Calling Londoners...kids travelling on London Underground...

[Maz]

Hi

I'm going to London for a couple of days and plan on using the Underground, usual tourist places, etc, so want to buy 'all day (all-zone?) travel tickets', whatever their official name is.

My kids are 5, 12 & 15. Do they all travel for free? Do they needs (free) tickets?

What's the crack with Oyster cards? Are they just for London local people?

It all seems a bit confusing, so I thought I'd ask you Londoners out there.
Thanks.

 

[Black Sheep]

I'm not a londoner but, my understanding of an oyster is that it works like a pre-pay credit card for london transport

don't forget to swipe it when you get both on AND OFF trains etc or you'll be charged for the full distance the train goes.

 

[XmisterIS]

I think they go free so long as they hang onto the outside of the train, like they might do in India.

 

[ianrauk]

Only under 5's travel free on the transport system

 

[ianrauk]

Anyone can get Oyster cards.
You can order them online before you come down to London or buy them from stations and newsagents when you are down here.
Make sure you do get them as they are far cheaper then cash journey.

They can be topped up at any station.

Here you go

 

[Maz]

That Oyster looks like a complete pain if you're only in London for a day or 2.
Photocards for the kids? They're having a laugh.

 

[swee'pea99]

The main pain for a brief visitor is there's a one-off £10 admin charge to get an oyster card. After that it's free, mostly, up to I think 16. But otherwise you have to pay, eg, £2 for a tube journey. Depending on how much traveling you're planning on, you might just be better off biting the bullet and coughing up in cash.

 

[Maz]

Only under 5's travel free on the transport system

Apparently under-10s travel free on the Tube if they are accompanied by a paying adult.

Up to 10-years-old

Children aged 10 years and under can travel free at any time on buses and trams. They can also travel free on Tube, DLR and London Overground services at any time as long as they are accompanied by an adult with a valid ticket or if they are using a Visitor Oyster card

 

[MacB]

you might just be better off biting the bullet and coughing up in cash[/b].

very doubtful that one, Jane and I were caught out getting the tube from Camden to Waterloo, stung us for about £8-9 for two singles. We'd deliberately only bought train tickets, as opposed to day travel cards, as we were planning on taxis. We only hopped on the tube as we were right next to it and it made sense, as it happens a taxi wouldn't have cost much more and adding the travelcard option to our rail tickets would have been miniscule by comparison.

 

[Jezston]

There is? I thought you could get them from vending machines at stations for £3 including £3 credit? Or has that changed recently?

 

[Maz]

Yes, what a ball-ache. I'd need 5 oyster cards, so that's £50 I can kiss goodbye without even having made any journeys.
You just gotta love it!

 

[Fnaar]

Oyster: depends if you're going to make future use of it, I guess... I use mine about 2 or 3 tines a year, and just top it up when I go. I paid a tenner deposit on it about 2 yrs ago I think.

 

[subaqua]

Yes, what a ball-ache. I'd need 5 oyster cards, so that's £50 I can kiss goodbye without even having made any journeys.
You just gotta love it!

but once you have them you have them forever.

and when you don't want them you can return them and get the deposit back.

Ian got it slightly wrong about under 5s only, being free. under 10s travel free with an acompanying adult.

the cost of paper tickets on the tube is horrendous and woebetide if you go beyond your zone. thats a fine as well as the excess fare.

there is a £5 deposit on cards I beleive , bvut depending on how nioce the Tfl bod at the tube window is being you may well get one without a deposit.

 

[Maz]

but once you have them you have them forever.

and when you don't want them you can return them and get the deposit back.

Ian got it slightly wrong about under 5s only, being free. under 10s travel free with an acompanying adult.

the cost of paper tickets on the tube is horrendous and woebetide if you go beyond your zone. thats a fine as well as the excess fare.

there is a £5 deposit on cards I beleive , bvut depending on how nioce the Tfl bod at the tube window is being you may well get one without a deposit.

Thanks, that's a little more reassuring.
Maybe I will ask the TFL man if he can do me 5 Oysters without deposits ("Yes, I know about the refundable deposit, but I don't live in London, bla bla bla...")

 

[Red Light]

Its all neatly summarised here. But basically, under 10s are free travelling with an adult (they are free travelling alone but need an Oyster Photocard then). 11-15s can buy a child rate Travelcard for the day (£1.30 with an Oyster Photocard, £2 with a Network Railcard, £3 otherwise)

Also don't forget to look at GroupSave tickets for the train journey.