purchase the child's ticket/admission separately to keep that one from being the free one.
Anyone else?
I asked a similiar question about the photo needed and my understanding is that IF you purchase the 7 day travelcard at National Rail station you need the photo BUT if purchased elsewhere (victoria station for example) you won't need the photo....
there are five of us and we will be buying the 7 day travel card put on an Oyster card
http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/oyster-card-new-rates-for-2013.cfm
oh2doula: I think you misunderstand. "IF you purchase the 7 day travelcard at National Rail station you need the photo BUT if purchased elsewhere (victoria station for example) you won't need the photo....
there are five of us and we will be buying the 7 day travel card put on an Oyster card"
Putting the travelcard on an Oyster defeats the whole purpose of getting the 2for1's. It must be a paper travelcard bought in a train (National Rail) station. Victoria has both a train and a tube station as do several others. The paper travelcard must be bought in a train station.
And one will need a photo for a weekly paper travelcard (but not for an Oyster)
Agree with janisj - travelcards on Oysters are not eligible for 2for1 deals. You need to buy a paper travelcard at a national rail station and you will need a photo!
I thought I had this figured out.... Since I will be buying my train ticket - Gatwick to Victoria with return trip THAT will be the PAPER ticket I buy at the National Rail Station BUT once we arrive at Victoria we would THEN buy the 7 day travelcard on an Oyster card for bus, tube travel and the train ticket is what we would use for the 2for1.....
didnt think we would need the photo....
"Since I will be buying my train ticket - Gatwick to Victoria with return trip THAT will be the PAPER ticket I buy at the National Rail Station BUT once we arrive at Victoria we would THEN buy the 7 day travelcard on an Oyster card for bus, tube travel and the train ticket is what we would use for the 2for1.....
That is an entirely different issue. OK -- you are right - your R-T train tickets Gatwick to Victoria to Gatwick (which you didn't mention in your previous post) do cover you for the 2for1's. Unfortunately that doesn't help Iowamom at all since they are arriving at Heathrow. There is no place at Heathrow one can but train tickets that qualify for the 2for1's.
You can use an Oyster since you will have those R-T tickets. That isn't possible for the OP.
I had forgotten that Heathrow didnt have the National Rail..... sorry for confusion!!
Back to iowamom - you should be right about this:
<<I had assumed we would get the 2nd adult ticket free since that is who holds the second travelcard. I suppose we could also purchase the child's ticket/admission separately to keep that one from being the free one.>>
The 2for1 should whack one of the ADULT tickets, not charge full freight for you and the hubby and let the girl in free. After all, she's a FREE rider on the Tube and the 2for1 offers require a travelcard for each of the TWO who are trying to get into the attraction in question (e.g., the Tower) for ONE admission price. And you should make that point to the admissions cashier at the attraction if the issue comes up. Ultimately, indydad should be wrong - you are getting TWO admissions for ONE price and the two will be the two adults.
<<The single ticket won't allow us to go from Heathrow to Victoria Station and then back to Gloucester Road will it>>
It gets you from Heathrow to Victoria and then you have the travel card to get you back to Gloucester Road. Unless you don't set up the Travelcard for immediate use, where's the problem?