Talk to me like I’m 5 years old - how do we tap in / out / travel on the tube when there’s 4 of us?

[Pepperedpickles]

I lived in London for 27 years but haven’t been back for a very long time. We’re going to the theatre on Saturday- there’s 4 of us, me, dh, dd aged 22 and ds aged 13. We are coming into London Liverpool Street and then need to get to Victoria Station, the theatre is very close to here (Apollo). So what’s the best way to do this? The last time I used the tube some years ago I just got everyone travel cards but I’ve read how you now tap in and out with your debit card? How do we do this when there’s 4 of us? Is there a better way to do this? I’m worried we’re going to hold the line up or be charged incorrectly somehow.

Help. 😬🙈

But you can easily buy a paper child ticket from the ticket machines, no need to pay for a visitor Oyster zip (the Oyster for children or teen visitors).

Kids under 11 are free, just go to the wide gate and go through together. For older kids they either need a different card to the parent to tap with or buy a travel card.

I had no idea kids under 11 were free! It is hard as someone who hasn't regularly been in London since having kids to know these details you don't know as a teenager living in London!

We've paid every time (only visit about 2 or 3 times a year) so not a biggy but annoying.

Yes, you can either buy a train ticket that includes a London travel card (which covers unlimited train and bus travel in London transport zones), or just get a train ticket then pay for the underground (or buses) separately.

If you are only doing two single tube journeys it's probably cheaper to just pay for those journeys rather than get a travel card. Although as others have said, there is an automatic daily cap, so in some ways you don't really need a travelcard, as the system works out the cost so you never end up paying more than a travelcard even if you take multiple journeys on the same day (as long as you use the same debit /credit card to tap in and out of all the journeys).

If you are getting the train, just buy the tickets to victoria, your train tickets will work on the underground, sometimes thats cheaper.

You could just do what every other arsehole seems to do these days and wait for someone with a child/bag to go through the wide gate and barge through after them. (Not that I think you would ever do that OP but I’m bloody sick of it!)

Paper tickets are always more expensive than contactless though.
I actually don't know the child's fare for a paper ticket but if they are just doing two journeys (there and back) with contactless it's only going to be about a fiver though.

Absolutely will not work. Why do you think that? Not that I care where but for @Pepperedpickles to note as it's unhelpful

The TfL website is super helpful in ticket pricing and travel planning.

Each person has a card then you each go through with your own card?

everyone who is saying to pass the card/phone back - I don’t know if you have ever travelled in London but this does not work! The machines are not so thick they just let multiple people through on one card and the staff would probably notice too. Unfortunately they don’t do a family day travel pass which covers everywhere so yes, everyone needs their own cards or paper tickets. I helped a family of tourists to buy tickets from a machine a couple of weeks ago. There were two adults and two young children (primary age) - four paper day travel cards came to nearly £50. They were quite shocked but there was no other way of doing it (at least at the machine where we bought them). Everyone having their own cards or paper would be cheaper.

Before dd had a debit card I just bought her an Oyster card. Think it was probably an adult one. Iirc we needed a passport photo for a teen oyster card and we got so infrequently I couldn’t be bothered. This was over a decade ago so maybe that’s changed.

But guess my point is the price difference wasn’t worth fussing about for the odd visit So I would say adults use their debit cards. Get a day oyster for the 13yo. Or if you have a second debit card for a different bank account let them use that.

I would register the contactless cards on TfL. Then if you accidently forget to swipe somewhere it’s easy to get a refund.

Yes to advice you need separate cards or tickets. They do have ticket inspectors walking through trains and what they do is ask for your card on their reader to check it’s been tapped- they could see if you’ve used the same card 4 times.
Also just to note I think the under 11s being free are for TFL transport only which is fine in central London but they need a ticket if going out to any suburbs on national rail.

Op -one small point. Make sure you tap in and out on the tube with the same card and in the same way. Eg if your debit card is on your apple pay, you can't tap in with your phone and out with your actual card. The machines don't recognise them as the same. It will open the barriers but charge but fares as incomplete and charge a premium.

This might be a way of paying for one of your guests too. One uses your card on a phone to tap in and out and one uses the actual card

Tubes and trains you tap in and out (or when changing from the train to a tube or vice versa). Buses/trams are a set fare regardless of distance and you only tap in. You don't need to tap out.

Yes 11-15 year olds can get a child fare which is cheaper.

Thank you everyone, you’ve all been so helpful. I’m very nervous about it all, mainly because I am disabled (chronic autoimmune issues including lupus) so for me to even attempt a day out in London is a huge thing. I just hope my body behaves itself and we all have a nice time! 🤞🤞

Kids under 11 are free, go through the big gate with an adult who has tapped.
There's always lots of staff around and most are very helpful

Surely between you you have 4 debit and credit cards?

Sadly this isn't true, especially for a child. For example, a number of train routes routes will do an 'accompanied child' fare for around £2 (train plus travel card) with a paper ticket but a contactless would be much more. Eg St Albans into London, for example.

Also, again if you are travelling into London and want a train plus tube option, travelling as a group of 3 or more can get a discount which individuals tapping wouldn't.

Might not be relevant in the OP's scenario, but always check both.

@Holdonforsummer Why couldn't your tourist family use debit cards to tap in and out (cheaper than paper tickets, they can use their foreign cards), and if the children were primary age (under 11), they would have been free on London transport and not need a travelcard?

Agreed. Primary aged children will be free. Child tickets are really only relevant for 11-15 year olds. The adults just need a debit card each. The daily cap for zone 1 travel by debit card is £8.90. But a travel card is £16.60.

Did this recently. Person 1 used their debit card, Person 2 used a different debit card, Persons 3 & 4 each had an oyster card.

We actually went up today and asked a man at the station to help us with the ticket machine as the office was closed. He said the "to all London Terminals" would mean we could use the paper ticket in the tube and just switch to the return for the way back. Got to the main London station from our town and the barrier promptly swallowed the paper card, so we had to use the 2 debit cards on my phone as well as paying for all terminals. It does feel like it is hard to plan with kids 11-15 to travel if you don't live in London.

@Snootsnoot why on earth did he tell you that?
Completely the wrong information.
I'd complain about that if I were you.