Just can't get this tube thing
Mar 5th, 2007, 09:45 AM
#1
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Just can't get this tube thing
I have really tried to figure this out, but I don't know what transportation pass to buy, and if I should buy it now. I also want whatever I buy to work with the 2for1 deals. So.. if someone would be willing to help a tube/train challenged 1st timer- here are my details.
I have myself and a 16 year that will be arriving on a Monday at 10 am to Heathrow. We will be joined on Thursday by my 19 year old daughter who is a student at St. Andrews this semester. All of us are leaving London on Sunday.
I would like to take the tube to my hotel from Heathrow. My hotel is at the High Street Kensington stop. We will then be doing the usual things- Buckingham Palace, Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus, the Tower, the London Eye, etc. We are considering a day trip to Oxford, and on our flight out , we are leaving from London Luton.
If any kind soul could help me figure out what to buy, I'd be grateful. I'm bleary eyed from reading posts and googling this information.
Thanks in advance!
I have myself and a 16 year that will be arriving on a Monday at 10 am to Heathrow. We will be joined on Thursday by my 19 year old daughter who is a student at St. Andrews this semester. All of us are leaving London on Sunday.
I would like to take the tube to my hotel from Heathrow. My hotel is at the High Street Kensington stop. We will then be doing the usual things- Buckingham Palace, Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus, the Tower, the London Eye, etc. We are considering a day trip to Oxford, and on our flight out , we are leaving from London Luton.
If any kind soul could help me figure out what to buy, I'd be grateful. I'm bleary eyed from reading posts and googling this information.
Thanks in advance!
Mar 5th, 2007, 10:02 AM
#2
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You and the 16yr. old can get a 7 day travelcard on arrival at Heathrow that will entitle you to the 2 for 1 offers and the 19yr. old can get a 3 day travelcard. If you don't buy the 1-6 zone pass you'll just need to pay the extension from Heathrow.
Mar 5th, 2007, 10:04 AM
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You and the 16yo can probably make good use of a 7-day, 2-zone Travelcard loaded on an Oyster Card with some extra cash for the Heathrow "extension" (a single fare supplement to get you from the airport in Zone 6 to where your Travelcard kicks in, Zone 2).
The passes will get you all over London by Tube, bus, tram, and train, and as far as the rail stations for your trips to Oxford and Luton. You will need to buy train tickets when you get there. The "Cheap Day Return" fare will get you a good price on the day trip.
The 19yo should get an Oyster and load it with a Student Rate 7-day pass for £16.20 - see here for the rules:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/fares-tick....pdf#page%3d16
You will ride the Piccadilly Line from Heathrow to Earl's Court, then change to the District Line to HSK.
The passes will get you all over London by Tube, bus, tram, and train, and as far as the rail stations for your trips to Oxford and Luton. You will need to buy train tickets when you get there. The "Cheap Day Return" fare will get you a good price on the day trip.
The 19yo should get an Oyster and load it with a Student Rate 7-day pass for £16.20 - see here for the rules:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/fares-tick....pdf#page%3d16
You will ride the Piccadilly Line from Heathrow to Earl's Court, then change to the District Line to HSK.
Mar 5th, 2007, 11:55 AM
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Travelcards are i think 50p or so cheaper when loaded on an Oyster Card and it's my understanding that the Oyster Card is a no-brainer because if you don't use it enough to pay for the travelcard it gives you the lower journey by journey rate, again much cheaper using Oyster (1.5 pounds per tube ride vs 4 pounds without Oyster Card).
So i think adults just buy an OysterCArd and load it with enough money to cover the TravelCard they are thinking of and when your travel costs reach the TravelCard price it caps it and becomes a TravelCard.
Bit hazy...but Robespierre has proved in the past to be a paris and london transit guru.
So i think adults just buy an OysterCArd and load it with enough money to cover the TravelCard they are thinking of and when your travel costs reach the TravelCard price it caps it and becomes a TravelCard.
Bit hazy...but Robespierre has proved in the past to be a paris and london transit guru.
Mar 5th, 2007, 12:02 PM
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When using an Oyster on a Pay-As-You-Go basis, your fares are capped <i>each day</i> at 50p less than the price of a <u>one-day</u> Travelcard. So for Zones 1-2, £4.60 is the Oyster daily cap. If you hit the cap for 5 days (£23), you're 20p from the cost of a 7-day Travelcard.
If you use buses and walk a lot, you might not hit the daily caps. We have used PAYG for four- and five-day trips when our total outlay was less than £15, because we don't generally use the Tube except for airport transfers, and the bus caps at £3.
If you use buses and walk a lot, you might not hit the daily caps. We have used PAYG for four- and five-day trips when our total outlay was less than £15, because we don't generally use the Tube except for airport transfers, and the bus caps at £3.
Mar 5th, 2007, 12:09 PM
#7
Vderon
quot;<i>Travelcard vs. Oyster vs. whatever</i>" Just so you truly understand. You will get the travel card loaded ON an Oyster. They are not two different things. The Oyster is just an electronic ticket that stores whatever you tell the agent to load on to it. So if you want a a travel card so you get the 2 for 1 deals, the agent in the tube station at Heathrow will load it on an Oyster for you. Or if you wanted pay-as-you-go, that is what he will load on it. Or any combination.
quot;<i>Travelcard vs. Oyster vs. whatever</i>" Just so you truly understand. You will get the travel card loaded ON an Oyster. They are not two different things. The Oyster is just an electronic ticket that stores whatever you tell the agent to load on to it. So if you want a a travel card so you get the 2 for 1 deals, the agent in the tube station at Heathrow will load it on an Oyster for you. Or if you wanted pay-as-you-go, that is what he will load on it. Or any combination.
Mar 5th, 2007, 01:30 PM
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By purchasing the 7 day travelcard, you will not have to pay the 3 pound deposit for the Oyster card itself.
There is a special fare for travelcards and for pay as you go for 16 and 17 year olds, but you will need to get a "16-17 photocard" for the teen. Here is some information from the "ask Oyster" service (https://transportforlondon.custhelp.com):
<i> If you are visiting London, you may wish to apply for a 16-17 Oyster photocard to cover your stay in the capital. You can request a form in advance, by telephone or via the TfL website. You will be able to pick up the photocard when you arrive in London and must nominate:
• a Travel Information Centre to collect the 16-17 Oyster photocard from.
• a collection date
You must apply at least four weeks before your nominated collection date and collect the photocard no earlier than and within two weeks of that date.</i>
It may not be worth the extra hassle to do this - really when you compare the savings to the rest of the costs of the trip, it sort of pales.
There is a special fare for travelcards and for pay as you go for 16 and 17 year olds, but you will need to get a "16-17 photocard" for the teen. Here is some information from the "ask Oyster" service (https://transportforlondon.custhelp.com):
<i> If you are visiting London, you may wish to apply for a 16-17 Oyster photocard to cover your stay in the capital. You can request a form in advance, by telephone or via the TfL website. You will be able to pick up the photocard when you arrive in London and must nominate:
• a Travel Information Centre to collect the 16-17 Oyster photocard from.
• a collection date
You must apply at least four weeks before your nominated collection date and collect the photocard no earlier than and within two weeks of that date.</i>
It may not be worth the extra hassle to do this - really when you compare the savings to the rest of the costs of the trip, it sort of pales.
Mar 5th, 2007, 01:43 PM
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Oh, and your 19 year old will not need a 7 day travelcard if she is only going to be in London for 3 days. Further, the student Oyster only applies if the school has registered on to the TfL scheme (I have no idea if St. Andrew's has) AND if she has a student Oyster photo card (which takes 2 weeks to process.) A 3 day travel card is £16.40 for zones 1/2 (not available on Oyster.)
Mar 5th, 2007, 01:48 PM
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If by St Andrew's you mean the University of St Andrew's, your daughter's not eligible for any subsidy from London ratepayers: only students at registered institutions in London are so eligible.
She has to pay full fare like the rest of us.
She has to pay full fare like the rest of us.
Mar 5th, 2007, 01:57 PM
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It's like a lightbulb just went off. I get it now. I think the main thing that I didn't get was that the Oyster card is just an electronic version of the tickets that you buy. I also wanted to save money on going back and forth to the airports so that we could do an extra show.
I guess I'm a little skeptical of "bundled" offers. You buy a museum pass, and end up only going to one museum, or a coupon book and 80% of the coupons are for things you will never go to. I thought the Oyster card was something like that.
Thanks to all of you! This was my final puzzle piece in planning this trip. I pictured myself at the airport, dumbfounded, and caving in and getting a cab for $100.
I guess I'm a little skeptical of "bundled" offers. You buy a museum pass, and end up only going to one museum, or a coupon book and 80% of the coupons are for things you will never go to. I thought the Oyster card was something like that.
Thanks to all of you! This was my final puzzle piece in planning this trip. I pictured myself at the airport, dumbfounded, and caving in and getting a cab for $100.
