is it worth getting an oyster card

baron777red

i will be visiting london in may and staying overnight near paddington

i will probably be making quite a few tube journeys, and was wondering if it would be easier to get an oyster card

i have been reading about oyster cards and that you can top up an amount of money onto it and it will deduct the fare each time you touch in and touch out, however i could do with some help with a few questions i have

is there a minumum you have to top up?
is it easy to use, i have been on the london undergrounf before and to get through the barriers you have to put your ticket in a slot for the barrier to open, is this where you have to swipe the oyster card?

i am just a bit worried that i wont touch in or out properly and it charging me a standard fare.

and am i right in thinking that once you have spent so much in one day the rest of the day is free, becasue it only charges you the capped rate.

are saturdays and sundays classed as off peak regardless of time

thanks

wealdroam

baron777red wrote: »

is there a minumum you have to top up?

Yes. Ten pence I think.
This video will help.

baron777red wrote: »

is it easy to use, i have been on the london undergrounf before and to get through the barriers you have to put your ticket in a slot for the barrier to open, is this where you have to swipe the oyster card?

Just touch the card on the yellow pad.
As shown in this video at around 4mins.

baron777red wrote: »

and am i right in thinking that once you have spent so much in one day the rest of the day is free, becasue it only charges you the capped rate.

Yes. See here.

baron777red wrote: »

are saturdays and sundays classed as off peak regardless of time

Yes. See here.

marlot

Definately worth getting an oyster. Just make sure you touch in and out. There's a deposit, but you get it back (along with any money on the card) at the ticket window of any underground station.

dzug1

For a one off short visit that involves a fair number of tube journeys it's not worth the faff of getting an Oyster and reclaiming the deposit afterwards. Buying a travelcard will cost exactly the same - and gets rid of any worries about whether you've touched in/out correctly.

If you are making repeat visits (even if only occasionally) and/or only making the odd journey on any one day, then yes Oyster is worth it.