London Travelcard or Oyster card

We're going to be spending one full day in London prior to a cruise from Southampton. We plan to do a lot of Underground travel from our hotel near LHR to and from central London and sightseeing in various areas of London. I'm confused about the benefits of the travelcard and Oyster card. Which card would be better for about 5 or 6 Underground trips.

Rich

If you have a contactless debit card visa / MasterCard you do not need either as you can use this as a substitute. The card will just take the maximum daily rate I think it's £6-50 for as many journeys that you want which including to and from LHR will be an excellent deal. You just hold on the pad at the barriers each time you enter or exit the tube. For only 1 day the travelcard is best other wise as an oyster card need purchasing and putting money on it, above daily fare, although you can use subsequently.

A (paper) Travelcard ticket, an Oystercard, and a contactless payment card all cost the same (ok there are minor differences, but nothing you need to bother with).

The difference is convenience.

Have a contactless card you can use in the UK (one card per person), then use that.

Making frequent use but maybe only one or two journeys a day but occasionally a lot of journeys in a day and don't have a contactless card, then Oyster is probably for you.

A single day travel when you are traveling on a few journeys then a paper Travelcard probably is best. However where an Oystercard scores over a Travelcard is when you don't know what travel you will do. A Travelcard is bought for specific zones, but an Oystercard will just work that out and charge accordingly.

Whatever you do, DO NOT buy individual paper tickets for the tube, as they cost twice as much as Oyster or contactless.

Seeing this thread made me realize how woefully unprepared I am for our trip next week, so I'm hoping for some advice on tube travel.

Looking at the TFL website, I'm slightly confused by the Oyster card. I see that it's a pre-loaded card that is debited at each use, and I assume the advantage is that the fares are discounted versus paying in cash. Since I didn't plan ahead and order visitor Oyster cards, we'd have to purchase regular Oyster cards when we arrive.

We will be spending two days in London, and I expect limiting our sightseeing to Zones 1 and 2. I know for certain we'll be going to the Tower of London, and if we are to be there when it opens at 9 AM, at least for that trip we'll be travelling during on-peak hours. If I'm looking at the daily travel card pricing correctly, we'd pay 12.30 GBP per card per day.

Regarding the Oyster cards--am I understanding correctly that the card debits up to 6.60 GBP per day, and after that, rides for that are free? Seems like the Oyster card would be a no-brainer compared to a travel card, which is why I'm sure I must be missing something :)

Seeing this thread made me realize how woefully unprepared I am for our trip next week, so I'm hoping for some advice on tube travel.

 

Looking at the TFL website, I'm slightly confused by the Oyster card. I see that it's a pre-loaded card that is debited at each use, and I assume the advantage is that the fares are discounted versus paying in cash. Since I didn't plan ahead and order visitor Oyster cards, we'd have to purchase regular Oyster cards when we arrive.

 

We will be spending two days in London, and I expect limiting our sightseeing to Zones 1 and 2. I know for certain we'll be going to the Tower of London, and if we are to be there when it opens at 9 AM, at least for that trip we'll be travelling during on-peak hours. If I'm looking at the daily travel card pricing correctly, we'd pay 12.30 GBP per card per day.

 

Regarding the Oyster cards--am I understanding correctly that the card debits up to 6.60 GBP per day, and after that, rides for that are free? Seems like the Oyster card would be a no-brainer compared to a travel card, which is why I'm sure I must be missing something :)

You are correct. Oyster cap is cheaper than travelcard, especially when you need a peak time journey.

I think you will find that Oyster Cards are £5.00 plus the amount of cash you load onto it. They can be purchased at places like airports and are a convenient way of paying for fares in London, bus and underground. Contactless credit cards are easier for people who already have them but there is no capping of the fares with them so if you do a lot of travel on each day they are not good for you. Bus fares are flat rate per trip but underground fares vary. You cannot pay in cash on London buses!

Regards John

That's not the case, contactless is capped as well.

That's not the case, contactless is capped as well.

Yes, you are correct Hattie. If you have more than one bank card you must use the same bank card for tapping in and out and all day to achieve one capped charge. Overseas cards may attract foreign transaction charges, so to be safe I suggest non UK people obtain Oyster Cards. Certain cards are unacceptable such as Diners.

Regards John

That's not the case, contactless is capped as well.

Indeed. In fact, contactless has an advantage over Oyster in that a weekly cap at the 7 Day Travelcard rate also applies (but only Monday-Sunday), although you can, of course, buy a 7 Day Travelcard on an Oyster.

Daily capping on Oyster or contactless will be cheaper than a Day Travelcard.

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I think you will find that Oyster Cards are £5.00 plus the amount of cash you load onto it.

 

Regards John

The £5 is a deposit and will be refunded if the Oyster is returned.

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Yes, you are correct Hattie. If you have more than one bank card you must use the same bank card for tapping in and out and all day to achieve one capped charge. Overseas cards may attract foreign transaction charges, so to be safe I suggest non UK people obtain Oyster Cards. Certain cards are unacceptable such as Diners.

 

Regards John

So how does it work out with Apple Pay?

So how does it work out with Apple Pay?

Exactly the same as a contactless card.

Exactly the same as a contactless card.

Sounds good.

Oyster worked well over 3 days for us. Bought them at the airport and have them in a drawer for the next trip. Figured out my costs so that I only left a few pence on the card.

Question for those who have used Apple Pay in the past -- can you use it while your phone/device is in airplane mode? Or do you need to be connected to data for it to work properly? We were not planning on using cell phones while abroad (international plans can get expensive!), but I have never attempted a payment while in airplane mode.

Yes, you are correct Hattie. If you have more than one bank card you must use the same bank card for tapping in and out and all day to achieve one capped charge. Overseas cards may attract foreign transaction charges, so to be safe I suggest non UK people obtain Oyster Cards. Certain cards are unacceptable such as Diners.

 

Regards John

We don't have contactless cards, so we're limited to travel cards or Oyster cards. Sounds like Oyster will be the way to go--thank you all for the input!

Question for those who have used Apple Pay in the past -- can you use it while your phone/device is in airplane mode? Or do you need to be connected to data for it to work properly? We were not planning on using cell phones while abroad (international plans can get expensive!), but I have never attempted a payment while in airplane mode.

Yes, it's fine. Think of your phone as just replacing a card, which doesn't have any sort of connection.

Your phone will need charge to last throughout all your journeys for the day, of course, which is why I don't use mine! But less of a problem in airplane mode.

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Question for those who have used Apple Pay in the past -- can you use it while your phone/device is in airplane mode? Or do you need to be connected to data for it to work properly? We were not planning on using cell phones while abroad (international plans can get expensive!), but I have never attempted a payment while in airplane mode.

Apple Pay does not require an internet connection. It will work in airplane mode. The iPhone has an NFC chip for payments, the same chip that is in contactless cards. Someone here on Cruise Critic pointed that out a few months ago. I tested it in airplane mode at Whole Foods. It worked.

Apple Pay does not require an internet connection. It will work in airplane mode.

I've read on other sites that only Apple Pay UK will work on London transit. Has this changed? Can I use Apple Pay on my U.S. phone and linked to a U.S. credit card?

I've read on other sites that only Apple Pay UK will work on London transit. Has this changed? Can I use Apple Pay on my U.S. phone and linked to a U.S. credit card?

My googling of various forums indicates that linked US AMEX and Visa cards have issues and don't work. That linked US MasterCards do work on London transit.

Take a look at the webpage below for a detailed discussion of this issue:

https://www.londontoolkit.com/briefing/travelcard.htm

If you have a contactless card use that.

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While the website said that Amex contactless would work, it did not when we were in London in May. Had ordered the contactless card and set it up on the website. Used the card contactless before leaving home. Since we were only taking one tube trip on our last day in London, we bought a paper ticket.

We received great assistance from a worker at the tube station.

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Will Android pay work?

Will Android pay work?

Here you go....

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/contactless/other-methods-of-contactless-payment/android-pay

Google....:rolleyes::rolleyes: