Oyster or Travel Card
 

We are arriving at Heathrow and taking the Eurostar to Paris then returning to London for 5 nights. We will be taking the tube from Heathrow to the Waterloo station upon our arrival.

What type of card is best for this type of trip?

When in London 2 years ago with my family, we used the TravelCard that we bought with our London pass. Good deals- and we took the tube everywhere- including to and from Heathrow. Have not used an Oyster card, but the TravelCard was a breeze. I remember adding up the trips we took on the Tube and figuring that the Travelcard card saved moeny and was soooo easy to use. Get it for all 6 zones.

Don't get a travel card linked to the London Pass. They cost less and there are more options available right in London.

You'll want an Oyster - probably pay-as-you-go Then you can use the tube the first day and just continue using it when you return to London.

But I have a question - you are arriving at LHR and then getting to Waterloo for the Eurostar -- how long do you have between arrival and your train???

When you get to Heathrow, do this: buy a 7-day, 2-zone Travelcard loaded on an Oyster. Load a few extra pounds on it for Pay-As-You-Go fares, such as LHR to Waterloo on your first day, and the city to LHR the day you depart. This last will be very inexpensive, because you will only have to cover the fare from Zone 2 to Zone 6, where the airport is.

The extra amount to load can be predicted only if you know whether your airport transfers will be during peak periods or not - but it won't be more than a few pounds in any event.

I recommend that you reserve the last Eurostar of the day so that you'll have plenty of time to get to the station without worrying about missing the train. You can spend the spare hours seeing a little bit of London.

Why would you buy a 7 day travelcard if you're leaving immediately for Paris unless you can load it for a future date? Do the Oyster PAYG if you can't do the future date then load the travelcard at Waterloo when you get back.

If you don't buy the 7-day when you get the Oyster, you'll get nailed for the £3 deposit.

You can specify the valid dates of Travelcards days, weeks, and months in advance.

The advantage of loading on the 7 day travelcard, even for a future date, is they waive the £3 deposit and of course with the receipt the person can probablhy do the 2 for 1 discounts....

<<< can probablhy do the 2 for 1 discounts.... >>>

Yes they can - and this year's offers (Jun 07 - Jun 08) are now available