(London) Oyster travelcards!

BrunoM

Just took a look on their website, and 3- and 6-month travelcards aren't discounted from the cost of buying the same amount of 1-month travelcards?? (annual are, 15% or something)

This seems very rude... the only reason to get these cards therefore would be to safeguard yourself against price rises...?

Anyone know what the logic behind a decision like that is?

LittleVoice

What's "rude" about it?

BrunoM

Because they're actually worse for the buyer than buying monthlies (money is spent earlier), but the implication/expectation, set by things like the annual travelcard savings being advertised, and indeed "most deals like this in life", is that by paying more money up-front/committing to the longer period you will get a discount.

black-saturn

I prefer a pay as you go one. I've been fined on the London underground so many times through silly things like the gates not working properly and trains being delayed. Each time this happens it takes £4 off your card. This is OK f it's PAYG as you can go to a kiosk and get an instant refund but imagine if it were coming out of your bank and you didn't know about the £4 fines until you got your next statement. What a nightmare.

LittleVoice

Obviously a new meaning for the word "rude".

Paying pro rata to the monthly cost for any period from one month but less than the annual at least saves you the inconvenience of queuing at a ticket office or purchasing on-line more frequently.

I haven't bothered to work it out but at some point it becomes cheaper to get an annual than pay for a shorter period.

Because of the usual increase on the first Sunday of a new year, it may also be worth having a shorter period travelcard to take you to Christmas and then get an annual ticket from the end of December/very early January.

Until you get to that annual point it may also be cheaper to get a couple or more of tickets which avoid you paying for times when you are on holiday and not using the service to the same, if any, extent. Though the rate won't be different from the monthly one, you can save because of the gaps.