London: Oyster or peak travelcard???

skattykatty

I have tried looking at Oyster website and working it all out, but am a bit dazzled by the numbers, so if anyone can tell me the answer to the following I would be really grateful.

Which is cheaper:

a) a peak time zone 1 - 6 travelcard (which I think is £14.80)

b) using an oyster card for: 1 bus, 1 train (zone 4 to 1 peak time) 1 tube (zone 2 - 1 peak time) another tube (zone 1 only off peak) and then a paper ticket (£4.40)

(There are reasons why I need a paper ticket at the end of it all in plan b)

esuhl

According to the Transport for London website, "If you make lots of pay as you go journeys in one day we'll make sure you never pay more than the price of an equivalent Day Travelcard."

I think the standard fares with an Oyster card would be:

Bus: £1.20
Train (zones 1-4 peak): ? (see below)
Tube (zones 1-2 peak): £2.30
Tube (zone 1 off-peak): £1.80
Your paper ticket: £4.40

I'm not sure how Oyster cards work on overground trains. I *think* you just pay the standard fare for your journey (as if you were buying a paper ticket) but I'm not 100% sure.

surreysaver

If your reasons for requiring a paper ticket are to have a record of your journeys, then if your Oyster is registered you can get a printout at home. I believe you can also get a printout at an Underground booking office. And pre-pay is better than a paper ticket, as pre-pay on Oyster is transferrable, but a paper ticket is not.

dzug1

Using Oyster on a train depends on the train - if it's an overground train then normal Oyster fares apply. If it's a National Rail train then its (zones 1-4) £3.10 peak or £2.30 offpeak.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14414.aspx

You don't look as though you need zones 1-6 though - a one day zone 1-4 travelcard is £10 peak and £6.30 off peak

skattykatty

thanks for the thoughts...the reason I need, either a paper ticket (to cover zones 1 - 6) or to cover the final train journey is because I get a return TO Croydon from out of London, but I will sometimes need to get back home from central London, which means I need a ticket to covering my zone 1 to 6 journey (to show the conductor) I imagine I can't just use an Oyster as I wouldn't be able to touch out! That's why it's become a little tricky to work out!!

alanrowell

Whilst Oystercard PAYG will never cost you more than an equivalent one day Travelcard it can still work out more expensive as Travelcards get cheaper the longer you buy them for. For example a 7 day Travelcard costs little more than the cost of four 1 day Travelcards (or daily cap on Osytercard PAYG) so for a long stay a Travelcard will normally work out cheaper.

There are exceptions to this - for you don't reach the cap each day or you travel in different zones each day - but generally a Travelcard works out cheaper for longer periods

dzug1

A solution is to get out at Croydon, touch out on Oyster then use the separate ticket. I'd have thought there were enough trains not to delay you much.

If you are within zones 1 to 6 you should be able to touch out at your final station - I believe the zones are fuly Oyster enabled