Travel in London

Nikumba · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:05

So me and the other half are going to London for 3 days shop, go to a show etc.

so will use the tube/bus mostly, but what is the best way to pay for it? Get an Oyster card or use contactless on our debit cards? something else?

Thanks

dl8860 · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:10

Contactless credit or debit card can't be beaten for your uses /thread

Tunney · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:11

Use contactless. It's the same price as an Oyster card and a lot less faff.

ahar · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:12

For three days just use contactless debit cards. As long as you use the same one all day the amount charged caps at the day travelcard price.

Try to travel outside the morning rush unless you really like snuggling up to strangers

Admiral Huddy · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:14

Tunney said:
Use contactless. It's the same price as an Oyster card and a lot less faff.

I still use my Oyster card.. I just don't like flashing my Debit Card everywhere which I once dropped and lost.. I'd prefer to keep it in my wallet knowing its safe.

Maccy · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:15

Admiral Huddy said:
I still use my Oyster card.. I just don't like flashing my Debit Card everywhere which I once dropped and lost.. I'd prefer to keep it in my wallet knowing its safe.

Don't lie, you hate public transport. Especially the tube

Orionaut · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:16

Contactless is great.

Hadnt been to London for years but had to make several trips recently.

However

Make sure that your card registers when you end your journey.

Surprisingly, at busy times, the gates can stay open and it is possible to leave the station without electronically terminating your journey.

If you do so you will be automatically charged the maximum fare.

tom_nieto · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:16

I couldn't tell you where my oyster card is these days. A contactless debit or credit card works just as well.

Admiral Huddy · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:21

Maccy said:
Don't lie, you hate public transport. Especially the tube

I do.. I avoid tubes at all costs.. but sometime you just 'ave to.

Kanpai · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:29

Contactless is the best option

Caged · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:34

Contactless is the way to go. Don't worry about buying travelcards or anything like that, just use it.

Nikumba · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:43

Cool thanks, will stick with contactless then

Efour · 7 Feb 2017 at 15:30

Yeah deffo check that you get a beep or green light on the way out of a barrier, even if it's open late at night, don't forget to tap the card.

TS7 · 7 Feb 2017 at 15:36

Do you get the same benefit with contactless as you do with Oyster in that the fare maxes out £9 (or whatever the exact figure is) per day?

Kol · 7 Feb 2017 at 15:46

TS7;30479849 said:
Do you get the same benefit with contactless as you do with Oyster in that the fare maxes out £9 (or whatever the exact figure is) per day?

Yes. TFL want people to move towards contactless. Paper tickets are a hassle to them, Oyster will eventually go too.

Contactless has all the benefits of Oyster including daily caps. Very rarely nowadays does a weekly/monthly travel card make sense unless you are hitting the cap 7 days out of 7.

Tone1979 · 7 Feb 2017 at 15:47

Contactless is honest too..

in the morning I used my card, in the evening I used apple pay which is associated with my card and it charged me more. Next day I got a refund.

Happy camper considering London travel is MENTALLY overpriced.

Kol · 7 Feb 2017 at 15:50

Indeed. Always tap in and tap out with the same card and you're right, they're surprisingly on the board. The amount of refunds I've had over the years when I'm certain I've paid the right amount is astounding. I do travel to several meetings a day so more frequently than most.

Caged · 7 Feb 2017 at 16:12

TfL are really good with refunds. I tapped out of national rail barriers with my Oyster card by mistake instead of my season ticket, which charged me the maximum possible fare. Emailed them to explain what I'd done, and they refunded it with no questions asked.

hughtrimble · 7 Feb 2017 at 16:30

Don't forget the hopper fares for buses - not used that myself yet, but worth remembering:

https://tfl.gov.uk/campaign/hopper-fare

Fourstar · 7 Feb 2017 at 16:40

Definitely use contactless.

Just remember if you have more that one contactless bank/id card in your wallet you'll have to take out the one you want to use and scan it separately. Otherwise you could get a "collision" where the reader can't scan anything or read different cards on different occasions.

Like Huddy it's the reason I still use an Oyster card. If I have to pull a card out of my wallet I'd much rather it not be a bank card.