Oyster Card
 

Does the Oyster Card make sense for a 2-3 day trip to London? Normally I would get two one day travel cards for a two day visit. I'm intrigued with the Oyster having used a variation recently in HK - the Octopus Card. Just curious on some feedback, thanks.

Probably not. You could buy a pre-pay one, but you'd have to pay a UKP 3 "deposit", which is only refundable by cheque. This is half the cost of one of your 1 day travel cards.

2-4-1 on the London Eye with an Oyster Card

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/everyones-...ndex_flash.asp

When are you coming? From 2 January 2006, Oyster price capping will basically be set at 50p less than the equivalent Travelcard. So for a 3 day trip, you are guaranteed to save at least £1.50 by using an Oyster rather than buying Travelcards.

And if there are any days on which you will use less travel than the value of the Oyster price cap, you'd be saving even more money because you'd only be paying for the value of the actual travel rather than the full up-front cost of the Travelcard.

The Oyster is valid indefinitely, as is any credit left over on it. So if you're likely to come back to London for any more 2-3 day trips (or longer), then the one-off £3 deposit begins to pale into insignificance.

But much depends on how much of this applies to you.

I agree with Globaliser. If you're coming back in the future, the Oyster Card is a great thing as you need only charge it up or use the balance left on the card when ever you return. The price cap feature is an attractive benefit.

My wife and I visit London at least a couple of times each year ( coming over in just a few days actually ) and we use Oyster.

Thanks AlanR for the 2 for 1 venue info with Oyster. We actually see a few places where we can use it on our trip.

Can someone tell me how to check how much credit one has left on their Oyster Card. Can you do this at the self service kiosk or must you ask a cashier to read your card. I just want to get an idea of how much we've go left on our cards.

Barry

Can someone tell me how to check how much credit one has left on their Oyster Card. Can you do this at the self service kiosk or must you ask a cashier to read your card. I just want to get an idea of how much we've go left on our cards.

A simple question for a new FTer to answer!

You can just touch it onto one of the machines- or if you have registered you can ring or check online. :)

Welcome to FT EDIe

You can check your balance using a ticket machine, but it has to be one of the advanced ones (the ones accepting debit/credit cards and notes with a screen).
Of course you can also ask at the counter.
If your Oyster card has been registered I think you can check the balance online as well.

Totally worth it. My boyfriend laughed at me when I said we were going to get it when we were there for 3 days in March. It was great as it made it so much faster to get through turnstiles and such. Sometimes the 1-day travelcards would start to get bent, and the turnstiles would start to choke on them.

BillJ

Remember that from 2nd January 2006, tickets will become insanely expensive if you do not use an Oyster card. I'm not sure whether the details have been posted here before, but just in case, look here

Bottom line: Even for a day-trip, Oyster Cards are going to be definitely worthwhile from next year.

Besides, it really is so convenient that I'm surprised anyone is willing to bother with the hassle of paper tickets and loose change anymore. With the exception of 1-day travelcard which is still not available on Oyster (price-capping is not the same) which you need to get on a paper ticket, if you want to use the National Rail system.

Per the the very helpful info in this thread I dutifully acquired an Oyster Card and used it extensively during my stay last week. The lady who gave it to me and put value on it recommended I register it in case of loss. I brought the form home with me.. and discovered it can only be submitted in person?!

I figured I could do it online too but not dice. Of course, I live in the States.. can I even register it?

This site:

https://sales.oystercard.com/oyster/lul/entry.do

"I have an OysterCard but haven't used this site before"

BillJ

All that you need to do is follow the link that BillJ posts above and register your card. If you ever lose or misplace the card, simply notify them & the card is deactivated.

The only thing that we here in the States can not do, is to go on-line beforehand to charge up your Oyster Card. This is because your credit card will be rejected when your home address is matched to the address that you have registered with Oyster. Our American zip code does not fit into the UK addressing scheme on the web site and the transaction will be rejected. We can still charge up our card in person at a cashier window or by utilizing the kiosks located in each Underground station.

I live in the Philadelphia metro area & take public transit into the city a few days a week. The commuter line from NJ to Philly utilizes antiquated magnetic cards ( which often lose their charge, forcing you to call for help to get in or out of the line -- or hop the turnstyle when you're in a hurry ). The Philly city transit system uses different tickets, making transitions more difficult than they need be.

The NJ line has been proudly touting a "new" system for mid 2006 by the company that designs the London Underground ticketing system. I just hope that it really works as seamlessly as Oyster as it would be a welcome change compared to the Neolithic system we presently use.

Barry

Coolthx. I will give it a try.

Question
 

I know that 1-6 travelcards on Oyster can be used on the HEX this weekend (25-26 Feb) but being a relative newbie to Oyster how do I use my Oyster card if I don't have a 1-6 travelcard on it as I'm on pre-pay?

Off the top of my head, I think that you can use your pre-pay credit to buy a paper Z1-6 One Day Travelcard.