Tube fares saving money thread

jobbingmusician

I thought I'd start a thread discussing how to minimise spend on weekly/monthly/annual travelcards and Oyster cards and other tube travel.

The first point is GOOD NEWS and is actually about one-off travel into London. I've only just discovered this.....

Did you know that if you travel on the tube before 7am or after 7pm, the tube fare is capped at a maximum of £2? I assume the morning journey actually has to be completed before 7am (NOT something I will be using very often ) but I will certainly consider leaving work late on the odd occasion, and travelling right from Zone 1 to Zone 6 for £2. The link is on Page 4 of this booklet.

Secondly, I do NOT approve of giving my hard earned money to TFL. Commuting to work costs me £152.90 a month if I buy a monthly travelcard. I'm keen to get full value from this money, or to reduce it if possible. So...

Firstly - DON'T buy an annual travelcard if you are not going to be in your job in a year. Consider whether it is worth buying if you get 30 days or more annual leave. TFL state that the price of an annual ticket is based on 10.5 monthly tickets - so if you can ensure that your 6 weeks' holiday is taken at a time not covered by your ticket, you may save money!

The calculcations below assume you don't use your travelcard at weekends. (Personally the last thing I want to do at weekends is to schlep into London yet again). This post is written in the spirit of encouraging you to do your own calculations, not to prescribe that what is good for me is good for you.

If you don't start work at 9 in the morning, you may save money by buying daily travelcards. Certainly, from Zone 5, 5 cards starting after 9.30 cost £33.50. A weekly ticket is £39.80. Hmmm.

If all you do with your ticket is slog backwards and forwards to your place of work, you may save money by dispensing with a travelcard altogether, and just paying for single fares. A single fare from Z1-5 is now £3.50. If I go to work every day, the weekly total is £35, saving £4.80. If I come home after 7 one evening, I save another £1.50. Is my 'free' weekend travel, and the ability to make other journeys around London free on this ticket, worth £4.80 a week? (It normally is, to be fair. But it's worth doing the maths!)

If you buy monthly travelcards, you can sometimes 'stretch' your month. If your monthly travelcard ends on a Thursday, get to work by any cheap means possible and buy your new monthly card to start the following Monday - it will last 3 days further into the following month!

Finally, DON'T BUY A MONTHLY TRAVELCARD FOR FEBRUARY! Monthly travelcards cost slightly more than 4 x weekly travelcards - but there are only 4 weeks in February

That's quite enough from me - has anyone actually read to the end?

balsingh

Some useful tips there but the impression that I get is that the average Londoner doesnt have time to consider all these options. Most people will happily pay their monthly/annual travelcard etc.