Oyster Info Again!
Mar 9th, 2007, 12:38 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 37
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Oyster Info Again!
Hello I am trying to get the the gist of this Oyster. When I mailed London Travel they confused me more. They said I should get a travel card as I need a London postal code which I feel is incorrect as a visitors information section on the Oyster Card site says that my country as well as others listed can get one.
The short version is
I am in London for 6 nights and we will be using the tube in particular (based on my last trip, I used it a lot. I had a 7 day paper travel Z 1&2 card and just paid for an extension when I went out of my zone or used the rail.)
Our first trip will be when we arrive into Heathrow and want to travel to Bayswater via tube.
The next trip out of the zones is to Hampton Court Palace.
And then back to Heathrow to pickup a car.
In between all the above we will be traveling around London getting to various attractions.
Which would be a better option?
A travel ticket 7 days is 23.20 pounds. Which seems to be pretty good. But of course add extensions when needed.
When we land in Heathrow and if we have a travel card (landing 15.30pm) by the time we get through customs will be able to get an extension so we could travel to Bayswater by tube? By the way I am not sure which terminal we come into but is it fairly easy to get to the tube from there?
Or should we get and could we get a PAYG. And just purchase a ticket when going into an area that does not have PAYG?
I am sorry if I have gone the long way of asking an easy question but I don't get public transport at home although London is easy in itself to get around its just the added things you need to get and how to get the do me in sometimes.
Thanks for any help. Deb
The short version is
I am in London for 6 nights and we will be using the tube in particular (based on my last trip, I used it a lot. I had a 7 day paper travel Z 1&2 card and just paid for an extension when I went out of my zone or used the rail.)
Our first trip will be when we arrive into Heathrow and want to travel to Bayswater via tube.
The next trip out of the zones is to Hampton Court Palace.
And then back to Heathrow to pickup a car.
In between all the above we will be traveling around London getting to various attractions.
Which would be a better option?
A travel ticket 7 days is 23.20 pounds. Which seems to be pretty good. But of course add extensions when needed.
When we land in Heathrow and if we have a travel card (landing 15.30pm) by the time we get through customs will be able to get an extension so we could travel to Bayswater by tube? By the way I am not sure which terminal we come into but is it fairly easy to get to the tube from there?
Or should we get and could we get a PAYG. And just purchase a ticket when going into an area that does not have PAYG?
I am sorry if I have gone the long way of asking an easy question but I don't get public transport at home although London is easy in itself to get around its just the added things you need to get and how to get the do me in sometimes.
Thanks for any help. Deb
Mar 9th, 2007, 01:04 PM
#2
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 19,000
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
As soon as you arrive at Heathrow, buy a 7-day Travelcard for Zones 1-2 loaded on an Oyster. In addition, load £10 for PAYG fares. You can easily top it up as needed.
The system will automatically compute the correct extension fare any time you leave your Travelcard zones and deduct it from your cash balance.
Paying the cash fare is always unnecessary and uneconomical.
The system will automatically compute the correct extension fare any time you leave your Travelcard zones and deduct it from your cash balance.
Paying the cash fare is always unnecessary and uneconomical.
Mar 9th, 2007, 08:31 PM
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 37
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Ok. But when I looked up the PAYG on National Rail for traveling to Hampton Court (PAYG)is only available up to Richmond. Is there something I am missing here?
When we first get into Heathrow and get our Travelcard on the Oyster with the extra pounds loaded, when we touch in and then touch out when we get to Bayswater will it calculate the Heathrow portion of the trip to when we get into the zones that are available on the travel card?
I appreciate your help and it must be a pain repeating yourself. I am sure once I get there it won't be that bad just don't won't to get caught doing the wrong thing when I don't realize it.
Deb
When we first get into Heathrow and get our Travelcard on the Oyster with the extra pounds loaded, when we touch in and then touch out when we get to Bayswater will it calculate the Heathrow portion of the trip to when we get into the zones that are available on the travel card?
I appreciate your help and it must be a pain repeating yourself. I am sure once I get there it won't be that bad just don't won't to get caught doing the wrong thing when I don't realize it.
Deb
Mar 9th, 2007, 10:21 PM
#4
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,271
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Don't know about the Hampton Court as though Hampton Court is within the London travelcard zone, it is reachable using the mainline railroad and many of them still don't take oyster which means you would have to pay outside the oyster card for that.
As far as Heathrow Bayswater, I've done that many times and you have it perfectly correct....the calculation will be done automatically by the computer and you will only be charged for the trip from zone 6 through zone 3...that will come off the PAYG porton of the fare stored on oyster (which will be £1.80 if you start at Heathrow between 0700 and 1900 on a weekday; otherwise it is £1)...nothing to worry about...it is all done automatically.
As far as Heathrow Bayswater, I've done that many times and you have it perfectly correct....the calculation will be done automatically by the computer and you will only be charged for the trip from zone 6 through zone 3...that will come off the PAYG porton of the fare stored on oyster (which will be £1.80 if you start at Heathrow between 0700 and 1900 on a weekday; otherwise it is £1)...nothing to worry about...it is all done automatically.
Mar 10th, 2007, 05:44 AM
#5
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 20,919
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
See http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34960724
for a very similar discussion.
For the period you plan to stay, a 7-dat travelcard would almost certainly be the most financially advantageous. Hampton Court is in Zone 6, but the station is not equipped to take Oyster pay-as-you-go: even so, the add-on over a zone 1&2 travelcard is going to be cheaper than the full single rail fare.
for a very similar discussion.
For the period you plan to stay, a 7-dat travelcard would almost certainly be the most financially advantageous. Hampton Court is in Zone 6, but the station is not equipped to take Oyster pay-as-you-go: even so, the add-on over a zone 1&2 travelcard is going to be cheaper than the full single rail fare.
Mar 10th, 2007, 08:18 AM
#6
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 7,160
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Oh, darn, I thought I had this all figured out. For our visit to London, we're planning on buying an Oyster card with a 7-day Travelcard (zones 1&2) plus some extra cash. We also plan a trip to Hampton Court. So the train won't take our Oyster Card? We have to go to a ticket window and buy an extension to Hampton Court, is that correct? At Hampton Court station how will the machine know about the Travelcard?
Option 2: we train to Richmond and take a boat to HCP. For this, we can use the Oyster card to Richmond. Are any of the boats on the Thames covered by the Oyster card? On our return from Hampton Court to London, we'll need an extension?
Is it just me or is this awfully complicated?
Back to simple-minded old computers.
Option 2: we train to Richmond and take a boat to HCP. For this, we can use the Oyster card to Richmond. Are any of the boats on the Thames covered by the Oyster card? On our return from Hampton Court to London, we'll need an extension?
Is it just me or is this awfully complicated?
Back to simple-minded old computers.
Mar 10th, 2007, 10:51 AM
#7
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 20,919
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It would probably make more sense to take the train all the way to Hampton Court, to get there early enough to get the benefit (half an hour or so, as against 3-4 hours on the boat), and the boat back if the weather looks nice, which allows you the option to get off at Richmond or Putney depending on how the time's getting on.
When you buy your train ticket to get to Hampton Court, say you've got a travelcard for zones 1&2 and you want the add-on for zone 6 to go to Hampton Court. They will give you one of their tickets, which will work when you get to Hampton Court - I don't know if they have automatic barriers there or someone checking tickets.
Likewise on the boats. You have to buy your ticket in cash; but you get a discount for having the travelcard.
Ticket offices and checkers will probably have an electronic reader for the Oyster, but you will also have a printed confirmation that the Oyster has a 7-day travelcard on it that you can keep and show if you have to.
When you buy your train ticket to get to Hampton Court, say you've got a travelcard for zones 1&2 and you want the add-on for zone 6 to go to Hampton Court. They will give you one of their tickets, which will work when you get to Hampton Court - I don't know if they have automatic barriers there or someone checking tickets.
Likewise on the boats. You have to buy your ticket in cash; but you get a discount for having the travelcard.
Ticket offices and checkers will probably have an electronic reader for the Oyster, but you will also have a printed confirmation that the Oyster has a 7-day travelcard on it that you can keep and show if you have to.
Aug 22nd, 2007, 12:51 AM
#9
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hello, I have another question about Oyster/Travelcard.
I´d like to get Zones 1/2 7-Day Travelcard, now I´m searching for a list of the extension fares, for I will be travelling to Zones 3&4 quite often.
Can anyone help me with this or tell me the general rules of extension fares? I´ve searched all the internet and couldn´t find a thing...
Thanks,
yo
I´d like to get Zones 1/2 7-Day Travelcard, now I´m searching for a list of the extension fares, for I will be travelling to Zones 3&4 quite often.
Can anyone help me with this or tell me the general rules of extension fares? I´ve searched all the internet and couldn´t find a thing...
Thanks,
yo
