Forget the horror stories of a single trip in London being £4 - only idiots pay that! The Oyster card is an absolute must if you want to save money in London.
In fact, it's the best £3 you can spend if you wish to save money in London!
And it gets better!
When you leave London, you can claim the £3 back - or just pass the card - and any balance - to a friend, or save it for your next visit.
Here's how it works:
You "buy" the card for £3 - you can buy it from any tube station, from machines or from any of over 2,200 Oyster Ticket Shops. Some airlines also sell them on your flight to London!
Each card carries a unique number in a hidden chip.
So, whether you're arriving at Heathrow or Kings Cross - or anywhere in London - your first stop is to buy a card.
You then add money to it at one of the machines or at the ticket office of any tube station - you can pay by cash or credit card.
Suppose you add £10. You can now make £10 worth of journeys.
But here's the best part - your journeys are not only much cheaper, but there is a maximum charge per day, so if you travel a lot (and you will want to at these prices!) they are exceptional value.
Here's some examples:
Bus cash fare for 1 single journey: £2.00
Oyster fare for same journey - only 90p is deducted from your card - you've already saved over 50% - on just 1 journey.
But it gets better - any days in which you make "bus only" journeys (from 4.30 one morning to 4.30 the next morning), you'll only pay £3 - and that's for as many journeys as you wish - you'll never be charged more than £3 in total!
Central London Tube (Underground Railway) single fare: £4
Same Journey with an Oyster Card £1.50 - again, you save over half - and no queuing up to buy tickets, no worrying about what the fare is.
But, again it gets better! If you are travelling on the tubes (and, if you wish, the buses) you only pay a maximum of £4.80 to travel all day in zones 1 and 2 - which cover almost all of the tourist sites. Going further, only a few pennies extra are debited.
Do note that, as the tubes are so busy before 9.30 am Monday to Friday, the £4.80 fare is only valid if you start travelling after 9.30am Monday to Friday (or anytime at the weekends).
(If you do want to start out earlier, it's only £6.30).
Remember this covers you on all buses right across London (there are no "zones" for buses) and on all tube journeys within zones 1 and 2.
To travel further afield, you are just charged the correct fare - automatically.
Can it get better still? Yes! Providing you travel off peak (any time at weekends or holidays and after 0930 Mondays to Fridays) you can take up to 4 children with you for free! To use this facility on the tube, just go to the manned gate at every tube station and the attendant will let you through - do remember, to touch your Oyster card on the reader both on entry and again when you leave!
Still not enough for you? How about these offers, then?
* 2 for 1 offer at London Aquarium
* 2 for 1 offer The London Dungeon
* 2 for 1 offer at Shakespeare's Globe Tour & Exhibition
* 2 for 1 offer at HMS Belfast
* 2 for 1 offer at Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms
* 2 for 1 offer at London Bridge Experience
* 2 for 1 offer at Madame Tussauds
* 2 for 1 offer at Monty Python's Spamalot
* Save up to £20 on Grease
* 2 for 1 offer at The Sound Of Music
* 2 for 1 offer at The Lord of The Rings
* 2 for 1 offer at We Will Rock You
* 2 for 1 offer at Chicago
* 2 for 1 offer at Les Misérables
* 2 for 1 offer at Avenue Q
* 2 for 1 offer at Stomp
* 2 for 1 offer at The Woman in Black
* 2 for 1 offer at The 39 Steps
* 2 for 1 offer at Arcola Theatre
* 2 for 1 offer at Jump (15 April - 10 May 2008)
* 2 for 1 offer at Museum in Docklands
* 2 for 1 offer at Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising
* 2 for 1 offer at Institute of Contemporary Arts Cinema
* 2 for 1 offer at V&A Thomas Hope: Regency Designer (21 March - 22 June 2008)
* 2 for 1 offers with toptable.co.uk
* 2 for 1 offer at Imli restaurant
* 25% off at KOTO at Grange Holborn Hotel
* 25% off at Vino Latino's winebar at Grange Langham Hotel
* 25% off at Rochester's Bar & Brasserie at Grange Rochester Hotel
* 50% off at Addendum Restaurant
* 2 months for the price of 1 at LOVEFiLM
* 2 for 1 on tour tickets with Chelsea Football Stadium Tours
* 2 for 1 offer Fuller's Brewery Tour
* 2 for 1 offer from Streetcar
* 2 for 1 tickets at Lord's Cricket Ground Tour and Museum
* Get an additional 15% OFF all magazine subscriptions at iSUBSCRIBE.co.uk
* Free consultation and 10% off all teeth whitening treatments at the London Centre for Cosmetic Dentistry
* Get 25% off at Floatworks
* 2 for 1 and VIP entry at Sound London
So, how do I use it?
Easy!
On the underground - you just "touch" the card on the yellow reader at the ticket barriers - that way the computers know which station you started your journey at - and the barrier will automatically open.
When you leave the system, again, you just touch the card at the exit barrier. The barriers will open and the computer record will update instantly, deducting the correct fare. If you've already reached the maximum cost for the day, your journey is free!
On buses, there are the same yellow readers by each door - do make sure that you touch one with your card - it will ping and deduct the fare (90p). You don't have to touch as you leave, as all buses have the same fare.
Again, if you've reached the maximum fare for the day, your journey is free.
One important point - if you fail to touch in or out, there are roving inspectors and you can expect, at least, a hefty, on the spot fine. And on the tube, if you fail to touch out - some stations don't have barriers, but all have the yellow Oyster readers, you will be charged £4 for that journey - and it will not count towards your daily limit. Eek!
All stations are well staffed at all times, so if you have any query, do just ask, please!
When you leave London, you have several options:
1. Keep the card and any money left on it for your next visit (up to 2 years time!)
2. Give it to a friend - Oysters are transferable between people,
3. Cash it in - go to any tube station and get your £3 deposit back plus any money left on it,
4. Give it to charity - there are collecting boxes at many of the larger stations - all proceeds go, without deduction, to official railway charities.
Incidentally, I still see websites suggesting you get a "Travelcard" when visiting London. Well, yes, they are still available, but they cost more (at least an extra £2 per person per day), you have to decide in advance which areas you want to visit - and they're made of thin card, so are easier to damage.
You can see why more than 98% of tube journeys are now made by Oyster!
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Contributor's Note
Alun Hill, MCIJ is a London based travel journalist and broadcaster.
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