Londoners: question about Oyster cards

FinsburyParkCarrots

I go to London all the time and have never used Oyster. I'm off to the capital this evening to do some recordings tomorrow, and my wallet is feeling the pinch. Tell me how Oyster works and how much it costs. I can't keep forking out for rail travelcards all the time.

chime

FinsburyParkCarrots wrote:

I go to London all the time and have never used Oyster. I'm off to the capital this evening to do some recordings tomorrow, and my wallet is feeling the pinch. Tell me how Oyster works and how much it costs. I can't keep forking out for rail travelcards all the time.

You can put as much or as little on them as you like. You can either top up the card at the tube station or you can have it automatically top up say when it drops below £5 it will top up to £20.

Costs wise for example a single zone 1 journey that would normally cost £4 costs £1.50 ... the card will charge you in single journeys up to the maximum of a travelcard.

Each time you go through a ticket barrier the Oyster swipe point tells you how much you have left on your card.

You'll be able to get the full price detailx from http://www.tfl.gov.uk

FinsburyParkCarrots

Cheers, Chime!

jamie uk

If I'm just in London for 2 days and using the underground, is 'oyster' the best way to pay, or is there a 'weekend rover ticket' or something?

Pegasus

jamie uk wrote:

If I'm just in London for 2 days and using the underground, is 'oyster' the best way to pay, or is there a 'weekend rover ticket' or something?

if you're there for just 2 days you can get a travelcard. either 1 day ones, or 3 days: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/faresandtickets/1055.aspx
Oyster has a £3 deposit (you can get it back if you return it)
but you can put like only £5 credit on it, and it will take it down up to the limit of the day travelcard (zone 1-2 is £4.80 off peak)...so if you make only 2-3 trips, it's better than a travelcard, and if you end up making more, it'll end up the same.
and it has no time limit..so you can keep it for the next time you're in London.

Oyster is great but has 1 major drawback (for the moment, they've come to an agreement but it's not yet in place..can't bloody wait!): you can't use it on the Rail (the PAYG part..you can if you get a weekly or more travelcard on it)

Auto top-up is pretty useless because a) it's £20 minimum, b) you HAVE TO go through a specific pre-decided station to get it to work..

chime

Pegasus wrote:

Auto top-up is pretty useless because a) it's £20 minimum, b) you HAVE TO go through a specific pre-decided station to get it to work..

For jamie auto top-up not a good idea but if fins is coming into London a lot it may be. You only have to go through the pre-determined station the first time so you just set it up online before your first trip and set it to to the tube station your train comes into.

I don't use the tube much at all but have auto top-up 'cause it means I don't have to keep an eye on how much is on it and I get an e-mail to tell me when and where it was topped up.

jamie uk

Thanks folks, so, Im in town from Friday lunch time 'til Sunday lunch time, do I get the 3 day peak travel card? How much is it?

chime

jamie uk wrote:

Thanks folks, so, Im in town from Friday lunch time 'til Sunday lunch time, do I get the 3 day peak travel card? How much is it?

You can get the off-peak as peak is just for travelling before 09.30 Mon - Fri

Cost will depend what zones you need. You should be able to find all the info on ww.tfl.gov.uk

jamie uk

Chime wrote:

You can get the off-peak as peak is just for travelling before 09.30 Mon - Fri

Cost will depend what zones you need. You should be able to find all the info on ww.tfl.gov.uk

Thank you very much, all I need is between Paddington and the centre, and Hammersmith. We're staying in Hammersmith, just in case I'm too drunk on Saturday to travel back

chime

jamie uk wrote:

Thank you very much, all I need is between Paddington and the centre, and Hammersmith. We're staying in Hammersmith, just in case I'm too drunk on Saturday to travel back

:cool: so you should be staying in Zone 1. You'll just need a Zone 1-2 travelcard then

EDIT: i just looked up the fare and it's £17.40 so think if you got an oyster card it would be cheaper as each single tube journey will be £1.50. I don't know how much travelling your planning but don't think it will be £17.40s worth.

If you don't use up everything you put on your card you can always kepp it for next time you visit London

jamie uk

Chime wrote:

:cool: so you should be staying in Zone 1. You'll just need a Zone 1-2 travelcard then

Thanks, I don't mean to sound stupid....it just comes naturally and London is such a big deal for a country lad..pretty scarey.
I drove to Wembley last year, I was nearly passing out as I entered the 'concrete jungle', I was coming to the end of the M4, and felt like the sky was closing in on me...:o

chime

Oops sorry I edited the post up there ^^^^

Think even with £3 deposit oyster will be cheaper

jamie uk

Chime wrote:

Oops sorry I edited the post up there ^^^^

Bloody nora! £17.40!
My mate drives a tube up there, maybe I should call in a favour:) ?

dunkman

hey Jamie its worth getting the Oystercard... i got one for my last trip and it was just so hassle free.. and i still have it for when i'm next down at the Big Smoke... thats what Jimmy Saville calls his willy !!!

Pegasus

Chime wrote:

:cool: so you should be staying in Zone 1. You'll just need a Zone 1-2 travelcard then

EDIT: i just looked up the fare and it's £17.40 so think if you got an oyster card it would be cheaper as each single tube journey will be £1.50. I don't know how much travelling your planning but don't think it will be £17.40s worth.

If you don't use up everything you put on your card you can always kepp it for next time you visit London

there's no 3-day off-peak so yeah, Oyster wil be a lot cheaper, unless you plan doing touristy stuff, you won't travel that much.
Even tfl says it:

# If the three days you are travelling on include a Saturday, Sunday or Public Holiday, it may be cheaper to buy a combination of Day Travelcards

get an Oyster, put a fiver or tenner on it and you'll be fine.
tube will be £1.50 per journey and bus £0.90

jamie uk

dunkman wrote:

when i'm next down at the Big Smoke... thats what Jimmy Saville calls his willy !!!

That's what I call it too, "jingle jangle"

jamie uk

Pegasus wrote:

there's no 3-day off-peak so yeah, Oyster wil be a lot cheaper, unless you plan doing touristy stuff, you won't travel that much.
Even tfl says it:

get an Oyster, put a fiver or tenner on it and you'll be fine.
tube will be £1.50 per journey and bus £0.90

OK, Oyster it is. Thanks everyone