When Don't Oyster Cards make sense?

[onthelake]

We are leaving in a few days for a TA and I plan on buying Oyster cards in London for 4 adults and putting 20£ on each as we will only be there 3 days. Does this sound reasonable? Is there a better choice? We will have plenty of time when flying out to turn in the cards for the deposit and we don't have a set sightseeing plan - just want to roam at will. We are staying between Paddington and Lancaster Gate stations.

[Twickenham]

I think Oyster cards make perfect sense for your situation.

[p_mori7]

Oyster cards are GREAT !

 

Easy to buy, easy to use !

 

:)

[J-D]

Oyster cards are GREAT !

 

Easy to buy, easy to use !

 

:)

 

Right, and much more flexible than short-term passes that are limited to certain [centre-city] zones.

 

John

[whogo]

One day travelcards purchased from a National Rail station allow you to get 2 for 1 admissions with Days Out offers at a number of attractions. http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-london

 

£15.50 HMS Belfast

£14.50 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

£13.50 Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre Tour & Exhibition

£18.75 Hampton Court Palace

£17.00 Churchill War Rooms

Many more offers.

Edited May 5, 2014 by whogo

[QueScaisJe]

Q: When don't Oyster cards make sense?

A: When there's a transport strike ongoing. (Only slightly cheekily :( )

[itsanita]

I just when in and looked up what an 'Oyster' card was.... It looks too perfect to be true.

We are planning 3 days in London...and it covers all transportation and entrance fees.

 

When would it NOT be a great option? Is there something I'm not seeing? Is there a down side to this? (and if there is a transport strike, having that card would be the least of our worries!! LOL).

[Globaliser]

When would it NOT be a great option? Is there something I'm not seeing? Is there a down side to this?

The only real downside is missing out on the 2-for-1 offers already mentioned. But you may think that the hassle of buying a qualifying paper one-day Travelcard from one of the relatively few places in London that sell these is more hassle than the discount is worth. If you're not staying right next to such a station, you're going to have to pay to get to the station anyway. Plus, do you really want to be spending an hour of each day to do this to get the discounts? Some real thinking is needed by anyone who's seriously contemplating doing this.

 

Otherwise, the times when an Oyster is not a good option are really esoteric. Have a look at this page on a really good specialist site: When not to use Oyster.

[whogo]

The only real downside is missing out on the 2-for-1 offers already mentioned. But you may think that the hassle of buying a qualifying paper one-day Travelcard from one of the relatively few places in London that sell these is more hassle than the discount is worth. If you're not staying right next to such a station, you're going to have to pay to get to the station anyway. Plus, do you really want to be spending an hour of each day to do this to get the discounts? Some real thinking is needed by anyone who's seriously contemplating doing this.

 

Otherwise, the times when an Oyster is not a good option are really esoteric. Have a look at this page on a really good specialist site: When not to use Oyster.

No, you don't want to spend precious London time fiddling about with tickets. The Days Out 2 for 1 discounts are even more attractive with four adults involved and one person should be able to buy one day Travelcards at a rail station for all three days at once.

 

That said, there are more free attractions in London than you can shake a stick at. You can have a great three day visit without paying any admission fees. The British Museum, National Gallery, RAF Museum in Hendon, the British Library, Sir John Soane's Museum, National Portrait Gallery, Wallace Collection, Victoria Albert Museum and much more are all free to enter.

[Renmar]

I just when in and looked up what an 'Oyster' card was.... It looks too perfect to be true.

We are planning 3 days in London...and it covers all transportation and entrance fees.

 

When would it NOT be a great option? Is there something I'm not seeing? Is there a down side to this? (and if there is a transport strike, having that card would be the least of our worries!! LOL).

 

I think you are talking about the "Travel card" and not the Oyster Card.

The Oyster card only covers the travel on London's public transportation system.

 

Theo