London: 7 day travel card vs Visitor Oyster card
Aug 26th, 2018, 11:15 AM
#21
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Read the link Dukey provided. it seems to me that you would get a piece of paper telling you to top up, your 7 day Travelcard would go negative, and you would be let off the Tube/Bus (see the driver for the bus). Then you would need to add the money before your next tube or bus ride.
Stu Dudle
Stu Dudle
Aug 26th, 2018, 01:47 PM
#22
Original Poster
Stu,
i was referring to my choice of getting a paper pass vs getting the Oyster card. A paper pass is just good for the dates for which it was purchased. The advantages of the paper pass are, as janisj points out, good for the 2 for 1 tourist visits, but it’s not on an Oyster card. It is the Oyster card that can get topped up.
I think this is right but if I’m not, please let me know.
i was referring to my choice of getting a paper pass vs getting the Oyster card. A paper pass is just good for the dates for which it was purchased. The advantages of the paper pass are, as janisj points out, good for the 2 for 1 tourist visits, but it’s not on an Oyster card. It is the Oyster card that can get topped up.
I think this is right but if I’m not, please let me know.
Aug 26th, 2018, 02:27 PM
#23
I researched this for our upcoming trip to London. A credit card will have contactless function if it has the contactless symbol on it. The symbol looks like several concentric arcs. But even if you have such a card,you have to tell your bank that you will be out of the country or they will block foreign transactions. The Oyster card requires a 5 pound deposit, refundable if you turn in your card. Up to 10 pounds of value left on the card will also be refunded. The visitor Oyster card also costs 5 pounds, non-refundable, so is a silly purchase.
The Oyster card is very smart. You don't need to do anything to get your discounts. If you do anything on the TfL system (Tube, busses, light rail) it will minimize the cost to you. For instance, if you use only busses one day, your daily maximum tops out at a lower fee than if you use the Tube. A seven day travel card on an Oyster card can cover any seven consecutive days, but a contactless card will only act as a seven day card for a Monday to Sunday week (but it does that automatically). The contactless system totals all your activity at the end of every day and the end of every week (inside the TfL computers) and bills your account the correct amount. If two people are travelling together, they will need separate contactless credit cards with different numbers, since it is one person per card. So going contactless means not having to buy and eventually get refunded with Oyster, but then the Monday to Sunday only 7-day discount and the need for a family to have multiple separate contactless credit cards creates a drawback here too.
Only a paper travelcard issued on National Railway stock at an above ground railway station will allow the 2 for 1 deals, and only for the period of validity of the paper card. And both people need paper travel cards for a 2 for 1 offer.
The Oyster card is very smart. You don't need to do anything to get your discounts. If you do anything on the TfL system (Tube, busses, light rail) it will minimize the cost to you. For instance, if you use only busses one day, your daily maximum tops out at a lower fee than if you use the Tube. A seven day travel card on an Oyster card can cover any seven consecutive days, but a contactless card will only act as a seven day card for a Monday to Sunday week (but it does that automatically). The contactless system totals all your activity at the end of every day and the end of every week (inside the TfL computers) and bills your account the correct amount. If two people are travelling together, they will need separate contactless credit cards with different numbers, since it is one person per card. So going contactless means not having to buy and eventually get refunded with Oyster, but then the Monday to Sunday only 7-day discount and the need for a family to have multiple separate contactless credit cards creates a drawback here too.
Only a paper travelcard issued on National Railway stock at an above ground railway station will allow the 2 for 1 deals, and only for the period of validity of the paper card. And both people need paper travel cards for a 2 for 1 offer.
Last edited by AJPeabody; Aug 26th, 2018 at 02:41 PM.
Aug 26th, 2018, 05:35 PM
#24
>>A paper pass is just good for the dates for which it was purchased.<<
Just to clarify -- no difference whether a 7-day travelcard on an Oyster or a 7-day travelcard on paper - they are both good for seven days. A paper travelcard is just slightly less convenient but the savings can be substantial.
Just to clarify -- no difference whether a 7-day travelcard on an Oyster or a 7-day travelcard on paper - they are both good for seven days. A paper travelcard is just slightly less convenient but the savings can be substantial.
Aug 27th, 2018, 02:53 AM
#25
Original Poster
<<Just to clarify -- no difference whether a 7-day travelcard on an Oyster or a 7-day travelcard on paper - they are both good for seven days. A paper travelcard is just slightly less convenient but the savings can be substantial.>>
Understand! What I meant was that one can also add to the Oyster card, whether additional time or PAYG (it took me a while to understand this!). The paper pass is good only for the 7 day period for which it is purchased and (because it's paper) can't be added to. I
Understand! What I meant was that one can also add to the Oyster card, whether additional time or PAYG (it took me a while to understand this!). The paper pass is good only for the 7 day period for which it is purchased and (because it's paper) can't be added to. I
