Oyster Card Questions

cowboy

Hi all,

My parents are coming from overseas and we'll be travelling around London for a day or two. I heard Oyster card is the cheapest way to travel around but I have a few questions:

1) Can I order more than 1 card from Oyster website? Do I need to create separate accounts for each of the card (for topping up, etc)?

2) How much is the cost for 1-day Travel by Tube using Oyster? And what zone does it cover? Cos my parents are arriving at Heathrow and it's in Zone 6 - is it covered in the "1-day Travel"?

3) Can I use Oyster card for other rail station (not the tube)? I'll be staying in Ilford Travelodge and I probably need to get a train from Ilford Rail Station to Gant Hill Underground Station (nearest tube) - can I use Oyster card for this?

Thank you in advance, I hope you guys can help me out. :beer:

Quasar

cowboy wrote: »

Hi all,

My parents are coming from overseas and we'll be travelling around London for a day or two. I heard Oyster card is the cheapest way to travel around but I have a few questions:

1) Can I order more than 1 card from Oyster website? Do I need to create separate accounts for each of the card (for topping up, etc)?

2) How much is the cost for 1-day Travel by Tube using Oyster? And what zone does it cover? Cos my parents are arriving at Heathrow and it's in Zone 6 - is it covered in the "1-day Travel"?

3) Can I use Oyster card for other rail station (not the tube)? I'll be staying in Ilford Travelodge and I probably need to get a train from Ilford Rail Station to Gant Hill Underground Station (nearest tube) - can I use Oyster card for this?

Thank you in advance, I hope you guys can help me out. :beer:

You can buy/order as many Oyster cards as you wish on a pre-pay basis (the website will explain what this is).

Oyster cards can only be used on tube and buses - NOT main railways, so you have to travel to Gants Hill either by bus if you want to use your card, OR by main railways in which case you have to pay separately for that ticket.

Fron Gants Hill to Heathrow you will need to to a one day ALL ZONES travelcard, because you have to cross into zone one to get to Heathrow- not sure how much it costs but it's around £6 each IF you travel after 09:30, ie, off-peak, otherwise it's more. Again, the website will give you full details of times and fares.

However it would be better if you went to a station to get your Oyster card rather than the website, as the ticket clerk will be able to advise you there and then. I believe you can buy pre-pay Oyster cards (which is what you want) at newsagents who sell London Transport tickets, but I'm not sure - again you can check by visiting one near you.

Good luck.

cowboy

Thanks a lot, Quasar....for answering my questions.

I've been looking at the Oyster website but couldn't find the fares (maybe due to the lack of sleep lol). If you could show me the direct link, that'll be great.

If it's gonna cost more for travelling to Heathrow from Gant Hill, then I probably will just ask my parents to meet me at Gant Hill - save me the costs of travelling down to Heathrow to meet them and then back to Gant Hill.

Quasar

cowboy wrote: »

Thanks a lot, Quasar....for answering my questions.

I've been looking at the Oyster website but couldn't find the fares (maybe due to the lack of sleep lol). If you could show me the direct link, that'll be great.

If it's gonna cost more for travelling to Heathrow from Gant Hill, then I probably will just ask my parents to meet me at Gant Hill - save me the costs of travelling down to Heathrow to meet them and then back to Gant Hill.

for a return ticket (on Oyster or whatever) from Gants Hill to Heathrow, you will get a travelcard price, as the ticket is capped when it reaches the travelcard level. A return journey to Heathrow would cost £8 on two separate tickets, but on oyster it should cost only about £6 - IF you travel after 9:30. Unfortunately I do not remember the fares off the top of my head.

I do surveys on the Tube and buses so I know the system inside out.

Lemmy_Caution

For convenience, get a 1 day travelcard. That way you can go to and from Ilford to Liverpool Street, change to Central, to Holborn, change to Piccadilly, then on to Heathrow. The trains from Ilford are regular, as it is one of the main shopping areas for that part of London.

cowboy

Thanks guys, but I have a change of plan right now....all because of the damn Travelodge who quote me £26 a room one minute and the next minute it went up to £49 per room per night. :mad: :mad:

So, guys...please help me out. Where is the cheapest place to stay for 2 nights on the 11th and 12th of July in Central London? The other thing is my parents will be arriving around 7pm (11th of July) and we have the whole day (12th of July) to tour around London.

On the 13th of July (940am), we need to catch a flight from Luton Airport to Paris.

So any idea where is the best place to stay? I think the cheapest option now is 2 nights at London Ilford Travelodge (£49 x 2). Or I could opt for 1 night in Ilford and 1 night in Luton (but the problem is we will have to check in at 3pm, which will disrupt our 1 days London tour).

Arrggh! I'm so stressed up right now. Please advice. Thanks!

cowboy

Ok....Ignore my last post, cos I tried again and this time managed to booked Ilford Travelodge for £26 per room per night. So this problem sorted.

As for the Oyster card.... here's what I'll be doing in London:

11th of July 6pm -
plan a) Parents arrive at Heathrow. I'll be arriving at Central London from Bristol and take a tube to Ilford Travelodge to check in.

plan b) I arrive in Central London, check in to Ilford Travelodge, then head to Heathrow to meet up with my parents and travel together to Ilford again.

12th of July (whole day) - London Tour

13th of July (6am) - Need to travel from Ilford to Central London, then to Luton Airport for our flight to Paris.


So, the best option is to get the Oyster card since I'll be travelling for 3 days in London and it'll automatically calculate the cheapest fare?

As for the plan on 11th of July, how much will it cost me for plan a) and plan b)? Are they both going to cost the same using Oyster card? If yes, then I will go with plan b).... I don't need to know the exact fare, I just want to know which plan is cost effective. (money saving lol!)

Thanks a lot for bearing with me and all my long explanation.

dzug

There is no tube station at Ilford - it's National rail. A PAYG Oyster is not valid. If you use it there you'll be charged a penalty fare.

You'd be better off forgetting Oyster and buying paper travelcards each day which ARE valid on National Rail. Zones 1-4 for Ilford and central London, zones 1-6 for Heathrow. Prices £5.70 and £6.70 off peak.
Not going to Heathrow to meet your parents will therefore save you £1.

dzug

That 6am start for Luton may be a problem - I'm guessing just buy a single ticket Ilford to Luton. Or is it 6am AT Luton? You'll need to leave Ilford on the last train the previous day if it is.

cowboy

The nearest tube station in Ilford is Gant Hill, but I need to get a bus there. So, I guess I can use Oyster card for this?

As for travelling to Luton, it's a 940am flight. I was thinking of taking a tube from Gant Hill to Victoria at 530am (reaching around 630am), then Victoria to Luton at 640am (reaching Luton at 815am - enough time for me to check in before the 940am flight). Btw, can I actually get to Luton directly from Ilford?

So again, travel card or oyster? =/

squashy

http://www.londontoolkit.com/briefing/oystercard.htm
The only site I have come across with prices