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Original poster

London Bound - Tube info?

26 replies

Usernameismyname01 · 15/10/2019 14:52

I'm off to London for a couple of days later this week with my DS. We're travelling to Euston by train - just wondering how i go about paying for the tube? We will be sightseeing and shopping and so will be moving around on the tube but wondered if there is a day pass (so to speak) which we could buy or do we buy per ride.

I have two oyster cards but unsure what or how to use

thanks

OP posts:
HappyHammy · 15/10/2019 14:59

What sort of oyster card do you have . You top them up at any ticket machine, you tap them on the yellow circle, I always allow 20 pounds a day. when you get to the tube barrier you tap the card in and then out again at the end of your journey, the same with the buses. If you dont want to use oyster then you tap your contactless card in and out. If you Google TFL London it tells you the different travel and ticket options. Also look at the kids section as travel is free or discounted depending on his age.

youngestisapsycho · 15/10/2019 15:00

You can use a contactless debit/credit card for yourself... how old is DS? If under 10, just take him through with you on the undergound... the larger gates for luggage/pushchairs. He will be free on the bus.

Xiaoxiong · 15/10/2019 15:02

Don't bother with loading up an Oyster card, just tap in and out with your contactless card or on your phone if you have it set up. Same for buses.

TresDesolee · 15/10/2019 15:02

The easiest thing is to use a contactless debit card, if you have one, for you - you can use it like an oyster and it maxes out your spend at a certain point so that you effectively buy a day pass (if that makes sense - basically it doesn’t let you spend more than 8.20 across a whole day if you stick within zones 1 & 3 (tenner if you include a journey into zone 4)

You won’t be able to use that for DS too though so you’ll need to top up an Oyster card for him (unless he has his own contactless card he can use). You can top them up at Euston underground station before you go through the barriers.

Buses in London don’t take any cash at all anymore just FYI and I’m not sure whether you can buy tube tickets with cash any more either

Have fun!

georgialondon · 15/10/2019 15:03

Definitely just use a contactless debit card.

It price caps at the cost of a daily travel card so it's just as cheap.

JoJoSM2 · 15/10/2019 15:03

The TfL website will have the details.

These days, all you need is your debit/credit card and you can touch in and out with that. It gets capped at a certain amount (£12-13 for me travelling in zones 1-5). I think children under 10 travel for free.

Ohyesiam · 15/10/2019 15:04

I don’t know about allowing £20 a day, with my oyster it automatically starts to treat it as a Travelcard when I’ve done enough journeys.
So if I do more than say 3or 4 journeys in a day( up to the amount I’d spend on a travelcard) it doesn’t charge me any more that day. Just make sure you tap out at the end of every journey, as some bits of DLR for eg don’t have barriers.

Reallybadidea · 15/10/2019 15:06

If your ds is under 16 then it's worth getting a young person's oyster card because the fares are much cheaper. You need to do this in advance by post iirc.

Otherwise just use contactless cards to tap in and out. Or if you have Google pay or apple pay on your phone then you can tap your phone. Prices are capped at around a tenner a day for zones 1-4 and much cheaper than a travelcard.

Reallybadidea · 15/10/2019 15:09

Also, don't discount using the buses. If you use Google maps then it will tell you whether tube or bus is quicker and exactly which bus to get, from which stop and when to get off. It's really easy. You just tap in and out same as the tube and it's counted within the daily cap.

Original poster
Usernameismyname01 · 15/10/2019 15:10

Thank you so much. Think we'll stick with debit cards then (he had his own)

Also thinking of going Covent gardens - is there anything I should know/where to go etc?

OP posts:
puppyconfetti · 15/10/2019 15:11

You can get a discount applied to a regular oyster for your DS if you need to. How old is he? No need to do in advance, just speak to one of the staff in the station.

If you use contactless make sure you use the same card every time otherwise you won't get the daily cap applied. Someone said above they allow £20 a day, the max daily cap is less than that fro travel as far as zone 9.

If you don't have contactless you can top up your oyster at a machine and get any remaining refunded, plus a fiver for the card, when you are leaving London.

puppyconfetti · 15/10/2019 15:13

How old is he?

He doesn't want to go using debit card if he is eligible for a discount, better to top up and oyster and have the discount applied.

TresDesolee · 15/10/2019 15:15

If you’re going to Covent Garden on the weekend, it’s less manic to go to Leicester Square or Tottenham Court Rd and walk to Covent Garden from there - CG tube only has lifts (no escalators) and it’s rammed at busy times. Have a look at the streets around Seven Dials (Monmouth St etc), there are some great independent shops and vintage clothes shops if you or DS are into that kind of thing. Again google maps can show you the walking routes - Leicester Sq is only a five minute walk from Covent Garden

lalafafa · 15/10/2019 15:18

Covent Garden is lovely, get off at Leicester Square, CG tube is a pain as you have to go up in s lift or 100+ steps. 5 min walk from LS.
Walk from CG to China Town the Leicester Sq, it’s lively when it’s dark, there’s the Lego store and M&N store too. Good for people watching.

Reallybadidea · 15/10/2019 15:18

If you want to go and see a show while you're there, the tkts booth at Leicester Square has late availability tickets, often for 50% or more off. I can particularly recommend The play that goes wrong or The Comedy about a bank robbery.

lalafafa · 15/10/2019 15:19

Pop here for food
www.sevendialsmarket.com/vendor/banana-warehouse/

youwouldthink · 15/10/2019 15:19

If he's a child don't use the contactless as will charge as an adult. Just buy the travel card for £6 after 9.30 And it works on tubes and buses for the whole day

lalafafa · 15/10/2019 15:20

Kings X , just down the Rd from Euston station is great too, loads going on
www.kingscross.co.uk/

Original poster
Usernameismyname01 · 15/10/2019 15:23

Son is 17 so unfortunately can't claim for him being a boy (apart from in my eyes ) Grin

OP posts:
ClaudiaSchiffersUglySister · 15/10/2019 15:24

You don’t have to tap when you get off a bus do you? I never have.

Reallybadidea · 15/10/2019 15:25

You don’t have to tap when you get off a bus do you? I never have.

No, sorry I mistyped. Watching Netflix at the same time 🤦‍♀️

Comefromaway · 15/10/2019 15:29

Agree with the advice to use contactless cards (one for you, one for ds) and on the tube exit at Leicester Square then walk to Covent Garden. If you like book shops or music shops get off at Tottenham Court Road and walk up Charing Cross Road.

HappyHammy · 15/10/2019 15:36

if you look at Groupon there are discounts on things to do, also look at London 2For1 where you get discounts with your train ticket. We saw the Bond in Motion exhibition in Covent Garden which was really worth it, paid half price through Groupon.