London trains with kids

[missg00se]

Can any Londoners help me out? I'm travelling with my daughter (7) to London next month. Perfectly happy with tube, DLR, overground etc but we are staying in Clapham Junction so suspect we'll be wanting to get trains to and from Waterloo.

Can anyone advise what the deal is with kids tickets on those trains? I've looked online but it all sounds a bit vague. Some sites say "see train operator" but im not sure who that is and I'm sure I saw one map that said within certain zones it's like the tube (i.e. she can travel for free if she's with me and shouldn't need an oyster or anything to tap on herself). Is that right?

Strictly speaking your 7yo does need a zip card to travel for free between Clapham Junction and Waterloo (train operator is Southwestern Railway - a blue line on the map at this link):

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/free-and-discounted-travel/5-10-zip-oyster-photocard

In practice you’d probably get away with going through the wide gate together but it depends if there are any strict ticket people on the gateline. So if you have time it might be worth getting the card.

You have to have a zip oyster for DC to travel free on that route. If you visit london a lot it might be worth getting one. That said, CJ is my closest station and my DD is 6 and I know loads of people with kids around the same that haven’t bothered with the zip and just walk DC through the wide gate.

You don't need tickets for Clapham Junction to Waterloo - you can use contactless or Oyster and honestly just go through the wide gate together.

This is the page I was looking for that I couldn’t find my way back to, thanks!

It actually looks from this page that those train routes are a scenario where you don’t need the card. But she’s a tall one, so I might play it safe and just get the card anyway. And then she has it for the next few years.

South west trains you need a child ticket. The n the underground your 7yo is free, through wide gate

I live at CJ and have a 9yo, they have a zip
card but never uses it. Even the staff tells
us to go through the wide gate.

Actually, from https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/free-and-discounted-travel/5-10-zip-oyster-photocard#on-this-page-3

When you don't need a 5-10 Zip Oyster photocard
Up to four children under 11 travel free with a fare-paying adult.
Your child doesn't need a photocard to:

• Travel free on buses and trams (unless they look older than 10)
• Buy child-rate paper tickets (unless they look older than 10)
• Travel accompanied by an adult on these National Rail services