London confused Oyster, Travelcard & London Pass

I having a little trouble getting the Oyster Card & Travelcard straight in my mind.

I think the London Pass is a card that prepays entrance fees to various sites and may allow discounts other places and has no connection to Oyster & Travel Cards. It may or may not be worth it depending on what we intend to visit.

Oyster Card allows travel on buses and tube etc and has a maximum amount that will be charged to card in any one day. You purchased card and "top off" to add transport funding.

So where does the travel card come in? I was told that you could add travelcard to oyster card and that was pretty much where I got confused. I've read the transport London page and I'm still confused.

TIA for explaining. Helping this confused, first time international traveler, from the midwest where we don't have tubes and multiple modes of public transportation, make sense of it all. Planning to be in London 6 days if that makes any difference.

One should start by saying that travelcards predate the introduction of the Oyster card.

Back in the day (for me, the early '90s :D), you could either pay your fare per journey, or buy a travelcard to cover multiple journeys. While you could purchase a travelcard to cover a variety of timeframes - anywhere from 1 week to 1 year - the only one that didn't require a photocard was the 1-day travelcard, thus this was our card of choice. The main difference was that the 1-day travelcard only permitted travel after 9:30 am (thus impractical for commuters), but we were fine with this.

Then along came the Oyster card, a contactless smart card for use instead of paper tickets. Basically, it has been structured to figure out for you what your cheapest option for the day is, with a daily cap in place.

However, when Transport for London introduced their new fun payment toy, they didn't totally scrap everything else, and thus made it possible to load a travelcard onto your Oyster card. AFAIK, this only applies to weekly/monthly/yearly travelcards.

So, you can either pay for a weekly travelcard, or load a certain amount of money and go the pay-as-you-go rate, or a combination of both. I remember the first time we used our Oyster cards, we were in London for 9 days, so got a 1-week travelcard loaded onto our Oyster cards, plus some money to cover the other 2 days on PAYG. These days, we just do Oyster with PAYG - it's the simplest way to go.

Of course, I believe it is still possible to buy a hard-copy travelcard, however the only circumstance where I would consider this is if I wanted to take advantage of the National Rail 2-for-1 deals, which require a train ticket. In this case, you would need to purchase the travelcard at a train station, from a National Rail machine or booth, and have it printed on National Rail paper stock.

FWIW, each time I've looked at the London Pass, it hasn't been worth it for me price-wise.

FWIW, each time I've looked at the London Pass, it hasn't been worth it for me price-wise.

I did a small amount of research looking at likely attractions that are on the Pass and the prices booked online.and agree with this.

Tower of London ----- £21.50

River Cruise ---------- £10.00

Westminster Abbey - £20.00

One Day London Pass - £62.50

Of course, If you found more places, it just might be a saving, but I would just pre-book the places I really wanted to visit.

you can now use your contactless debit card on the underground, just tap on and off like with an oyster, saves the hassle of paying a £5 deposit for your card and then claiming it back at the end of your visit. Also saves worrying about whether you've put enough on the oyster. Cost is the same and after you reach the day rate there is no additional charge. Can't remember the cap for a day but TFL should have it on their website. Just don't forget to tap in and out!

Instead of the Oyster card, you can now use a contactless credit card. It does the same as the Oyster card, except you don't have to pre-load it, and you don't have to pay the refundable security deposit (if you but the card in London) or the activation fee (if purchased online before you travel). Check with your credit card company to see if they offer a contactless card and if there are foreign transaction fees. Also, make sure that you can get a separate card for each person.

When my husband and I traveled to London in 2014, we found the information desk at the Heathrow Terminal 2 & 3 tube station to be of great help. Instead of buying our cards at the automated kiosk, we stood in a short line to speak to a human. She went over with us the best and most economical way to get where we needed to go, being that the airport is in Zone 6, our AirBnB was in Zone 2, and everything we wanted to visit was in Zone 1 - and we were visiting for 8 days, then traveling elsewhere for 7 days, and back to London for 2 more days with a last trip to Zone 6 for our flight out of Heathrow.

To further complicate matters we had a borrowed Oyster card with about £10 of PAYG credit (an unregistered card that one can legitimately share) so the person helped us determine how much PAYG we’d need to get to/from Heathrow and how to best cover our extra days beyond the 7-day TravelCard we bought for the main part of our visit. At the end of our trip, we turned in the extra Oyster card and transferred the unused balance to the one we’d borrowed. We could have also gotten a refund on it if we’d wanted.

I do know that when we were there, they were installing all the hardware and such for contactless smartphone payment (Apple Pay, Android Pay) and you can use your phone with an Oyster app to load cards/PAYG funds nowadays.

Ask at the airport kiosk! Their whole job is to assist people, mostly tourists, with their transit needs. If you’re not arriving by air, there are information desks at King’s Cross (train) or Victoria Station (coach.)

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Thanks everyone it's starting to make a little more sense.

Sandi

I am confused, what is a contactless credit or debit card?

I have a Canadian TD Visa credit card with a pin and a TD debit card with a pin.

Do you swipe a credit card like an Oyster Card and the amount will be taken off the credit card?

Do you have to register the cards any where?

I have £10 left on my Oyster card and might want to use credit card after the Oyster card is finished instead off reloading my Oyster card.

They are credit or debit cards that work in the same way as an Oyster card - "swipe" over a reader at point of sale to register a transaction. If you cards are contactless, they will have a symbol similar to the wireless symbol for WiFi on computers etc.

They are very widely available and used for transactions up to £30 in the UK. Many stores of all kinds take them - I hardly ever use cash in London any more for my coffee, lunch, shopping, drinks in the pub...

You do not need to register for use on London transport - use the same reader as for Oyster and the system tracks usage. Of course, you need a card for each person and make sure you use the same card to swipe in and out every time.

My Visa has the 4 semi circles on it, it sounds like it is contactless?

At many of the stores/restaurants here, you can tap the store/restaurant's machine with your credit/debit card to pay.

My Visa has the 4 semi circles on it, it sounds like it is contactless?

 

 

 

At many of the stores/restaurants here, you can tap the store/restaurant's machine with your credit/debit card to pay.

Exactly that. Most people "tap", but the card will work at a very short distance away, hence "contactless".

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We liked our London Pass this summer. But we made sure we were going to fully use it. We had the 3-day pass, and since it also gives fast pass option at Tower of London (well worth it! LOL!), we found it saved us money. You really need to decide what you are going to see, price it out, and see if it works. We did the Oyster cards with it as well. That was so convenient! We didn't have to worry about having the fare, or what it was. And the last night we were there, we wanted to run over to see Harrod's, just for kicks. So it didn't matter to go out of our way in having the Oyster card.

I am confused, what is a contactless credit or debit card?

 

I have a Canadian TD Visa credit card with a pin and a TD debit card with a pin.

 

Do you swipe a credit card like an Oyster Card and the amount will be taken off the credit card?

 

Do you have to register the cards any where?

 

I have £10 left on my Oyster card and might want to use credit card after the Oyster card is finished instead off reloading my Oyster card.

Both will work on London Transport. No registration required. It really is effortless.

I wonder if they have discontinued the Fast Track option at Tower of London? I just checked the London Pass page and Tower of London is not indicated as Fast Track, of course I could be reading it completely wrong.

The main things I want to see are Castles & Museums with a few other things thrown in. It appears to me (I could be reading it completely wrong) that I could buy a Historical Royal Palaces membership for £77 for 2 adults, same address The cost, I think, buying online for the individual castles (3) would be about £50 for each of us, so if I'm figuring correctly that would save us over £20. I can't figure out if you have to buy a Kew Gardens pass separately to take advantage of the free membership there but either way that's an additional savings. I can't see anywhere that I'm not eligible to buy a membership from the US. They probably won't mail it to me but I could maybe have it sent to my B&B in London to be kept til we get there.

Has anyone used a HRP membership? Does my idea make sense? I really like the idea of a London Pass but I just don't think we would be able to take full advantage of it. I don't think we could move fast enough in 3 days to see what I want to see. And if I go to 4-5 days it's just too much. ;)

I have a contactless Capital One VISA from the US. Does anyone know if that one will work? I understand from the Transport For London website that some contactless VISA cards from outside the UK are not accepted.

I have a contactless Capital One VISA from the US. Does anyone know if that one will work? I understand from the Transport For London website that some contactless VISA cards from outside the UK are not accepted.

I wonder if they have discontinued the Fast Track option at Tower of London? I just checked the London Pass page and Tower of London is not indicated as Fast Track, of course I could be reading it completely wrong.

 

The main things I want to see are Castles & Museums with a few other things thrown in. It appears to me (I could be reading it completely wrong) that I could buy a Historical Royal Palaces membership for £77 for 2 adults, same address The cost, I think, buying online for the individual castles (3) would be about £50 for each of us, so if I'm figuring correctly that would save us over £20. I can't figure out if you have to buy a Kew Gardens pass separately to take advantage of the free membership there but either way that's an additional savings. I can't see anywhere that I'm not eligible to buy a membership from the US. They probably won't mail it to me but I could maybe have it sent to my B&B in London to be kept til we get there.

 

Has anyone used a HRP membership? Does my idea make sense? I really like the idea of a London Pass but I just don't think we would be able to take full advantage of it. I don't think we could move fast enough in 3 days to see what I want to see. And if I go to 4-5 days it's just too much. ;)

It does look like the Tower is no longer on the Fast Pass! :( That was definitely a plus for having it! When we got there about 20 minutes after they opened, there was a long line already to get tickets. We had planned on being there when they opened, but took the wrong tube line! LOL! with the fast pass, we just walked right into line to go into the Tower, not to get tickets first. They aren't kidding when they say it gets super busy, super fast in the summer. We went right to the Jewels as well, and was able to walk right into the building, by the time we left, there was already a line outside that building.

It does look like you can get the membership pass sent to you though, the one you're looking at. I can't speak to it, as we didn't use it.

https://www.hrp.org.uk/membership/membership-faqs/#gs.M=MKwKc

I having a little trouble getting the Oyster Card & Travelcard straight in my mind.

 

I think the London Pass is a card that prepays entrance fees to various sites and may allow discounts other places and has no connection to Oyster & Travel Cards. It may or may not be worth it depending on what we intend to visit.

 

Oyster Card allows travel on buses and tube etc and has a maximum amount that will be charged to card in any one day. You purchased card and "top off" to add transport funding.

 

So where does the travel card come in? I was told that you could add travelcard to oyster card and that was pretty much where I got confused. I've read the transport London page and I'm still confused.

 

TIA for explaining. Helping this confused, first time international traveler, from the midwest where we don't have tubes and multiple modes of public transportation, make sense of it all. Planning to be in London 6 days if that makes any difference.

Here's my two cents. We have done the London Pass a couple of times. If you are planning on visiting the major landmarks that charge admission, it is well worth it. We got the three day and visited Windsor, Kensington (including Diana's dress exhibit), Tower of London, Churchill Rooms, Hampton Court, Westminster Abbey and some smaller venues over three days. It takes a lot of energy to do them three days in a row but we are 57 and 59 and we did it just fine. With that pass, they offer the Oyster Card. The Oyster Card is my mortal enemy. They make you think that it's good the entire time your pass is good for. But, we ran out of funds on ours and then, I missed the pad on the way out and they charge me $12 pounds for not touching back in. It's not unlimited. Conversely, I've gotten the travelcard many times and it is much preferred. The reason is that if you buy a 7 day travelcard, it's good for unlimited rides on the tube and buses as well as the DLR and overland trains. There is no monetary limit to the card. I prefer it and we are using it again in December after our Oyster card fiasco in March. If you aren't planning on visiting all of those landmarks, the London Pass can be quite costly. And remember, some places such as the V&A and the British Museum are completely free....don't miss either one. They are fantastic.

If I buy the HRP membership it includes Tower of London and we shouldn't have to stand in line for tickets (I hope, and I would think with London Pass that would also count as a ticket) and like you Cindy, I'm "planning" on getting there first thing and going straight to Crown Jewels. HRP also includes Hampton, Kew & Kensington. London pass would work for Windsor and other HRPs plus a few other places.. I'm going to have to put it all on a spreadsheet instead of trying to add in my head but being able to get the 2 person HRP, seems less expensive, even adding a couple other places that aren't included, than the London Pass.

I like the idea that I can just add money to Oyster card (and use it on my phone/contactless card without £5 deposit) and I'm not limited (for the most part) on where I can go with it. The Travelcard I have to decide how long I want it for and how far I'm going to go with it (if I understand it correctly) and have a paper ticket. But with the Oyster Card we will need to make sure we sign out when required.

Fortunately I don't have to decide today because I'm still really confused. I'm really worried about trying to get our money's worth seeing what we want to see in three days. We do a lot of walking, but at 67 & 78 that might be a lot.

Cindy, I notice you visited Le Havre, what did you do when you were there if you don't mind my asking.

Also does anyone have a suggestion for what would be a good sightseeing option for our first day. Hopefully sleeping on the plane on our overnight flight and scheduled to land about 11:30am, So will have part of an afternoon and evening on Wednesday when we arrive. I'm sure we will be tired but I don't want to waste and a day.

Thanks

Sandi

We did the DDay Normandy beaches tour. It was amazing. If you only have one day in London - having been there many times I would visit Covent Garden, British Museum, Trafalgar Square/National Gallery. You wouldn’t have too much time for Greenwich or the Tower unless that’s all you were doing. One of our favorite things to do is to go into the Crypt at St Martins in the Field church in Trafalgar Square and have lunch. It’s always the best meal!!

We did the DDay Normandy beaches tour. It was amazing. If you only have one day in London - having been there many times I would visit Covent Garden, British Museum, Trafalgar Square/National Gallery. You wouldn’t have too much time for Greenwich or the Tower unless that’s all you were doing. One of our favorite things to do is to go into the Crypt at St Martins in the Field church in Trafalgar Square and have lunch. It’s always the best meal!!

I'm hoping by traveling overnight we will be ab le to do something on Wednesday without falling asleup.

We will be there from Wednesday afternoon until Tues when we will head to Southampton. 6 days in London, 12 days on the cruise with only 2 sea days, a full travel day coming back home and we are going to need a vacation to recover from our vacation.

Looking up Crypt now. Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden are both on my list. So it's great to have that recommendation. British Museum and V& A are also on my list

I'm hoping by traveling overnight we will be ab le to do something on Wednesday without falling asleup.

 

 

 

We will be there from Wednesday afternoon until Tues when we will head to Southampton. 6 days in London, 12 days on the cruise with only 2 sea days, a full travel day coming back home and we are going to need a vacation to recover from our vacation.

 

 

 

Looking up Crypt now. Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden are both on my list. So it's great to have that recommendation. British Museum and V& A are also on my list

The Tower, Greenwich, Bath, and Windsor are all worth the trip if you have 6 days.

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The Tower, Greenwich, Bath, and Windsor are all worth the trip if you have 6 days.

 

 

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So much I want to see and what is starting to feel like too little time.

So much I want to see and what is starting to feel like too little time.

I’ve only seen so much because I’ve been there 7 times. Don’t try to overdo it - just plan another for later! That cruise is so much fun too. Hint for Liverpool if you are wanting to do the Beatles thing. Don’t do Magical Mystery Tour. Do the Fab Four taxi tour. I’ve done both and we actually got to get out on the Penny Lane roundabout and at all of the homes (just couldn’t go in). On the taxi tour

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