On Sep 19, 12:38*pm, allantracy wrote:
I must confess I've never looked at Oyster cards before, having searched I
see there is a shop next to H&H that sells them. I presume I just ask for
them to be loaded with £x.xx of credit? Does it have to be in certain
increments as I won't be back in London in the foreseeable future. I could
buy enough for HAY-VIC, VIC-HAY & a Zone 1-2 card for the Saturday.

Speaking as an outsider, who rarely visits for more than a day, I have
yet to see the point (advantage) of having an Oyster card.

I just buy the appropriate Travelcard.

I just can't see what Oyster offers that a debit card can't do unless
you use it for single journeys.

I'm told single journeys are cheaper but have yet to find out by how
much.

Your thoughts reflect how I felt until I obtained one. And, for
single day trips to London you may be better of buying a day return to
zones 1thruN.

However, if you travel a lot within London it is very liberating. I
registered my Oyster on-line and added automatic top-up. Buses trips
seem expensive at GBP1.35/boarding. But the Overground and subway
journeys are reasonable.

Well reasonable by London standards. A monthly pass for the County of
Los Angeles is/was very inexpensive. Six years ago I used to buy one
each month for USD58.00 minus the USD30.00 subsidy from my employer.

Journeys outside zone one are particularly inexpensive. Oyster means
there is no lining up to buy tickets, and transitioning between modes
is a breeze.

Your thoughts reflect how I felt until I obtained one. And, for
single day trips to London you may be better of buying a day return to
zones 1thruN.

However, if you travel a lot within London it is very liberating. I
registered my Oyster on-line and added automatic top-up. Buses trips
seem expensive at GBP1.35/boarding. But the Overground and subway
journeys are reasonable.

Ditto! And you can use them on some local rail routes, for example to
Enfield, Chingford etc. I have no idea how you find out WHICH rail routes
though.

And one thing to watch out for, Network Rail often leave the barriers open,
inviting you to just walk though whilst forgetting to "swipe" your Oyster -
and then the ticket inspector does you for a penalty fair on the train!

Paul DS.

On Wed, 19 Sep 2012 13:27:46 +0100, "Paul D Smith"
wrote:

Your thoughts reflect how I felt until I obtained one. And, for
single day trips to London you may be better of buying a day return to
zones 1thruN.

However, if you travel a lot within London it is very liberating. I
registered my Oyster on-line and added automatic top-up. Buses trips
seem expensive at GBP1.35/boarding. But the Overground and subway
journeys are reasonable.

Ditto! And you can use them on some local rail routes, for example to
Enfield, Chingford etc. I have no idea how you find out WHICH rail routes
though.

As I pointed our upthread, it's amazing what you can find on the
interweb thingy; just use the single fare finder if in doubt:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/tickets/fa...t/default.aspx

On Sep 19, 1:27*pm, "Paul D Smith" wrote:
Your thoughts reflect how I felt until I obtained one. *And, for
single day trips to London you may be better of buying a day return to
zones 1thruN.

However, if you travel a lot within London it is very liberating. *I
registered my Oyster on-line and added automatic top-up. *Buses trips
seem expensive at GBP1.35/boarding. *But the Overground and subway
journeys are reasonable.

Ditto! *And you can use them on some local rail routes, for example to
Enfield, Chingford etc. *I have no idea how you find out WHICH rail routes
though.

And one thing to watch out for, Network Rail often leave the barriers open,
inviting you to just walk though whilst forgetting to "swipe" your Oyster -
and then the ticket inspector does you for a penalty fair on the train!

That one has not caught me yet. But, it would be very easy to walk
thru an open barrier. Touching in and out at TfL barriers is so
easy.

It would be rather excellent if Oyster could cover the old Network
SouthEast area. However, according to Captain Deltic DfT have other
ideas.

In message
, at
05:42:55 on Wed, 19 Sep 2012, 77002 remarked:
And one thing to watch out for, Network Rail often leave the barriers open,
inviting you to just walk though whilst forgetting to "swipe" your Oyster -
and then the ticket inspector does you for a penalty fair on the train!

That one has not caught me yet. But, it would be very easy to walk
thru an open barrier. Touching in and out at TfL barriers is so
easy.

Apart from various glitches in the daily-capping system, there are other
bear-traps for the unwary.

Don't, for example, arrive at a barriered London terminus and use your
Oyster to open the gate to the concourse (rather than using your paper
national rail ticket) because that will register as an "incomplete
journey" with a huge fine. The system assumes you failed to 'touch-in'
somewhere in the outer suburbs.
--
Roland Perry

And one thing to watch out for, Network Rail often leave the barriers open,
inviting you to just walk though whilst forgetting to "swipe" your Oyster -
and then the ticket inspector does you for a penalty fair on the train!


But, would you need to swipe if your Oyster card is loaded with a
Travelcard?

Would you need to swipe if you're just using a standard Travelcard
ticket?

In message
, at
05:53:31 on Wed, 19 Sep 2012, allantracy
remarked:
And one thing to watch out for, Network Rail often leave the barriers open,
inviting you to just walk though whilst forgetting to "swipe" your Oyster -
and then the ticket inspector does you for a penalty fair on the train!

But, would you need to swipe if your Oyster card is loaded with a
Travelcard?

You wouldn't, but occasional users are much more likely to be using PAYG
than a Travelcard.
--
Roland Perry

On Wed, 19 Sep 2012 13:34:14 +0100, Recliner wrote:

As I pointed our upthread, it's amazing what you can find on the
interweb thingy; just use the single fare finder if in doubt:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/tickets/fa...t/default.aspx

I never realised you could grab an Oyster at a newsagent, I've had frequent
work trips to Westminster but always walked from Hotel to the office.

So, have I got this right...? I get a PAYG Oyster at the newsagent next to
H&H & load it with £13 on Friday evening, I then travel to Victoria via
Ealing Broadway, touch off at Victoria £2.90 deducted.

On the Saturday I decide to go to the Eye so take a short hop to
Westminster or Waterloo on the Tube. After this I decide to go to The
Science Museum so nip to South Kensington on the tube. Having had my
Science fix I decide to take a look at Canary Wharf & nip there on the
Tube. When I get there I fancy a go on the DLR & take that to Tower Gateway
& take in the Bridge. I then realise I forgot to do the Aquarium after The
Eye, now all trained out I take the RV1 bus back to Waterloo. The Oyster
has a cap of a days travelcard for the zones visited so £7 deducted.

Sunday back to H&H £2.90 deducted, total cost £12.80 leaving 20p credit.Non
Oyster cost 2 x £5.30 singles + £7 Zone 1-2 Travelcard £17.60
Does I get that right? Or does an Oyster have to be bought in £10/£5
increments?

CD

"CD" wrote

Sunday back to H&H £2.90 deducted, total cost £12.80 leaving 20p credit.Non
Oyster cost 2 x £5.30 singles + £7 Zone 1-2 Travelcard £17.60
Does I get that right? Or does an Oyster have to be bought in £10/£5
increments?

You have to pay a GBP 5 deposit when you get an Oyster card, as well as the
credit you put on it. This stays on, as well as any unused credit, if you
keep the card for a further trip to London, though you can get the deposit
(and any unused credit) back if you hand your Oyster card in.

Peter

Would you need to swipe if you're just using a standard Travelcard
ticket?

If you have a magnetic Travelcard then you use it at gates where they
are working. Obviously you must show it on boarding a bus or present
it when requested if a DLR train captain or other revenue inspector
asks to see the ticket.


The point is that where, especially on NR stations, there is no
barrier or inspection it seems you need to remember to swipe an Oyster
card but not a Travelcard.

So, if there was a subsequent on-train inspection would the Oyster
card (with Travelcard) face a potential fraud offence, that would
never occur if you simply waved a traditional Travelcard.