I have researched and read some of the posts on Oyster and admit to being somewhat confused. DD and family will be in London in March for 3 days before then touring Canterbury, Bath, York, and Cambridge. For the 3 London days she can purchase the travelcard, all zones for $44.00 adults $14.00 children, or from what I've read here, an Oyster once that get to Victoria from Gatwick. Is it better to purchase the travelcard online now or just wait till they get to Victoria Station and buy the Osyter or do you need both?

You don't need the $44 travel card - that's for a week.

Just load some cash on the oyster and use it on the three days you are here.

It will stop charging you when you hit the cost of a one day travel card (about £5 for adults) and all subsequent journeys that day are free.

First: an Oyster is a form-of-payment card. You load a Travelcard or cash for pay-as-you-go fares on it.

If you use strictly PAYG, there is a £3 deposit on each of your Oysters.

There is no reason to buy anything in advance. Just go to the Tube station when you get to Victoria. A Southern Trains DaySave card will get the lot of you there for much less than the GX.

The adults will do fine with Oyster cards loaded with £4.80 per day (£6.30 if any trip is before 9:30AM).

Kids' fares are spelled out here: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloa...-discounts.pdf

C. Warner
The $44 is for 3 days check out: http://www.railpass.com/new/passes/pass/london.asp

But you think just loading on an Oyster card when they get there, the same amount they would be spending in travelcards is the best?

There's not much in it. $44 is about £22 and the price cap on the oyster if you use it before 9.30am is £7.50.

You pays yer money yer takes yer choice

Please forgive me for being so dense. But, if they pay $44.00 pp for 3 days of unlimited use, is it better to put that amount on an oyster and forget buying a London Visitor card?

What's a London Visitor Card? Is it an ordinary Travelcard TfL sells to unsuspecting tourists at an inflated price? If so, you should avoid it an buy an Oyster at any Tube station.

With PAYG, you can pay as little as £0 for days you walk, or ride the bus all day for £3.

I would have thought so.

Robe
So if a Travelcard was purchased here in the States, then when they get to Victoria Station they could load that onto an Osyter Card? And this would be best?

Dont bother buying it in the states...just buy it when you get to the station.

Thanks everyone!

<<< all zones for $44.00 adults $14.00 children >>>

Suggest you check the prices for children as they vary according to age

www.londontoolkit.com/briefing/travelcard.htm

Kids' fares are spelled out here: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloa...-discounts.pdf

You could spend half your holiday trying to work out the best permutations of Oyster Card funding. And just think how that would screw up your minute-by-minute itinaries.

No - just make like the locals and PAYG.

Is payg Oyster? I don't know what PAYG stands for.

PAYG = pay as you go.

Finding myself pathetically stumbling around the pretty colored and somewhat confusing (to me) columns on the tfl fare guide, I am going to risk recrimination and simply inquire:

What is the cost of a 7 day, 1-2 zone, peak Travelcard for an adult?
And, what is the cost of a 3 day, 1-2 zone, peak Travelcard for an adult?

Also, while I have your kind attention...would anyone have a ballpark figure on a taxi ride from the Royal HorseGuards to St. Pancras?

Thanks in advance...bdj

I read this train/tube stuff over and over and still get confused, but on our recent trip, we asked for the 7-day unlimited adult zone 1-2 travel card, and received it, loaded on an Oyster, for 24.20 pounds. We then got discounts on, for example, the on-off Thames boat, and I think there were other possible discounts.

This is quite a useful website

http://www.londontoolkit.com/briefing/oystercard.htm

It is easier to understand than the official Oyster site

bdj: page 27 of "Your guide to fares and tickets":

7-day: £24.20
3-day: £17.40 (but if your 3 days includes a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, it might be cheaper to buy 1-day travelcards, since there is no peak rate charge for those days).