On 16 Mar 2006 12:48:25 -0800, "MIG"
wrote:

Dave Arquati wrote:
LT wrote:
I'm trying to pre-buy an oyster card before coming to London from the
states. The oystercard.com web site won't let me use my phone number.. Can
I just wait until I'm there and buy one at Heathrow?


You should also think about which of zones you need on your ticket -
Heathrow is in the outermost zone (zone 6) but most attractions are in
the two most central zones (1 & 2). A ticket for just the central zones
is about half the price of a ticket for all zones.

So, if you're arriving at Heathrow, then travelling mostly around in the
centre and then heading back out to Heathrow, the best idea is to get an
Oyster loaded with a 7-day ticket for Zones 1 & 2 (£22.20), and some
prepay to cover the trips out to/from the airport and the other 3 days
(about £17 should cover it, assuming you travel after the morning rush,
0930 onwards).


Good points, but can you put prepay and travelcard on the card at the
same time? If you touched in at Heathrow and touched out at Leicester
Square, would it assume you were using prepay or using the travelcard
when you touched out?

Yes you can add both at the same time. It is actually a sensible thing
to do as it prevents your card instantly going in negative value if you
ride outside your zonal validity and the gate deducts the value of the
extension fare. If your card goes negative then as I understand matters
you could not re-enter the system outside of your zonal validity without
topping up again - not that Ask Oyster or the Oyster guide even refers
to this issue (!)

In the example above the gate at Leicester Square would deduct the Z3-6
fare from your Pre-Pay and recognise the Travelcard element of your card
for Zones 1-6. This is for Tube (or DLR) travel of course. Your
Travelcard validity would give you the use of buses all over London at
no extra charge against your pre-pay balance.

--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!