Oyster Card AGAIN
Mar 13th, 2008, 12:33 PM
#1
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Oyster Card AGAIN
I thought in one of the many posts I read that an Oyster card could be purchased online and in advance even though you are a foreigner (U.S.) but can't find anything on the Oyster website to support this supposition. So buying it on arrival in London is the only option? I'm sorry if I missed something but I don't think I could bear to read through all those posts again.
Mar 13th, 2008, 03:27 PM
#2
There is really no reason to have to buy an Oyster ahead of time.
But if you think you must http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloa...aflet-0108.pdf has some info
and http://www.visitbritaindirect.com/ has more
But if you think you must http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloa...aflet-0108.pdf has some info
and http://www.visitbritaindirect.com/ has more
Mar 16th, 2008, 01:44 AM
#5
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I have just come back from a week in London, and now I have some practical information on the Oyster card and how it works. Might help those who are confused or unfamiliar...
You can buy the card at any tube station or rail station. It "costs" 3 pounds for the card, but that really is a "deposit"..you can eventually get it back if you desire. If you buy your Oyster card from National Coaches (they run bus service to all airports and to outlying towns) it is only 2 Pounds.
When you buy the card it has a nominal 5 pounds "credit" on it, and you can add more immediately if you want. Yes you have to pay for the 5 pounds of credit AND the initial deposit.
The advantages of this card are that
-you get on to any bus or tube by just swiping the card over a reader...it works by radio waves, so even if the card is in a wallet or holder, it is "read" when you swipe it, and the amout of the fare is deducted from your Credit Balance on the card.
-On a Bus you swipe it just once upon entering. On the Tube, you need to ALSO swipe it on the way out, so it knows how far you went and can charge the proper amount. If you forget to swipe on the way out, you get hit for a big charge, ie the longest possible fare from your departure, so don't forget! But no one forgets!
-Each time you pass through a turnstyle, you hear the beep and the gates open. SOME but not all of the machines show you how much is left on the card in small numbers at the bottom of the screen.
You can always go to a window to see how much you have left, and top it up if you see fit.
-Apparently you can go into the negative figures...ie, you can get on the tube for L1.50 and if you go farther, the card will be in minus numbers. Obviously the next time you fill it, you pay the "overdraft" plus the next credits you are putting on.
Another big advantage is that it keeps track of your daily travels...if you do enough trips in one day...it CEASES charging you by trip, and only deducts the amount of an unlimited day pass for that day. Now that is a great feature...you don't have to decide yourself...just travel and it will work out the cheapest way to charge you.
And you pay less per journey than if you buy the tickets separately.
So in short, it is a GOOD THING to do if you are there for a few days. Apparently, when you leave England, you can submit the card and your name and address and you will get a refund of the "deposit" plus remaining balance. The disadvantage here is that you will get a check in pounds, and it may cost you more in bank fees than it is worth.
So anyway, it really makes traveling easier, and I highly recommend it. And since it makes the decision for you about day-pass depending on the number of trips you actually make in a day, you don't have to worry about getting overcharged.
Good luck all London travellers! The world is your Oyster. Best, Rouss
You can buy the card at any tube station or rail station. It "costs" 3 pounds for the card, but that really is a "deposit"..you can eventually get it back if you desire. If you buy your Oyster card from National Coaches (they run bus service to all airports and to outlying towns) it is only 2 Pounds.
When you buy the card it has a nominal 5 pounds "credit" on it, and you can add more immediately if you want. Yes you have to pay for the 5 pounds of credit AND the initial deposit.
The advantages of this card are that
-you get on to any bus or tube by just swiping the card over a reader...it works by radio waves, so even if the card is in a wallet or holder, it is "read" when you swipe it, and the amout of the fare is deducted from your Credit Balance on the card.
-On a Bus you swipe it just once upon entering. On the Tube, you need to ALSO swipe it on the way out, so it knows how far you went and can charge the proper amount. If you forget to swipe on the way out, you get hit for a big charge, ie the longest possible fare from your departure, so don't forget! But no one forgets!
-Each time you pass through a turnstyle, you hear the beep and the gates open. SOME but not all of the machines show you how much is left on the card in small numbers at the bottom of the screen.
You can always go to a window to see how much you have left, and top it up if you see fit.
-Apparently you can go into the negative figures...ie, you can get on the tube for L1.50 and if you go farther, the card will be in minus numbers. Obviously the next time you fill it, you pay the "overdraft" plus the next credits you are putting on.
Another big advantage is that it keeps track of your daily travels...if you do enough trips in one day...it CEASES charging you by trip, and only deducts the amount of an unlimited day pass for that day. Now that is a great feature...you don't have to decide yourself...just travel and it will work out the cheapest way to charge you.
And you pay less per journey than if you buy the tickets separately.
So in short, it is a GOOD THING to do if you are there for a few days. Apparently, when you leave England, you can submit the card and your name and address and you will get a refund of the "deposit" plus remaining balance. The disadvantage here is that you will get a check in pounds, and it may cost you more in bank fees than it is worth.
So anyway, it really makes traveling easier, and I highly recommend it. And since it makes the decision for you about day-pass depending on the number of trips you actually make in a day, you don't have to worry about getting overcharged.
Good luck all London travellers! The world is your Oyster. Best, Rouss
Mar 16th, 2008, 02:57 AM
#6
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Nice explanation...
Just to take it one step further, the description is of a PAYG for a week which might be the way to go if on a couple of days you do side trips or little more than a bus ride or two....
You can also load a 7 day zone 1 & 2 (or any combination of zones but 1 & 2 are where all the "touristy things are)onto an oyster card; in that case the 3 quid deposit is waived and use PAYG for any extensions say to Heathrow....
The caps if you stay in zones 1 & 2 and start your use any weekday after 0930 (any time on weekends) are 50p less than the cost of a one day paper travelcard so it would be £4.80....if you only use buses on a given day, there is no 0930 restriction on weekdays and the cap would be £3...again 50p less than the cost of a one day pass.
Just to take it one step further, the description is of a PAYG for a week which might be the way to go if on a couple of days you do side trips or little more than a bus ride or two....
You can also load a 7 day zone 1 & 2 (or any combination of zones but 1 & 2 are where all the "touristy things are)onto an oyster card; in that case the 3 quid deposit is waived and use PAYG for any extensions say to Heathrow....
The caps if you stay in zones 1 & 2 and start your use any weekday after 0930 (any time on weekends) are 50p less than the cost of a one day paper travelcard so it would be £4.80....if you only use buses on a given day, there is no 0930 restriction on weekdays and the cap would be £3...again 50p less than the cost of a one day pass.
Mar 16th, 2008, 03:15 AM
#7
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Two other points:
- I've noticed they've started installing Oystercard vending machines at some busier stations. For £5 (cash or note: not cards) you get an Oystercard with £2 credit, and of course you can get the £3 deposit back if you want
- There's no need to go to a ticket window to top up. Most ticket machines let you top up your Oystercard - obviously from a credit or debit card. So you take your Oystercard, go over to a ticket machine and put whatever value you want onto it. No need to mess about with talking to huiman beings.
- I've noticed they've started installing Oystercard vending machines at some busier stations. For £5 (cash or note: not cards) you get an Oystercard with £2 credit, and of course you can get the £3 deposit back if you want
- There's no need to go to a ticket window to top up. Most ticket machines let you top up your Oystercard - obviously from a credit or debit card. So you take your Oystercard, go over to a ticket machine and put whatever value you want onto it. No need to mess about with talking to huiman beings.
