I need a little advice about DD's move to London

[BlackAmericanoNoSugar]

I haven't lived in London for well over a decade and lots has changed so I may be asking a LOT of stupid questions, sorry.

First question, I'm trying to apply for a Zip 16+ Oyster photo card. I'm on the TfL page for it and the first thing is to use the "create an Oyster photo card account". I have to do it because DD is under 18. So I clicked the button but when I fill in the form it says that DD has to be over 18 to have a photo card account, so I think I've been directed to the wrong form. Am I going to end up having to do it in person?

There are no stupid questions and its a real pain to work out. I have been sorting this for my DC for years and I still get in a muddle. And I have lived in London for 30 odd years!

I think you need to set up and account in your name,on the main Oyster site - so you are the responsible and paying adult.

Once that is done you can apply for her Zip card (on the Zip card page). The two sites don't join up very well and you can go round in circles with login-ins etc - as I have done many times when my DC lose their cards.

Also you can, or rather she can, join her train railcard if she has one(16-17 or 16-25) to her Zip card and get discounts on the overground system (only, not the tube). Again this is complicated and I think you have to do it at a station in person (but not all stations are able to do it). I will check with my eldest to see how they did it if useful?

I really sympathise, it's maddening.

Also any discounts stop the minute she is 18 so be aware that unless she registers as a full time student in London she will be paying full price.

We had that problem. It was a flaming nightmare and I think we had to fudge the details in the end. Basically I think I pretended to be her, and we used her student digs address that she hadn't even moved into at that point.

According to the TfL website the discount runs until the 30th September after she turns 18, but she is in full-time education anyway (reason for the move) so it should be ok. She just needs the academy to sign the letter saying that she is studying there (well, I say "just", I imagine it's going to be another, newer pain in the neck).

I will set myself up as the account person, thanks.

Success, thanks for the advice. Hopefully they will post it out in the coming week.

I have another question on the same topic. I'm going to get her monthly zones 1-4 travel, sometimes she will be travelling out to Heathrow for flights, can I just put extra credit on the Zip card to cover that?

I think we have my DS’s zip card set up with a direct debit linked to our bank account, so if the amount of money drops below £20 it takes another £20 from our account. Then there is always enough to pay for wherever your Dd goes. The zip card will work out how much to charge behind the scenes. Also make sure she understands that if she already had a zone 1-4 travel card she only needs a “boundary fare” top up go get from the edge of zone 4 to Heathrow. She should not just buy a whole new ticket from central london to Heathrow.

Thanks @SummerInSun . So she can't just tap in and tap out at Heathrow? She needs to go to the ticket office/ticket machine and buy a boundary fare. It might not be an issue as the best airport for us is London City, but you can't always get the day or time that you need so she might end up using Heathrow or (horrors) Stanstead sometimes.

Just tap in and out. The software should work out the right charge in the background

Yes, @SummerInSun is correct - just add some pay as you go credit to the zip card as well as the season ticket, and whenever your DD needs to travel beyond her travel card zones she can just tap in and out at the beginning and end of the journey as usual and TfL will deduct the right extra amount from the credit.

And yes, setting up an auto top-up for that credit is handy, as then she’ll never run out.

Bear in mind that when you add any product, whether a season ticket or credit, you need to tap at an oyster card reader within a few days to activate it - if you don’t, then you get refunded and have to start again. So don’t be too organised and do that too far in advance!

I love your optimism @RockaLock , there is absolutely no danger of me being too organised, we are flying tomorrow morning so she will probably be paying adult prices with her debit card until the zip card comes through. Term doesn't start until 8th Sept, so we will mostly be shopping until then.