Oyster Card

masonsmum

Sorry if this might sound like a really stupid question but how does an Oyster Card work?

We are travelling to London and it will be our first time and we have never used an underground (live in a small mining village in SW Scotland) everyone has recommended we get an oyster card. How do these cards work - is it just a matter of putting money in the card then swiping it when we use the Tube.

Thanks in advance for any advice

dzug1

Yes - you buy it at the ticket office when you arrive and put as much money on it as you think you will need. There's also a £3 deposit.

Then you swipe it on a reader when you enter the tube system and swipe out again when you arrive at your destination. On the buses you just swipe once when you get on.

If you run out of money on it you can top up at any tube station - and a whole load of other places as well.

Then when you leave take it back to the ticket office and any unused cash and your £3 deposit will be refunded.

You'll need one each. If mason is a child then it gets complicated - a separate paper travelcard for him (her?) may be better or if he's young enough (5-10) he can travel free.

loveabargain13

Yes, you purchase an oyster card at a underground station ticket desk and load credit on to travel, then you swipe it as you enter the station on the yellow dial and swipe it on the way out, then it deducts your journey make sure you swipe it on the start and exit otherwise you'll be capped. Also can use it on the buses, as they have the round yellow dials too.

dacouch

It is much cheaper normally to use an oyster card as a single in central london on the tube is £4.00 if you pay cash or £1.60 with an oyster card. You can buy travel cards with cash for unlimited travel but if a travel card would have been cheaper the oyster card will do you a travel card.

You just place your oyster card on the right place on the barrier or you can leave it in your wallet and place it there and it reads it. So much quicker.

They are trying to price people out of using oyster cards so it is normaly cheaper, you can top up at tube stations etc and also at a lot of newsagents

https://oyster.tfl.gov.uk/oyster/entry.do

masonsmum

Thanks for the replies. Mason not travelling with us this weekend, staying with Grandparents. Having some quality time for the first time in a few years.

omelette451

loveabargain13 wrote: »

you swipe it as you enter the station on the yellow dial and swipe it on the way out

When we say 'swipe' what we really mean is hold it over the round yellow reader thingy, wait for the light on the reader to flash green, then move forward and the tube barriers will open/the bus driver will nod. Don't actually try to swipe it ('swipe' is the motion people did with credit cards before chip+pin) cos it won't work.:D

liz545

Just to add, most normal london double decker buses have two sets of doors - board through the front doors next to the driver, leave from the exit doors halfway down the bus. On bendy buses you can use any of the doors to board/leave. You can't buy your ticket from the driver in central London, so an Oyster card is very helpful. Try and travel outside of peak rush hours, it can be pretty stressful. Stand on the right on the escalator (left side is for people walking/running). Use www.walkit.com for a good walking route - some of the busiest stations, like Covent Garden, Leicester Square and Oxford Circus are much closer to each other than the tube map implies. HTH!

alanrowell

If you have a train ticket or a paper London travelcard bought at a train station then on the days it is valid you can use the offers on www.daysoutguide.com.

loveabargain13

omelette451 wrote: »

When we say 'swipe' what we really mean is hold it over the round yellow reader thingy, wait for the light on the reader to flash green, then move forward and the tube barriers will open/the bus driver will nod. Don't actually try to swipe it ('swipe' is the motion people did with credit cards before chip+pin) cos it won't work.:D

hehe yes, thats what I mean by swipe hehehe thank you

masonsmum

Liz545 thank you so much for the walkit website... that will give me a bit more confidence and an idea of where to go

Wish me luck :beer:

ali1972

A small London A-Z is a great investment because, as pointed out above, many places in Central London are pretty close to one another and walkable if you are fit and able. Second hand ones going for 3p on Amazon. The one I use dates back to before the millenium dome was opened and is still very accurate and usuable so no problem not having the most up to date.