London tube travel with children

[MsWalterMitty]

Hi, I’m off to London in February half term with the kids.

I was going to just use contactless on the tube, but how do I pay for my kids? They’re aged 8 and 12.

I’ve looked at the Oyster kids cards but the administration fee is £10 for each child, soo £20! Is only 2 days so I don’t think I’ll make that back.

Do I just have to purchases adult fare and swipe my contactless 3 times to get us all through?

I don’t think kids pay on the tube - when I take my kids we just go through the wider one for luggage - I swipe once & we all walk through together. Hope that makes sense?

Only your 12 year old will need to pay. The 8 year old can walk through the gate with you. Do you have more than one contactless credit/debit card? If so, the 12 year old can use one and you can use the other one with your 8 year old.

As long as they are accompanied you don't need an Oyster card.
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https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/free-and-discounted-travel/5-10-zip-oyster-photocard?intcmp=55572

Only the 12 yo needs to pay on the Tube, and both are free on buses.

Do not swipe one card multiple times. It doesn't work when you tap out, and you'll be charged max daily fare for one person and your 12yo will be ticketless.

How long are you here for? If it's a day trip, then I'd buy child one-day travelmcard.

Or if longer you could get a regular Oyster and call into a TfL office to get the 'young visitor' discount applied. I think that's only £5, and gets DC the child fare on PAYG

You can't swipe the same card twice for the same journey. But you can use it twice if you have, for example, Google Pay on your phone linked to that card, it sees that as a different source.

(Or if you have 2 cards you can use them).

8YO is free. Take them through the big gate with you.

For the 12YO buy a visitor oyster, visit a ticket office and ask them to apply the young visitor discount which gives half price fares. At the end of your trip you can get any remaining credit on the card refunded. You don’t get the £5 for the card back but I would still reckon it’s worth doing because the 50% child discount will save you more than that.

Handy info here:
tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/visiting-london/visitor-oyster-card#on-this-page-7

[quote Pashazade]As long as they are accompanied you don't need an Oyster card.
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[[https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/free-and-discounted-travel/5-10-zip-oyster-photocard?intcmp=55572]][/quote]
That's 5-10 yos

The 12 yo needs to pay child fare

Just walk through gate with them both. No one will stop you

And here:
tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/visiting-london/getting-around-london/best-ways-for-visitors-to-pay?intcmp=27718#on-this-page-3

The 12 year old does need to pay and she can’t guarantee she won’t be stopped (I was stopped before with my 10 year old as she looks older) so yes you can be stopped, can also be stopped on the bus as over 10s need an oyster, they get on for free but only with a valid oyster and drivers do refuse children that don’t have one (I live near a secondary school and see drivers refusing children without oysters all the time)

@RedCandyApple

The 12 year old does need to pay and she can’t guarantee she won’t be stopped (I was stopped before with my 10 year old as she looks older) so yes you can be stopped, can also be stopped on the bus as over 10s need an oyster, they get on for free but only with a valid oyster and drivers do refuse children that don’t have one (I live near a secondary school and see drivers refusing children without oysters all the time)

If you look at the Oyster link above, it's clear that it's unaccompanied children who need Oysters, so kids coming home from school is different to the OP visiting with her DC.

Oh, hang on, that is for 5-10 year olds, sorry!

If you look at the Oyster link above, it's clear that it's unaccompanied children who need Oysters, so kids coming home from school is different to the OP visiting with her DC.

And if you read my post I was stopping going through the gates with my children at a station.

@buzzing

I don’t think kids pay on the tube - when I take my kids we just go through the wider one for luggage - I swipe once & we all walk through together. Hope that makes sense?

Yes it does! And thank you!

@mynameiscalypso

Only your 12 year old will need to pay. The 8 year old can walk through the gate with you. Do you have more than one contactless credit/debit card? If so, the 12 year old can use one and you can use the other one with your 8 year old.

Yes… I can trust him with my credit card, i think! 🤣

[quote Pashazade]As long as they are accompanied you don't need an Oyster card.
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[[https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/free-and-discounted-travel/5-10-zip-oyster-photocard?intcmp=55572]][/quote]
Brill! Thanks!

@runningoutofnewnames

You can't swipe the same card twice for the same journey. But you can use it twice if you have, for example, Google Pay on your phone linked to that card, it sees that as a different source.

(Or if you have 2 cards you can use them).

Yeah, I get it thanks. I have Apple Pay

if your 12 year use your credit card he will get charged an adult fare so would be easier buying a one day travel card for children would be cheaper usually half the price

Last time I went I purchased child paper tickets and swipped my debit card for me. The staff are really helpful, and one could see I was obviously scratching my head so talked me through it all.

Thank you all. I’ll get him an Oyster card when we’re there.

Does the free and discounted travel work for the river taxis too?

Your 12 year old will need to pay- but it'll be a discounted rate- so worth getting them an Oyster card.

Just grab a member of staff and they will sort it out for you- they are so unbelievably helpful.

You might have to pay for the Oyster card- but then your child keeps it and just tops it up every time you visit.

Your younger child you either hug to your chest and go through the normal barriers together, or go to the end one which is for pushchairs and wheelchairs.

Honestly- it's so easy- and the staff really are great- they really will help with anything...

@onedayiwillbehappy

if your 12 year use your credit card he will get charged an adult fare so would be easier buying a one day travel card for children would be cheaper usually half the price

Thanks. I don’t want to offer one online as i don’t think it will arrive in time. I’ll chat to the staff when I’m there.

Tube worker here. A little additional information. If you bring the 12 year olds birth cert to a tube station (or similar ID), buy an Oyster card (£5 fee) from a Ticket Machine. Then ask a member of staff to add a Child Rate Visitor OysterCcard Discount to it which they will do using the Ticket Office Machine. It's useful if staying 2+ days, the child travels at 50% of the adult fare and the discount last up to 2 weeks. Once the discount expires you can use it as an Adult rate Oyster Card or ask to apply the discount the next time you visit London. The 50% discount is value up to the say before the child's 16th birthday. If you refund the Oyster Card, you only get the balance back (deposits were scrapped a while ago).

@SpikeySmooth

Tube worker here. A little additional information. If you bring the 12 year olds birth cert to a tube station (or similar ID), buy an Oyster card (£5 fee) from a Ticket Machine. Then ask a member of staff to add a Child Rate Visitor OysterCcard Discount to it which they will do using the Ticket Office Machine. It's useful if staying 2+ days, the child travels at 50% of the adult fare and the discount last up to 2 weeks. Once the discount expires you can use it as an Adult rate Oyster Card or ask to apply the discount the next time you visit London. The 50% discount is value up to the say before the child's 16th birthday. If you refund the Oyster Card, you only get the balance back (deposits were scrapped a while ago).

Fab!! Thank you 😀