Oyster/travel cards ??

[Vanjast]

I'll be arriving in London on Sunday (for 15 days) and have a problem deciding which type of rail card to get. Oyster or the Travel card. If anyone can help I'd appreciate it.

 

I expect to travel to the '4 corners' of the London M25, approximately 2 - 4 times a day, possibly using overland rail to the outskirts beyond the M25. I'll pop along to Duxford for the air show the one week end (both days :D )

 

Thanks

Van

[Alpha]

What your going to want, I think (the Oyster Card system confuses the hell out of me) is a PayAsYouGo card, that will cover you for all of london, for getting to duxford I'd expect (although still could be wrong) you would need seperate tickets.

[Vanjast]

Duxford will be a seperate single trip (2x), but most of my travel will be localised.

I'd most probably use zones 1-6, but I see zones 7-9 out in the NW corner - this is not clear.

 

AFAIK one can add overland trips onto the oyster ?

[Alpha]

From what I understand you can only use the oyster card within the zones see this map. Thats both overground, underground, trams and trains AND buses I think. I also think you can use the oyster to get from Kings Cross or Liverpool Street to Cambridge ( I guess that will be the first move for getting to duxford) and then the C7 bus to duxford, but you wont be able to use oyster on that bus.

[David Buffham]

No, you can't use Oyster pay-as-you-go on most National Rail services in London. For example if you wanted to get from Waterloo to Richmond on SW Trains, you couldn't use Oyster pay-as-you-go. However you could buy a travelcard on your Oyster card that covers all the zones you plan to travel within and use that. See TFL website for more info.

[Suzette]

I'm with David - DO NOT get a 'Pay As You Go Oyster' if you plan to travel on overland trains --- on most of the lines you cannot use it - as you are only visiting for 2 weeks I would suggest a weekly travel card (paper version) - but do work out where you are going to be visiting, as if you are not going to be in Central London/Zone 1 for a week then don't get a ticket that covers Zone 1 - it will save you quite a bit of money!

[The Gaffa]

As has been said above, best to get a weekly travel card for all zones (you'll need to get a photocard I think). As for getting to Duxford, that will require 2 separate return tickets.

 

The Oyster PAYG cards cannot be used on Southwest, Southern, Gatwick Express trains. ( If you do, and get caught, its a £2grand fine and possibly 6months).

 

HTH

[mattwire]

Look on the TFL website for full details of where the oyster card is valid: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/oysteronline/5823.aspx

 

It usually makes sense to get an oyster card even if you're only in London for a single day because all tube/bus fares are less than half the price you'd pay otherwise. So you easily make back the £3 admin fee you're charged to get the card in the first place.

[zonino]

Get an oystercard with 2 one week travel cards loaded onto it. simple!

[smeggie]

just an idea, but for the security offered if it does get pinched. make sure you register the card when you get it - makes sure you can get the travelcards re-issued on another unit if you do get hit by bad luck while there.

 

have fun.

 

andy

[Frag_Me]

The Oyster PAYG cards cannot be used on Southwest, Southern, Gatwick Express trains. ( If you do, and get caught, its a £2grand fine and possibly 6months).

 

HTH

 

 

You are saying that a person can be put in prison for 6 months and get a £2000 fine for not buying a train ticket?

[pete LD]

The Oyster PAYG cards cannot be used on Southwest, Southern, Gatwick Express trains. ( If you do, and get caught, its a £2grand fine and possibly 6months).

 

HTH

 

 

You are saying that a person can be put in prison for 6 months and get a £2000 fine for not buying a train ticket?

 

I think you will find its £20 and no prison?

[Nick LX]

Can confirm it is only £20.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/penaltyfares/1089.aspx

[niall]

the 2000 and prison thing was on notices on either the buses or the underground. I remember seeing them when I was down in London at the beginning of June.

[smeggie]

I'm pretty sure the 2k fine thingy was for stopping the train without reasonable cause or some similar misdemeanor.

 

The maximum they'll charge you is usually 20 pounds. and a good telling off. they can't go putting you in the slammer for something so stupid as that!

 

 

As much as certain powers would have you running scared at all times, after a while you get to taking their talk with a large dose of [obviously unhealthy] salt.