Travelling as a family in London

Miss_J

We're going to London in a couple of weeks for my daughters birthday. We're staying at M4 Travellodge and using Hounslow West tube station to get into the centre. What is the best and most economical way to travel in London? There are 2 adults and 2 children under 11. From what I could see the Travelcard allows a child to travel free but the Oyster card doesn't, is this right?

Stompa

This should explain everything:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/faresandtickets/1063.aspx

Miss_J

Thanks Stompa

That makes perfect sense, couldn't find that myself on the same website.

dangers

We are the same - going to London over half-term. Is it better to have a travelcard or go for the Oyster card. I was thinking about getting the off peak travelcards.

susancs

Dangers, Oyster is always the cheaper option as it caps at less than the daily travel card rate and charges less for single journeys, however if you are visiting some of the London attractions you have to pay for such as the Tower, Madam Tussauds, London Zoo etc, you can get 2for 1 entry with a paper train ticket. If you buy your travel card from a train station as opposed to a tube station (so it has the BR crows foot logo as well as the London transport logo), it will be valid for this offer. Kings Cross, Euston, Waterloo to name but a few are both tube and train stations. Oyster is not valid for the 2for 1 offers. With Oyster you pay £3 refundable deposit and top up as needed, you can get any credit and deposit refunded if under £5 from a tube station before your return home or send off for it. Children under 11 travel free with adults. It all depends on your plans and use of transport which may work out more money saving. If for example you are visiting the museums in Kensington one day for example, it may work out cheaper just to use oyster as it might cost 2 single journey oyster fares. You might also get a travelcard one day for the 2for1 offers and use Oyster another day if doing less journeys. Purchase your Travelcard or use Oyster after 9.30am to save money.
http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/

elisebutt65

I only go to London a few times a year and I use an Oyster card. My BF has lost his so ( I go them so they're both under my account)I just applied for a new one for him and transferred the credit onto it and you get the £3 deposit refunded onto it as well.

And my 9 year old travels free with us as well so dead handy! We've got the Merlin pass so no need to worry about the 2-4-1 discounts as well.

It just sits in my wallet forever and I top up at stations when I need to and no worries about what type of railcard I need and they only take about 3 days to come in the post

alanrowell

susancs wrote: »

Oyster is always the cheaper option as it caps at less than the daily travel card rate

Oyster PAYG now caps at the daily travelcard rate - and if you are staying more than 4 days it's cheaper to get a 7 day travelcard assuming you take 3 or more Tube trips per day

Liquorice_Twirls

I think we bought 3 day cards back in Oct half term for 2 adults and a 12 year old and 15 year old. Can't remember the exact cost but by using our Family Rail card we didn't seem to pay very much for all that time. We bought the tickets at Euston station.

alanrowell

You can't get 3 day travelcards anymore. So the choice is either one day Travelcards or Osyter PAYG

marksmith99

susancs wrote: »

Dangers, Oyster is always the cheaper option charges less for single journeys,

That's certainly true in this case and for visitors to London, but to be strictly accurate if using Oyster payg on National Rail, if you have a Goldcard it's cheaper to go with paper ticket (although even that statement is not always true depending on the time of travel and whether you are also using the tube at some point).

The whole thing is a mess on the National Rail side with payg. What should be a simple system is far from it.

Real life example; two weeks ago went to Wimbledon on Sunday from Putney via District Line via payg. On return journey District Line had broken, so went National Rail into Clapham and back out to Putney. Journey took longer, was less convenient and I had to pay 10p more for the privilege!

Also I should have paid for my 6 year old daughter who would have been free on the tube, but that only occurred to me when we got to Putney station. We went together through the large access gate to avoid getting into a penalty fare argument with the gate staff.