ssander

OVERVIEW

So many people have questions about the Day’s Out 2-for-1 coupons, I decided to start a thread specific to that topic. Please limit your posts to additions/corrections (I doubt I have been error-free.)

These coupons are usable for a variety of attractions, including some high-cost ones such as the Tower and Hampton Court Palace.


HOW DO I GET THE COUPONS?

Go to: http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/

You must register and login.

Search or scroll through the various offers. There are many from all over the UK. You can narrow your search to a specific area.

For convenience, if possible, print out coupons before you leave your home.

You will be limited to printing three coupons at a time, but no overall limit – this is a minor inconvenience you have to put up with.

Nearly all coupons have an expiration date, but new ones are available for most attractions as soon as the old ones expire. So wait until your trip falls within the valid dates to print them out.

There may be blackout dates or other limitations – read the fine print – but most of the regular attractions can be visited any time.



HOW DO I USE THE COUPONS WITH REGULAR TRAIN TICKETS?

The coupon user must show a valid train ticket when presenting the coupon.

Nearly all train tickets are valid – however the HEATHROW EXPRESS IN NOT VALID. There may be other exceptions as well. I am not sure about the Gatwick Express, but you can take Southern Railways from Gatwick to London, which is cheaper.

You can use the tickets on the days of travel and (for round trip tickets) all the days between the outbound and return days. For instance, if you have a round trip ticket between Gatwick and London, you can use the coupons your entire trip.

The coupons can even be used with Group Save train tickets (4 or 3 adults for the price of 2 and £1.00 children).



HOW DO I USE COUPONS WITH TRAVELCARDS (1-DAY, 7-DAY, MONTH, ETC.)?

Only TravelCards purchased at a train station (i.e., issued by National Rail) are valid – these will have the red National Rail logo printed on them.

TravelCard prices can be found at the bottom half of: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14414.aspx

TravelCards purchased at a tube station or TFL office (even if that office is inside a train station) are NOT valid and cannot be used.

Anything on an Oyster Card is NOT valid and cannot be used.

The coupon user must show the TravelCard when presenting the coupon.

NOTE: TravelCards purchased at a train station may also be used on bus, tube, etc., as well as on any trains within the zones of the card. For instance, a 1-day Travel Card for zones 1-6 (£8.00 off-peak) can be used for the train ride to/from Hampton Court and any tube/bus needed to get to the train station, as well as for the 2-for-1 entrance fee – a great discount.


PLEASE HELP MAKE THIS THREAD USEFUL AND EASY TO READ

I welcome additions and corrections about substantive points. Please do not go off on tangents or onto long personal experiences -- I'd like this to be a HOW-TO thread to which we can refer others, rather than re-hashing everything over and over again in other threads.

Thanks.

SS

ssander

NOTE:

If you have a PDF creator installed on your computer, you can print the coupons to PDF files - - then only print out the coupons themselves instead of the (repetitious) instructions, thus saving paper.

SS

PalenQ

great thread of great use for perpetual questions - how about the Heathrow Connect rail link?

LNWC

Thank you for condensing this information into one thread! I've been bouncing between old topics and this is very concise.

We were planning to use the tube most of the time we're in London (we're staying near the Green Park Station). We had planned on getting an Oyster Card, but since that isn't valid it looks like the best bet for a three/four day stay is to buy the travel cards because they can be used for the tube, but also count as a national rail ticket?

ssander

LNWC

TravelCards can be used on regular NatRail trains (except Heathrow Express and, perhaps some other exceptions - ask when you buy the card) as long as the destination is within the zones of the TravelCard.

SS

ssander

PalenQ...

I can't find confirmation online that either Heathrow Connect or Gatwick Express qualifies. I suspect they might, but I don't want to mislead anyone. Can you document either of those with a URL? Thanks.

We've used Southern Railway between Gatwick and Victoria on three trips (when USAir used to fly Philadelphia-Gatwick), so I know that qualifies, but I've never used Heathrow Connect or Gatwick Express.

SS

LNWC

Thank you!

janisj

"<i>I can't find confirmation online that either Heathrow Connect or Gatwick Express qualifies. I suspect they might, but I don't want to mislead anyone.</i>"

Neither the HEX or Connect are valid for the 2for1's.

janisj

Oops -- Meant to clarify -- the GEX does qualify.

Gatwick - yes

Heathrow - no

BigRuss

Yeah, if you get a roundtrip ticket on the Gatwick Express or, better yet, the Southern train to and from Gatwick, you can use those tickets as your two-fer qualifiers.

2010

Great info! Thanks!

flanneruk

Most central London railway stations, where qualifying Travelcards can be bought, are at http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...,0.154324&z=13

ssander

flanneruk...

Super addition to this thread!!

SS

PalenQ

Wondering if one could buy a round trip ticket from say London Bridge train station to Waterloo East train station or Charing Cross train station and then in between these two cheap journeys that you may not even take get the 2 for 1 discount all the time in between using your 'return' ticket?

ssander

I think you can, since the people at the attractions just check to see if you have a ticket for the appropriate dates...but I can't document it anywhere.

SS