I'm hoping Ben Haines or other London experts can help me with this Tube question. My family and I will be in London for 3 months departing in just a couple of weeks here. We spent the summer in London in 2002. During that time we had monthly travel cards, with the accompanying required photocard. We still have these photocards. Can we just bring along these same photocards to use with our travelcards this time around, or will we need to acquire entirely new photocards? Also I assume I need a travelcard/photocard for my 6 year-old and not for my 2 year-old? Thanks.

You might try emailing them, I had a question about an Oyster card and they got back to me within a couple of days with an answer

www.tfl.gov.uk

Unfortunately just about everything transport-related has changed since your 2002 visit

This thread will explain most things (but it also may confuse you even more)

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34728905

If you are talking about a month-long pass - you must go Oyster. A new animal that didn't exist last time you were there.

Basically - the old paper 7 day travel cards are still available. But NOT from tube stations. If you want a paper transport pass, you have to buy it from a rail station. You don't need the photo i.d.s for zone 1 or zone 1-2 weekly passes anymore, but you do for other multi-zone passes. But if you go into a tube station to buy your pass you will have to get an Oyster card (and pay a deposit for the privlege)

The pdf file linked in the above thread will explain almost everything for you -- but as I said everything is about as clear as mud.

The deposit on the Oyster is only 3GBP, you can have it recharged for various amounts or length of stay, it can even be done online.

We loved the convenience.

Paper travelcards are still available exactly as before, but you can only buy them from national rail stations: one of the London termini such as Charing Cross, Victoria or Paddington, or a suburban station such as Richmond or Greenwich. All Travelcards are valid on trains as well as tubes, buses and trams.

One correct, at least based on my readings of the web site (maybe I am missing something) it appears there is no longer a plain zone 1 7 day travelcard available....the only one listed is zones 1 & 2.

Yes, travelcards for a single zone are no longer available, so you can only get one for at least two zones.

Woah! Could this be more confusing! I read the other thread and also read through www.tfl.gov.uk. So in my case all I want is an unlimited pass for travel on the tube zones 1 & 2 for 3 months. I see that I can still obtain the regular paper travelcard, like I used in the summer of 2002, if I see a rail station--no problem. In that case it seems the same as when I was there in 2002. So other than having to go to a rail station for this pass, is there anything else that's changed about the paper travel cards? Then what is the advantage of the Oyster card (othe than electronic touchpad--seems a lot like the Smartcard in D.C.) for someone like me looking for 3 months unlimited travel zones 1 & 2? I read that you can put your travelcard on the Oyster card. How? Do I still go buy the paper version at the rail station, take it to an Oyster distributer and have it applied to my Oyster card (repeating this each month)? Or can you get the same travelcard deal straight through Oyster? OR is it better/cheaper just to fill up the card and use it on a per fare basis? For the photocard then, if I just go the paper travelcard can I just use the same one I used in 2002? Then what about all this for my 6 year-old? Gosh, I have more questions, but I have a feeling I may not get much of this sorted out until we get there! Thanks for your help!

Hi Samtraveler

I've had my photocard for the last 4 and a half years and have bought paper tickets and acquired an oyster card using it so I don't see why yours wouldn't still be valid.

As I see it, the advantage to the Oyster is that if you don't use transport, you don't pay. Even if you take a lot of trips in a single day, your outlay is capped at a somewhat reasonable figure.

But since I rarely use the Tube, I haven't really researched it in any depth (heh, heh).

Oh...and i can aswer the other questions too..

Given you are going to be in town for 3 months, i think it is worth getting oyster cards and buying monthly travel passes which are electronically registered to your oyster card. Saves you losing a paper ticket. Once a paper ticket is gone, it's gone. If you lose your oyster, you can get a new one and still have the travel pass you bought.

Here's how it works to get an Oyster card (the easiest way i think).

1. Fill out a form and take your photocard and the completed form to the ticket window.

2. Pay a £3 deposit per card and you will all be issued with one

3. When you collect your card (issued immediately when you present the form), ask the ticket officer to put your first monthly travel pass on it and pay them for it then.

4. After the first month, you will see flash up on the ticket gates as you pass through 'soon expire' and 'near expire' so you know to pay for your next month.

5. before it expires, go to one of the machines with an oyster swipe pad on it, press your oyster card up to the pad.

6. The machine will read the card and display on the screen what you have on the card. Select 'renew season ticket' from the touch screen. It should show that you have had a 1 month pass before and you can touch that to renew the exact same thing.

7. Pay for it, touch your Oyster card to the touch pad again to update it

8. Go on your merry way whistling cheerfully as you pass through the ticket gates!

You can renew at the ticket window as well if you don't want to use the machine.

Sorry if this is teching granny to suck eggs but I hope it helps. Just ask if you want me to clarify any of this.

Re: not paying if you don't use it, that is partially correct.

If you have 'pay as you go' which is effectively x number of £'s credit, you only pay for what you use and it is capped.

If you have a travel pass on the card, it operates the same way as the paper ones, if you don't travel on a day, it is still a day off your travel pass, which are time limited.

Confusing I know but once you get used it, it's easy!

I wonder how the Transport for London employees deal with all of this. They don't hire many PhDs to work the ticket booths, after all.

Get an oyster card. Firstly all the prices just went up (Jan 1) and pre-pay osyter fares are now the cheapest way on both bus and tube. I get my monthly pass on oyster (Zone 1-5). Swipe card, press monthly card button, insert credit card, swipe card. Done, run.

Also if you use prepay - oyster will cap your daily usage at the daily card rate.

I think you are correct about the photo card

"A valid Child/Under 16 Oyster photocard is needed for:

Any child rate 7 Day, monthly or longer period season ticket."

As I understand it, you don't have to register or fill out any forms for an oyster card with only a 7 day zone 1 &2 and prepay on it.

Am I correct?

Incidentally and this is for everybody who hasn't been following the threads, single cash fares on the tube have gone up to astronomical hights, it is now £3 for a crummy single zone 1 ticket purchased by cash...with a return (round trip) thus being £6, you are crazy not to get a 1 day travelcard for any return trip on the tube during a day.

But again I suppose many non English speakers or lazy tourists will be only too happy to fork over the 3 quid per ride....

Slowly I am getting a handle on the situation, maybe. That's only after reading through the entire 59-page Fares and Tickets Booklet, which actually probably did more to confuse than clarify--who writes this stuff?

Thanks for all your input. I get the difference between the pay as you go and a travelcard. I think the travelcard will be best, but I'm going to have to research the new Oyster pay as you go rates against the travelcard based on how much I think I'll be riding the Tube. So what's the difference between an Oyster card and an Oyster Photocard (or is this just two ways of saying the same thing)? Luckykat, so when I get my Oyster do I need to bring a passport size photo, or will my old photocard suffice? I'm probably going to bring along my old photocard anyway. I'm still unclear on what is required for my 6 year-old. I know there is a child rate for the month pass, so wouldn't I just obtain the same kind of card for him as I do for me? Is there a cheaper way for kids/families? Just curious, but how sensitive is the Oyster touchpad sensor--will it work through my small handbag (our Smartcards in D.C. do)? That would be handy! Thanks again to all helping wade through all of this.

With pay as you go on Oyster Card there is a daily 'cap' on how much you can pay in any 24 hour period, once you reach that level all the rest of the journeys that day are 'free'
These caps are detailed at:
http://www.londontoolkit.com/briefing/oystercard.htm

With regards children (under 16) - any Travelcard bought for a child is only 1 pound if purchased with an adult Travelcard.
Children travel free on the buses.

The OysterCard is supposed to work only at a range of 10 centimetres from the scanner.
For anoraks there is a bit of a security issue as none of the data on the cards are encrypted and it uses standard wavelengths that are in the public domain. It is not illegal for other people with commercial scanners to 'tune in' to your Oystercard.
This is all anorak stuff though and is nothing to worry about. A few 'human rights' zealots wrap the cards in aluminium foil.

I certainly have no trouble with an Oystercard inside its wallet, which is in turn inside my wallet with umpteen credit and membership cards and bits of paper. But you wouldn't be popular if everyone's sailing through but you have to stop and turn out your handbag at the last second!

xyz123, you have the option of registering your card or not. The registration covers you if a card is lost or stolen. It would hardly be worth it for a 7 day card , however a resident who might have a monthly card or more certainly would be advised to do so.

Hi again samtraveler,

Your existing photocards should be fine provided they have a photo on them already! As I said, I've had mine for 4.5 years and have a completely different haircut and don't even look much like it anymore but it is completely acceptable. Just give them to the ticket officer with the form and don't bring it up..wait and see if s/he has a problem with it first.

Worst case scenario, you have to get a new one and every station has photo machines in them but I seriously doubt you will have a problem.

I would be prepared to get your 6 year old child a photocard if they don't have one, that is, have a passport photo ready but I honestly don't know if they need it. I don't have any kids so have never come across the question!

By the way, I looked at the Oyster site and have to concur it is totally rubbish and confusing...and I live here and have been catching the tube for 4.5 years!!!! No wonder you're tearing out your hair!