Oyster card question

Pez · 19 Mar 2007 at 10:09

I visit London at least once a month, and am considering grabbing an Oyster today.

What I cant work out though, is the fares! :confused:

For instance, a Z1 day ticket will cost in the region of £3.50, and will allow me to use tube stops within the zone all day, as many times as I like.

But from what I can see, each trip within Z1 with Oyster will cost me in the area of £1.50!

Can anyone explain for me?

Justintime · 19 Mar 2007 at 10:11

Well my zone 3 and 4 weekly ticket costs 15 quid, i use a bus and tube sometimes twice daily depending if i get a lift back, so the money saved is tremendous and sometimes in one day alone i'd use 3 buses and one tube, thats like 8 quid there already. So the savings you see do happen with Oyster cards.

Adam · 19 Mar 2007 at 10:13

I believe it recognises you have been travelling within the zone and automatically charges you for a travel card if it works ou better value than x amount of individual trips.

Pez · 19 Mar 2007 at 10:15

Adam said:
I believe it recognises you have been travelling within the zone and automatically charges you for a travel card if it works ou better value than x amount of individual trips.

This is what I thought the case was.

For instance, if I travel 8 trips, all within Z1.. but then hop to say Z3... I get charged, for a Z1 day pass, and a one off fare for the Z3 trip?

gjrc · 19 Mar 2007 at 10:16

are you travelling on or off peak?

Pez · 19 Mar 2007 at 10:21

gjrc said:
are you travelling on or off peak?

Mostly off-peak.

So from what I make of it, if I travel in Z1 Offpeak, I'd get charged £4.60 for the pass. If I then, on the same day go to a Z2 location, I would no longer be charged for a Z1 pass, but a Z2 daypass?

fini · 19 Mar 2007 at 10:22

Oyster will always work out at the cheapest possible cost.

Just register it and then dump £50 or so on it and then you don't have to worry about it for a while - credit does not expire.

fini

gjrc · 19 Mar 2007 at 10:24

fini said:
Oyster will always work out at the cheapest possible cost.

Just register it and then dump £50 or so on it and then you don't have to worry about it for a while - credit does not expire.

fini

yeah i agree, get a pay as you go as it does not expire then use it whenever you like. its bound to work out cheaper, especially if you stray into peak times.

Megz2007 · 19 Mar 2007 at 10:53

I hate oyster cards, they are crap. One day it took £15 out of my card, I called them up and demanded my money back. I hate the faulty card.

daveyj27 · 19 Mar 2007 at 11:10

Megz2007 said:
I hate oyster cards, they are crap.

I find them to be pretty convenient and easy to use. Never had a problem with mine.

Visage · 19 Mar 2007 at 11:12

Pez said:
I visit London at least once a month, and am considering grabbing an Oyster today.

What I cant work out though, is the fares!

For instance, a Z1 day ticket will cost in the region of £3.50, and will allow me to use tube stops within the zone all day, as many times as I like.

But from what I can see, each trip within Z1 with Oyster will cost me in the area of £1.50!

Can anyone explain for me?

Individual trips are 1.50, but the total charge for a day is apped at whatever the cost of a one-day travelcard is.

So if a zone one travel card is 3.50, and you only m,ake trips within zone one, then the total charge if you make 1 trip would be 1.50. Two trips would cost 3 pounds, 3 trips and over would cost 3.50.

In short, the oyster system will work out what your cheapest option is for the journeys you've made and charge you appropriately.