You probably guessed from my topic that I have decided to the paper travelcard to take advantage of the 2-for-1 offers, but my question is when I step off of the Heathrow Connect from Heathrow to Paddington, where will the National Rail Office be? Will it be clearly marked?

What's a "National Rail Office"?

If you mean the offices of the Network Rail team that manages the station, they're along Platform 1, about 50 yds after the concourse.

If you want a ticket office which will sell you a National Rail Travelcard, ALL ground-floor ticket offices (apart from those that say "information only" and the dedicated Heathrow Express office at PLatform 6/7) at Paddington sell them. Almost all are at the Platform 1 end of the concourse: just follow signs for ticket office.

The below-ground ticket offices, and the mezzanine level office by Platform 16, are operated by TfL, and don't sell paper Travelcards.

The Heathrow Connect train almost always arrives on platform 12. The ticket office is on the same level as the platforms on the opposite side of the station concourse, adjacent to platform 1. It is clearly signposted. The London Underground ticket offices are downstairs so there should be no confusion.

If you buy a round trip ticket from Heathrow to Paddington on a paper ticket then you will get 2 for 1 your whole time in London, negating any need for a paper TravelCard, which you could anyway have bought at Heathrow where you bought your Heathrow Connect ticket, thereby saving money by buying an Oyster Card, which caps off when you reach a TravelCard price but i believe at a tad cheaper rate than if you had bought a paper TravelCard

this is my understanding - anyone please correct me if wrong.

PalenQ, hmmm...don't believe I had heard of this option, I would prefer this. Anyone else out there have any experience with what PalenQ is referring to? I don't want to rehash all of the other Travelcard 2-for-1/Oystercard threads that are already out there, but if this indeed an option that would be great.

GeoffHamer IMO is infallible in these matters - Geoff am i not reading the 2 for 1 rules right - that a return paper train ticket to London gives you 2 for 1 the whole time in between.

I would like to be corrected as if this scenario is palusible as seems it does simplify it all and saves money too.

The only infallible sources of information are the train companies and the attractions that make the offers. I don't know what rules they apply.

The question is -- does a Connect ticket have the all-important logo? I don't know myself -- but others will. It isn't just any paper ticket -- it must have the logo . . .

Janis dear - you talking about the National Rail logo - one of the 28 or so rail franchises that make up National Rail - if so Heathrow Connect is a part of one franchise - Heathrow Express i believe and seems then would be like any other rail ticket.

Does anybody really know?

Heathrow Express tickets don't have the logo (at least the two I kept don't) -- that is why I'm not sure the Connect does . . . .

Soooo - the next question is -- is the logo actually required??

I can't find any exact wording of what qualifies in a quick perusal of 2 for 1 sites - as Geoff says contact the railways - and if HConnect don't qualify what would prevent someone from say once HC gets to the mainline to Paddington getting off at a station and from there buying a return ticket to London- this mainline would certainly be a National Rail one.