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UK travel

Welcome to our UK travel forum where you can get advice on everything from holidays to exotic destinations, to tips on London travel.

London Underground travel cards for teen visitors

3 replies

Soontobe60 · 26/07/2022 21:16

We are going to London and have a Family and Friends railcard. We have a young teen and a toddler with us. Can anyone advise whats the best way to get Underground tickets for 3 days for us all?

OP posts:
Discovereads · 26/07/2022 23:52

I’m not a Londoner but go there now and then.

Does your teen have their own debit card with chip? As in contactless? If so, you can all just use your contactless debit cards at the gates on the Tube. You tap in and out. The computer will then calculate and only charge you the cheapest fare with a daily maximum that is less than a day travel card.

The toddler will be free being under 11 so whoever is with them just go to the disabled/family gate. Even if opened by staff, still tap the reader to keep the charges correct.

www.toptiplondon.com/transport/tickets/contactless-cards

Timperleybell · 27/07/2022 10:24

There was a thread on this fairly recently. Im a bit out of date but this I think confirms it. If the teen is under 18 you're betting getting an Oyster card which can be set for child fares. Using contactless charges the adult fare as the system cant tell the difference. You need to decide whether the saving outweighs the inconvenience.

RedAngel19 · 28/07/2022 07:19

Toddler goes free. Just use the wide gate and have the toddler pass through with a paying adult.

Contactless is the easiest way to pay. Tap in and out with a contactless card or using your mobile phone if you have Google Pay or Apple Pay set up.

Your teen needs to pay. You can give them another contactless card to use (one of yours, just not the same one you're using to tap in and out) but they will be charged full fare.

Or you could get a Visitor Oyster Card (order online or some places outside UK - check the TFL website). Once you arrive, ask at a tube station kiosk to add the child discount to it for half price fares. The card costs £5. Credit never expires so you can save it for future trips to London. Or you can return it when you leave at a machine and get a refund including unused credit. Just don't preload with too much credit because over £10 unused credit means sending it off to process a refund which is a faff.

Query whether it's worth the hassle for 3 days. If you're only travelling within zones 1-2, the daily capped fare for adults is £7.70 I think. Think it's £9 for zones 1-3. Half that for your teen if they have the discount.

So you're saving around £10 - £13 over 3 days assuming you can be bothered to return and refund the Visitor Oyster Card.

Depends whether you think it's worth it. If you plan to return to London, it probably is as the card doesn't ever expire.

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