Another London Oyster / 2-for-1 question (with teen wrinkle)
 

Apologies for yet another question on this topic. It's obviously a confusing one though.

Here's what I (think I) know:

1) Oyster cards are plastic cards that allow one to load money for PAYG or travel cards (e.g. 7-day)
2) PAYG fares are much better than cash fares and are capped at the equivalent 1-day travel card rate
3) 2-for-1 daysout deals require a paper travel card from a TRAIN (not Tube) station

So, our specifics are we will be arriving via train into St Pancras for weekend trips as we are currently living in the UK. We have a family railcard and one under 10 and one 11-15 year old.

Question 1: do our train tickets on our arrival and departure days qualify for the London 2-for-1's or is it only 1-day travel cards that apply?

Question 2: For the 11-15 y.o., I can go through the initial hassle (and £10) of getting a photo oyster card that would cap out at £1.30 for off peak travel vs. the day-to-day hassle of getting a £2 (railcard discount) 1-day travelcard, correct? No advantage either way for peak travel (£4).

Thanks.

Q1 - They qualify for the period between arrival and departure days but you must have them to hand when claiming the offers - so if you find an automatic barrier on arrival, find a manned gate instead.

Q2 - weekends are off-peak anyhow and there's nothing to stop you buying more than one day's worth of travelcards at once.

To answer your Q1 - you are entitled to 2-for-1 deals during the entire weekend

<i>provided you show both outward and return portions of your tickets (remember to tell the train company staff that you need to keep your outward tickets!).
</i>
http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/faq.aspx#80

Thanks Alan and yk. I'm sure this train ticket business will make more sense when I actually purchase some tickets. :)

If you're buying a train ticket to come into London, would you even need an Oystercard for any of you? Ask if your train company throws in a London travelcard for zones 1 and 2 as part of the ticket.

Hmm, I don't see that as an option from East Midlands Trains (at least online). :?

Well, on

http://www.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk/...ialoffers.aspx

they mention all-inclusive tickets, but agreed, they don't make it clear how you can book one - presumably it comes up as an option when you book. If not, you could ring them up or ask at your local station.