If I buy a 3 day travelcard can I get 2 for 1 coupons?
Mar 2nd, 2011, 08:37 PM
#22
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" is it possible to buy single tickets in advance - ie buy them today for use two or three days later?"
Yesish. You can ask for railway tickets to be postdated: you'd be mad to buy single tube tickets under any circumstances, but if you were that mad they couldn't be postdated.
But why would you want to do this?
Yesish. You can ask for railway tickets to be postdated: you'd be mad to buy single tube tickets under any circumstances, but if you were that mad they couldn't be postdated.
But why would you want to do this?
Mar 2nd, 2011, 11:19 PM
#23
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We have Oysters for general use and would be buying the National Rail paper travel card for use on the days we what the 2for1's. I want to know if I can buy those tickets in advance rather than going to a railway station on the day. Nothing to do with the tube.
Mar 3rd, 2011, 02:42 AM
#26
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Yes you can buy a one day travelcard a day in advance or more..it makes sense...on a day your oyster PAYG will cap (it caps after the third tube ride of the day during the 4th)....make a stop at a national rail station to pick up th following day's 1 day travelcards and on that day, use the one day travelcard you bought. This way, it costs you nothing extra to make a side trip to a national rail station.
Mar 5th, 2011, 08:00 AM
#28
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Sorry if I'm being dense but I'm very confused. I thought that travel cards could be used for both rail and tube rides. I see everyone saying to buy an oyster for getting around. If I buy the travel card at a rail station for the 2 for 1 deals, can't I also use it for the tube? Also, what is meant by "the day your oyster PAYG will cap"? I thought oysters would be active as long as you had money on them?
As for the 2 for 1 deals, do you have to print them out from the website or do they have a booklet with coupons at the station when you buy the travel card? The ones on the website seem to only allow you to get 3 offers and they expire in April.
As for the 2 for 1 deals, do you have to print them out from the website or do they have a booklet with coupons at the station when you buy the travel card? The ones on the website seem to only allow you to get 3 offers and they expire in April.
Mar 5th, 2011, 08:22 AM
#29
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"Cap" means there's a maximum amount that will be charged to your Oyster PAYG account on the card (depending on whether traveling at peak or not and what zones traveling in). After (if) you reach said cap, then no matter how many more tube/bus rides you take that day, there is no more charge.
Look at alanRow's post above. The terminology (train/tube/rail/etc.) can be confusing to me, the not-public-transportation-using American. But see if this helps; it's what I've figured out from my few trips: If you are going be to traveling on a TRAIN (what we think of as a train--above ground, city to city), the National Rail runs those and you will have to purchase tickets for those rides, those to/from London outside of the Greater London area. TFL (Transport for London) runs several "things" in the London area--mostly the Tube but also the buses and the Light Railway and some National Rail lines inside the Greater London area. For those you can use the Oyster and/or the travel cards. (or a travel card "loaded" onto an Oyster--which is, you are probably gathering, just a device, a plastic card, not really an account or program or something.) The confusion for me concerned the station thing--some stations in London are both TFL AND National Rail stations, mostly the bigger ones. Most Tube stations (including the one at Heathrow) are NOT also National Rail stations. If you want to use 2for1 deals, you will have to have the travel card issued by the National Rail entity, which means you have to go to a station that also serves the National Rail.
Does that help or just roil the mud more?!
I printed off more than 3 vouchers; don't remember that restriction. Check back right before you leave; they should be updated with correct date.
Look at alanRow's post above. The terminology (train/tube/rail/etc.) can be confusing to me, the not-public-transportation-using American. But see if this helps; it's what I've figured out from my few trips: If you are going be to traveling on a TRAIN (what we think of as a train--above ground, city to city), the National Rail runs those and you will have to purchase tickets for those rides, those to/from London outside of the Greater London area. TFL (Transport for London) runs several "things" in the London area--mostly the Tube but also the buses and the Light Railway and some National Rail lines inside the Greater London area. For those you can use the Oyster and/or the travel cards. (or a travel card "loaded" onto an Oyster--which is, you are probably gathering, just a device, a plastic card, not really an account or program or something.) The confusion for me concerned the station thing--some stations in London are both TFL AND National Rail stations, mostly the bigger ones. Most Tube stations (including the one at Heathrow) are NOT also National Rail stations. If you want to use 2for1 deals, you will have to have the travel card issued by the National Rail entity, which means you have to go to a station that also serves the National Rail.
Does that help or just roil the mud more?!
I printed off more than 3 vouchers; don't remember that restriction. Check back right before you leave; they should be updated with correct date.
Mar 5th, 2011, 08:29 AM
#30
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1. To the best of my knowledge, 3 day travelcards are no longer offered. They died about 2 or 3 years ago.
2. A one day paper travelcard issued by one of the national railroad companies is valid on all tube and national rail services within the limits of its validity. Thus a 1 day paper travelcard for zones 1 & 2 is valid on all rail and tube servicdes within zones 1 & 2 and all buses.
3. Tfl does offer 1 day paper travelcards with the exact same validity as those issued by the national rail companies but they look different and are not valid for the 2 for 1's.
4. By capping, which is the big selling point of oyster cards and PAYF it is meant you will never spend more for the services you use than the cost of a 1 day travelcard but if you spend less, it is not raised to the cost of a 1 day travelcard. Maybe if I give you an example you cam imderstamd/
You are using PAYG on an oyster card. You start out at non peak hour (for zones 1 & 2 it means after 0930 on a weekday but all weekend). The first tube ride of the day will cost you £1.90 (assume for this discussion you remain in zone 1)...the next tube ride of the day, another £1.90 so your charge for the day is now £3.80...you now take a bus ride, cost is £1.30 so your outlay is now £5.10 now you're finished for the day and on your way home on the tube...another £1.90 making it a £7 day. Right? No wrong...since all your travel for the day was within zones 1 & 2 (actually zone 1), the price cap for the day is £6.60 so only £1.50 would be deducted for the last trip making your total outlay £6.60. Any further tube or bus rides that day will be free. The advantage is that you don't have to start out each day and make a decision...the computers are programmed so you won't be charged more than the cap. If you don't use oyster, your real only alternative if you're going to take more than one tube ride during a day is to buy a 1 day paper travelcard up front and if you only make 1 round trip on the tube, your choice is £8 in cash or £6.60 for a 1 day travelcard...with oyster, that one round trip on the tube (again assuming you stick to zone 1 which contains almost all the landmarks a visitor would want to see on a day of general sightseeing followed say by a trip to the theatre) that one round trip would be £3.80, a significant saving.
Also, if you only use buses on a given day, cash bus fares are £2.20 each (no free transfers BTW)...the same fare with an oyster card is £1.30 but here's the catch...if you only use buses in the course of a day, the fares for the day will cap at £4...there is no one day bus ticket available!
As I say, if the 2 for 1's are not a consideration, oyster is the way to go (there are a few national rail services which don't yet take oyster)...but the 2 for 1's complicate matters as this thread has shown.
2. A one day paper travelcard issued by one of the national railroad companies is valid on all tube and national rail services within the limits of its validity. Thus a 1 day paper travelcard for zones 1 & 2 is valid on all rail and tube servicdes within zones 1 & 2 and all buses.
3. Tfl does offer 1 day paper travelcards with the exact same validity as those issued by the national rail companies but they look different and are not valid for the 2 for 1's.
4. By capping, which is the big selling point of oyster cards and PAYF it is meant you will never spend more for the services you use than the cost of a 1 day travelcard but if you spend less, it is not raised to the cost of a 1 day travelcard. Maybe if I give you an example you cam imderstamd/
You are using PAYG on an oyster card. You start out at non peak hour (for zones 1 & 2 it means after 0930 on a weekday but all weekend). The first tube ride of the day will cost you £1.90 (assume for this discussion you remain in zone 1)...the next tube ride of the day, another £1.90 so your charge for the day is now £3.80...you now take a bus ride, cost is £1.30 so your outlay is now £5.10 now you're finished for the day and on your way home on the tube...another £1.90 making it a £7 day. Right? No wrong...since all your travel for the day was within zones 1 & 2 (actually zone 1), the price cap for the day is £6.60 so only £1.50 would be deducted for the last trip making your total outlay £6.60. Any further tube or bus rides that day will be free. The advantage is that you don't have to start out each day and make a decision...the computers are programmed so you won't be charged more than the cap. If you don't use oyster, your real only alternative if you're going to take more than one tube ride during a day is to buy a 1 day paper travelcard up front and if you only make 1 round trip on the tube, your choice is £8 in cash or £6.60 for a 1 day travelcard...with oyster, that one round trip on the tube (again assuming you stick to zone 1 which contains almost all the landmarks a visitor would want to see on a day of general sightseeing followed say by a trip to the theatre) that one round trip would be £3.80, a significant saving.
Also, if you only use buses on a given day, cash bus fares are £2.20 each (no free transfers BTW)...the same fare with an oyster card is £1.30 but here's the catch...if you only use buses in the course of a day, the fares for the day will cap at £4...there is no one day bus ticket available!
As I say, if the 2 for 1's are not a consideration, oyster is the way to go (there are a few national rail services which don't yet take oyster)...but the 2 for 1's complicate matters as this thread has shown.
Mar 5th, 2011, 09:14 AM
#31
"<i>As for the 2 for 1 deals, do you have to print them out from the website or do they have a booklet with coupons at the station when you buy the travel card? The ones on the website seem to only allow you to get 3 offers and they expire in April.</i>"
Pre-print them. The offers run out periodically -- but have always been renewed for the next season. So assuming that happens again this Spring, just wait a few weeks and the summer offers will be there.
Pre-print them. The offers run out periodically -- but have always been renewed for the next season. So assuming that happens again this Spring, just wait a few weeks and the summer offers will be there.
Apr 1st, 2012, 12:51 AM
#32
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I arrive at Heathrow and need to catch the tube to Kings Cross. I want to buy a 7 day travel card, that can be used with the 2 for 1 vouchers. I know this can only be done from one of the main railway stations. Can I get a friend to buy the travel card from a station in advance, so he can send it to me - I can then use it immediately I arrive for my journey to Kings Cross? Otherwise, I will have to pay over 5 pounds to get into London, before I am able to buy my travel card at the main station. If you can buy them in advance, how far in advance are you able to do that?
Apr 1st, 2012, 01:26 AM
#34
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The answer is somewhat complicated and may not be economical. You've got to understand, London Underground is on a zone system. Basically there are a bunch of concentric zones with central London in zone 1 and as you go further out, other zones. Heathrow is in zone 6. For a paper travelcard to be valid by itserlf for the trip in from the airport, you would need a 7 day zone 1-6 travelcard which is quite expensive (check the tfl web site). Their whole system is set up with reasonable fares for what are called extension tickets on oyster cards where you pay the fare, via the oyster card's payg feature even if you put a zone 1-2 (the one almost all tourists need and use) on it. In effect the extension fare is listed as the oyster fare for a trip from zone 3 to zone 6 with the travelcard covering the portion of the trip in zones 1 & 2.
If you have a paper travelcard for zones 1 & 2, you have to buy a cash fare for zones 6 to 3 which are still over £4....do you intend to make more than 3 trips every day? Will there be a day or two in there where yo might only make one round trip via tube on a given day? Will you be making other trips outside zones 1 & 2?
So while your plan does have merit and shows you are thinking outside the box and congratulations for coming up with something, you would still be nicked for the trip to and from Heatrhrow as if you had no travelcard at all (cash fares on London underground of which extension fares would be such if you don't have an oyster card, are deliberately set unreasonably high to discourage people from using cash).
While I understand the rationale behind the system as it has evolved with the 2 for 1's (to encourage pope to use railroad to travel to London, the periphery are the tourists sort of bending the rules, not that it's illegal or anhything), the whole set up of the different approaches paper tickets vs. oyster cards is sort of complicated.
If you have a paper travelcard for zones 1 & 2, you have to buy a cash fare for zones 6 to 3 which are still over £4....do you intend to make more than 3 trips every day? Will there be a day or two in there where yo might only make one round trip via tube on a given day? Will you be making other trips outside zones 1 & 2?
So while your plan does have merit and shows you are thinking outside the box and congratulations for coming up with something, you would still be nicked for the trip to and from Heatrhrow as if you had no travelcard at all (cash fares on London underground of which extension fares would be such if you don't have an oyster card, are deliberately set unreasonably high to discourage people from using cash).
While I understand the rationale behind the system as it has evolved with the 2 for 1's (to encourage pope to use railroad to travel to London, the periphery are the tourists sort of bending the rules, not that it's illegal or anhything), the whole set up of the different approaches paper tickets vs. oyster cards is sort of complicated.
Apr 1st, 2012, 05:03 AM
#35
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<i>Can I get a friend to buy the travel card from a station in advance, so he can send it to me - I can then use it immediately I arrive for my journey to Kings Cross? Otherwise, I will have to pay over 5 pounds to get into London,</i>
You could, but why bother? It might get lost in the post, it might not arrive in time, your friend might buy the wrong card.
Given that most tourists only need a Zone 1-2 Travelcard costing around £29.20 buying a Zone 1-6 Travelcard to cover travel to/from Heathrow at a cost of £53.40 is overkill and means you end up paying more to "save" money.
Just pay the single fare
You could, but why bother? It might get lost in the post, it might not arrive in time, your friend might buy the wrong card.
Given that most tourists only need a Zone 1-2 Travelcard costing around £29.20 buying a Zone 1-6 Travelcard to cover travel to/from Heathrow at a cost of £53.40 is overkill and means you end up paying more to "save" money.
Just pay the single fare
Apr 8th, 2012, 09:33 PM
#36
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Sorry for another travelcard/2 for 1 question...
Am I correct in thinking that if I want to use the 2 for 1 deal at 3 different sites on 3 different days, I would need to purchase three 1 day travel cards? And would I be able to purchase all 3 at the same time? If I was to visit all 3 sites on 1 day, would I just need 1 travel card?
Thanks!
Am I correct in thinking that if I want to use the 2 for 1 deal at 3 different sites on 3 different days, I would need to purchase three 1 day travel cards? And would I be able to purchase all 3 at the same time? If I was to visit all 3 sites on 1 day, would I just need 1 travel card?
Thanks!
Apr 8th, 2012, 09:47 PM
#37
Sloane_428: How many days are you in London all together? If more than 4 days, you can get a paper 7 day travelcard and it will let you use the 2for1's on any of the 7 days.
But if you are only in London for 3 days, then you'll need a separate paper daily travelcard for each day you want to do 2for1's. You can visit as many sites per day as you can squeeze in.
Yes you can buy post dated travelcards.
But if you are only in London for 3 days, then you'll need a separate paper daily travelcard for each day you want to do 2for1's. You can visit as many sites per day as you can squeeze in.
Yes you can buy post dated travelcards.
Apr 9th, 2012, 08:23 AM
#39
"<i>I will be in London for 5 days. But do I want to buy a travelcard for 7 days when I can only use it for 5?</i>"
generally - for 5 days, a 7-day travelcard works out about the same or a little cheaper than 5 1-day travelcards and is definitely more convenient than getting five different cards. If you have a 7-day paper travelcard you won't need an Oyster too.
generally - for 5 days, a 7-day travelcard works out about the same or a little cheaper than 5 1-day travelcards and is definitely more convenient than getting five different cards. If you have a 7-day paper travelcard you won't need an Oyster too.
May 2nd, 2012, 07:45 AM
#40
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Friends traveling to London for a 5 day stay. There are six in the party so the 2x1 tickets would be a great savings. They will arrive at Heathrow and take the Express to Paddington and return to Heathrow 5 days later. Will that train travel qualify them for the 2x1 vouchers?
Thank you.
Thank you.
