Help with Oyster card confusion please

Bean_Counter

Hello. For some reason I seem to be having trouble getting my head around which format of Oyster card would be best suited for us based on the following criteria, and would appreciate a little advice.

• 2 adults, 2 children aged 13 and 14
• Arriving by train to Kings Cross, staying 4 full days and leaving again by train
• Looking to travel around the usual touristy stuff, all zone 1 I believe
• Considering a trip to do the Harry Potter tour and hence a return to Watford Junction, which I know is covered

I have read that I can get a travelcard when I book my train ticket which might work out cheaper but couldn't see an option for that when I was looking to book my tickets online.

Something that tops itself up for ease of use would be good.

Any advice gratefully received. Thanks in advance.

peachyprice

The children's ones you will have to order in advance as they can't be bought once here, scroll down to 'if you live outside London'

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/students-and-children/11-15-zip-oyster-photocard#on-this-page-0

It's a bit of a faff so it might be easier just to buy them daily travel cards.

Prices for daily children's travel cards are here

http://visitorshop.tfl.gov.uk/travelcards/1-day/product/day-anytime-travelcard.html

If you're going to be using a Family & Friends railcard you can buy them daily travel cards zones 1-9 for £2.00 each, so that might be worth considering as you'll save on your rail tickets and a fair whack on the children's travelcards.

For the adults you can pre-order a visitors oyster card here
http://visitorshop.tfl.gov.uk/oystercard/product/oyster-card.html

Or buy one once you arrive. You can also pre-purchase adult daily travelcards before you arrive.

I believe the travelcard you get with your train tickets will only be for the day you arrive, but I might be wrong.

susancs

Peachy price is right that it is cheaper to just buy two daily off peak zones1-9 travelcards each day for your children (after 10am from the train/tube station), if you have a railcard. Otherwise it is a £10 admin fee per photo oyster card and then top up as you go (with a price cap of £4.20 a day for peak zone 1 travel per child and £10.90 peak price cap for zones1-9 plus Watford Junction for Harry Potter trip). As Watford Junction is just outside of zone 9, when buying a 1-9 travelcard you would need to get an extra child's return ticket for zone 9 end to Watford Junction. The train from Euston takes 20 minutes to Watford Junction and you get the shuttle bus service outside the station at a cost of £2 return fare per person to The Harry Potter Studios. You can also get 34% discount off Adult daily travelcards if you have a friends and family railcard. Details here:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/tube-dlr-lo-railcard-fares-jan-2014.pdf

These are the adult fares without the family and friends railcard.
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/tube-dlr-lo-adult-fares-jan-2014.pdf

adindas

I have an annual season Oystercard covering Zone 1-2 London.
I have been purchasing annual season Oystercard from TFL London for a couple of years and I just and I just notice the following interesting finding:

- I travel to zone 6 with TUBES and I just took £1 of my PAYG which is saved on the same oyster card of my annual season card.
- I Just browsed my Journey history and this has happened many times consistently in the past.
- Journey to the same zone using TRAIN will take around £2.70 from my PAYG oyster card

My question,
(1) Is it true that the extension beyond zone 2 to 6 only cost £1.00 or there was a loophole here by the way oyster card is calculating the fee ?? Would like to hear other people experience and / or link stating this ...

(2) If (1) is true am I right to say if you have season card and there is a tube alternative + bus beyond your zone, than better to use tube rather than train as it will be cheaper and might be faster?

susancs

adindas wrote: »

I have an annual season Oystercard covering Zone 1-2 London.
I have been purchasing annual season Oystercard from TFL London for a couple of years and I just and I just notice the following interesting finding:

- I travel to zone 6 with TUBES and I just took £1 of my PAYG which is saved on the same oyster card of my annual season card.
- I Just browsed my Journey history and this has happened many times consistently in the past.
- Journey to the same zone using TRAIN will take around £2.70 from my PAYG oyster card

My question,
(1) Is the extension beyond zone 2 to 6 only cost £1.00 or there was some mistakes here ?? Would like to hear other people expereince and / or link stating this ...

(2) If (1) is true am I right to say if there is a tube alternative + bus beyond your zone, than better to use tube rather than train ?

Both the London overground train and the tube should cost the same if going the same route, but if you are changing trains and going via a different zone it could end up costing more. If you look at the single journey finder for eg. Stanmore to Chessington South if you avoid zone 1 it will cost £3.90 peak or £2.50 off peak, however if you go via zone one it is £7.50 peak and £2.50 off peak. When the train and tube run along part of the same route e.g. Harrow and Wealdstone to Queen Park and both train and tube (Bakerloo) cost the same. Bus journeys are cheaper than train or tube. I know your journeys cost less as you have an annual travelcard, but it just gives you the information easier using the single fare finder.
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/fares/single-fare-finder?intcmp=1660

dzug1

Oyster fares are slightly higher for a through journey from National Rail (most lines) to tube than they would be for an equivalent journey using tube or overground only.


Don't know if that could explain your discrepancies.

jbindebt

This has been really helpful as we are going to the Harry Potter exhibition next week.