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Travelling within London

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  • 14-01-2020 11:46am
    #1
    dafman
    Registered Users Posts: 103 ✭✭


    Going to London in April for weekend with young lad aged 11, wondering what best option for travelling around London Travel card or Oyster card ?Thanks


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    #2
    Padraig Mor
    Registered Users Posts: 9,534 ✭✭✭Padraig Mor


    Presuming you'll be around central London and using the tube / Overground / bus, just use your contactless debit card to touch in and out. Kid will ride for free with you - use the family / disabled gates at the end of the row and you can both go through together (this is where staff members tend to be as well) - you won't get him through the standard gates with you. If you're using National Rail services, things may get more complicated depending on where you're travelling.


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    #3
    devnull
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 11,586 Mod ✭✭✭✭devnull


    Padraig Mor wrote: »
    Presuming you'll be around central London and using the tube / Overground / bus, just use your contactless debit card to touch in and out. Kid will ride for free with you - use the family / disabled gates at the end of the row and you can both go through together (this is where staff members tend to be as well) - you won't get him through the standard gates with you. If you're using National Rail services, things may get more complicated depending on where you're travelling.

    Check the rates on your credit card or debit card for Sterling transactions - sometimes credit cards don't charge so much as debit cards.


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    #4
    Padraig Mor
    Registered Users Posts: 9,534 ✭✭✭Padraig Mor


    devnull wrote: »
    Check the rates on your credit card or debit card for Sterling transactions - sometimes credit cards don't charge so much as debit cards.

    Shouldn't make much of a difference overall as TFL pop all the day's usage through in one charge at the end of the day, as opposed to lots of small charges. Are credit cards available contactless? (Shows how often I use one!).


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    #5
    ted1
    Registered Users Posts: 23,264 ✭✭✭✭ted1


    If you have a Revolut card, that’s the best option. You’ll get the best rate and no surcharge.


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    #6
    golfball37
    Registered Users Posts: 4,515 ✭✭✭golfball37


    dafman wrote: »
    Going to London in April for weekend with young lad aged 11, wondering what best option for travelling around London Travel card or Oyster card ?Thanks


    If you are using Gatwick, buying a train ticket to Victoria at the airport you can get an all access day travelpass for something like 2 thrown in. Its an amazing deal/value.


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    #7
    devnull
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 11,586 Mod ✭✭✭✭devnull


    Padraig Mor wrote: »
    Shouldn't make much of a difference overall as TFL pop all the day's usage through in one charge at the end of the day, as opposed to lots of small charges. Are credit cards available contactless? (Shows how often I use one!).

    My AIB credit card is contactless.

    It depends on your card, in my experience in the UK and Ireland, credit cards tend not to have the same level of fees/charges for foreign currency transactions as Debit cards do. That's even more so the case if you try and use a UK card in Ireland!


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    #8
    Chris_5339762
    Registered Users Posts: 5,849 ✭✭✭Chris_5339762


    ...and if you're in Gatwick do NOT take the Gatwick Express to Victoria, take a Southern service to Victoria. Its the same line only with one or two extra stops. 5 minutes longer for half the price.


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    #9
    golfball37
    Registered Users Posts: 4,515 ✭✭✭golfball37


    Chris_5339762 wrote: »
    ...and if you're in Gatwick do NOT take the Gatwick Express to Victoria, take a Southern service to Victoria. Its the same line only with one or two extra stops. 5 minutes longer for half the price.

    Second this- the southern rail desk is where they offer you the one day all access travelcard for 2 quid too.


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    #10
    Breezer
    Registered Users Posts: 3,228 ✭✭✭Breezer


    golfball37 wrote: »
    Second this- the southern rail desk is where they offer you the one day all access travelcard for 2 quid too.
    Does that cover the Underground? If so, I wish I’d known about this before now!

    I agree there’s no point in the Gatwick Express.


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    #11
    golfball37
    Registered Users Posts: 4,515 ✭✭✭golfball37


    Breezer wrote: »
    Does that cover the Underground? If so, I wish I’d known about this before now!

    I agree there’s no point in the Gatwick Express.

    Of course- all underground, DLR, overground and buses covered.


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    #12
    dafman
    Registered Users Posts: 103 ✭✭dafman


    Thanks for info , but is best value to go oystercard or Travelcard , I understand what lads saying about credit/debit cards etc .


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    #13
    golfball37
    Registered Users Posts: 4,515 ✭✭✭golfball37


    dafman wrote: »
    Thanks for info , but is best value to go oystercard or Travelcard , I understand what lads saying about credit/debit cards etc .

    For a weekend- Oyster. You should get a visitor Oyster card online which they will post out to you as it gives discounts on some of the touristy things as far as I know.


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    #14
    griffdaddy
    Registered Users Posts: 3,411 ✭✭✭griffdaddy


    I'd also recommend having Uber set up. It's much, much cheaper than normal taxis in London and it's really handy for getting to exactly where you need to go quickly, particularly it the underground isn't near or the journey doesn't warrant taking a longer underground trip.


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    #15
    golfball37
    Registered Users Posts: 4,515 ✭✭✭golfball37


    griffdaddy wrote: »
    I'd also recommend having Uber set up. It's much, much cheaper than normal taxis in London and it's really handy for getting to exactly where you need to go quickly, particularly it the underground isn't near or the journey doesn't warrant taking a longer underground trip.

    Uber was banned in London a few months ago afaik. They have a stay of execution for a few months but it will be long gone by April


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    #16
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,327 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    golfball37 wrote: »
    For a weekend- Oyster. You should get a visitor Oyster card online which they will post out to you as it gives discounts on some of the touristy things as far as I know.

    Don't know about those touristy discounts but be aware that you cannot register a visitor Oyster card so if you lose it or it's stolen, you can wave goodbye to any credit that's stored on it.

    I lost an Oyster card while in a theatre in the west end. I bought a new card from a machine in the tube station when heading back to my hotel. I then logged into the TfL website, got the number of the card I had just lost, phoned the TfL help line, gave the number of the old card and the new card and by 8:30 the next morning, the credit from the old card had been transferred to the new card.


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    #17
    purplepanda
    Registered Users Posts: 1,051 ✭✭✭purplepanda


    Oyster card / Debit card Zones 1-2 covers most of Inner London, that's £7.20 peak total Adult fare per day. Oyster card costs £5 & you can top up at stations & Newsagents.
    http://content.tfl.gov.uk/adult-2020-prices.pdf

    2 day Visitor card Adult is £27.00 for zones 1-6, this is worth worth getting if you travel in from Heathrow
    https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/visiting-london/getting-around-london/best-ways-for-visitors-to-pay/visitor-pass

    If not using Heathrow Airport zone 6 you can check your return rail fare to Central London below or used the airport websites for details. You only need to buy a return ticket to Zone 2 as you can pay for zones 1-2 travel on Oyster / Debit card.
    https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/


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    #18
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,327 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    purplepanda wrote: »
    2 day Visitor card Adult is £27.00 for zones 1-6, this is worth worth getting if you travel in from Heathrow
    https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/visiting-london/getting-around-london/best-ways-for-visitors-to-pay/visitor-pass

    Only if you're going to do more than four tube journeys (excluding the trip to/from Heathrow) on the days you fly.

    The Oyster fare from Heathrow to zones 1 or 2 is £3.10. A trip on the tube within zones 1 & 2 costs £2.40. So you need to be doing five trips or more on the tube within London on the days you fly in order to justify paying £13.50 for a daily travelcard.


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    #19
    theteal
    Registered Users Posts: 7,593 ✭✭✭theteal


    ted1 wrote: »
    If you have a Revolut card, that’s the best option. You’ll get the best rate and no surcharge.

    I'd go a little further and advise/tell the OP to get the Revolut app/card. It can be used for all the UK transactions (any any future international trips) at the best possible exchange rate. Just load money on the card and the app will keep you informed of your spends as you go - you only need a data connection to top it up some more if needed. Any money left can be put back to your account if you were that way inclined.


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