8 hours to kill what ticket needed.

[pethadine82]

I will have 8 hours to kill before meeting someone at Heathrow. I've never been on the Elizabeth line, and I wanted to try it to kill some time. I will be arriving at Kings Cross at 8am and have contactless. I don't intend to get off the train at the extremities but may do so near Stratford or Ealing to get some lunch. Can anyone advise the best way of doing this? Many thanks.

 

[Deerfold]

I will have 8 hours to kill before meeting someone at Heathrow. I've never been on the Elizabeth line, and I wanted to try it to kill some time. I will be arriving at Kings Cross at 8am and have contactless. I don't intend to get off the train at the extremities but may do so near Stratford or Ealing to get some lunch. Can anyone advise the best way of doing this? Many thanks.

If you don't want to get off fairly regularly, you may be better with a paper travelcard to avoid incomplete contactless journeys.

 

[JBuchananGB]

100% Paper Anytime One day Travelcard

Day Travelcard​

You can get unlimited travel in one day with a Day Travelcard (paper ticket):

• Anytime Day Travelcards: use for the date on the ticket and for journeys starting before 04:30 the next day

 

[danm14]

A Zone 1-6 One Day Travelcard will allow you to travel much of the Elizabeth Line - as far as Harold Wood (towards Shenfield) and Abbey Wood (terminus) to the east; and as far as West Drayton (towards Reading) and Heathrow (terminus) to the west.

A Zone 1-9 One Day Travelcard will allow you to travel one station further east beyond Harold Wood (towards Shenfield) to Brentwood.

To travel to Shenfield or further west than West Drayton (towards Reading), you would need to buy an additional ticket as these are outside the London Zones. It is irrelevant whether you intend leaving the train/station or not - an additional ticket must be bought.

 

[Haywain]

A Zone 1-6 One Day Travelcard will allow you to travel much of the Elizabeth Line - as far as Harold Wood (towards Shenfield) and Abbey Wood (terminus) to the east; and as far as West Drayton (towards Reading) and Heathrow (terminus) to the west.

A Zone 1-9 One Day Travelcard will allow you to travel one station further east beyond Harold Wood (towards Shenfield) to Brentwood.

To travel to Shenfield or further west than West Drayton (towards Reading), you would need to buy an additional ticket as these are outside the London Zones. It is irrelevant whether you intend leaving the train/station or not - an additional ticket must be bought.

Whereas if the OP uses contactless they can go anywhere on the Elizabeth line and the only requirement is not to exceed the maximum journey time between touching in and out.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If you don't want to get off fairly regularly, you may be better with a paper travelcard to avoid incomplete contactless journeys.

More importantly, a paper Travelcard is the way to avoid the "Heathrow premium". Though note the inboundary Travelcard isn't valid until 0930, so you may want to have breakfast to use that first hour and a half, or knock around central London by bus using contactless in that time.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Nov 2023 ==

Whereas if the OP uses contactless they can go anywhere on the Elizabeth line and the only requirement is not to exceed the maximum journey time between touching in and out.

Hefty "Heathrow premium" though.

 

[DelW]

Agree with paper travelcard, contactless is likely to produce unresolved journeys when used for network exploration rather than simple point-to-point trips.

Personally I would have a relaxed breakfast after arrival then use an off-peak ticket (after 9:30).

 

[Bletchleyite]

Agree with paper travelcard, contactless is likely to produce unresolved journeys when used for network exploration rather than simple point-to-point trips.

Personally I would have a relaxed breakfast after arrival then use an off-peak ticket (after 9:30).

One option for that is to pop over to the Premier Inn and have a leisurely buffet. They generally accept walk-ins - it's not well advertised (presumably because they don't want to be overrun) but as a whole if they're not full they are happy to take your money.

 

[JonathanH]

Hefty "Heathrow premium" though.

Not if they have already hit the Zone 1-6 cap. The "Heathrow premium" is to catch journeys which are one off journeys to Heathrow, not which constitute one of multiple journeys in the day.

 

[Haywain]

Not if they have already hit the Zone 1-6 cap.

And the contactless 1-6 cap is cheaper than the Travelcard price - notably so in the case of the Anytime Travelcard.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Nov 2023 ==

I will be arriving at Kings Cross at 8am and have contactless.

On what day of the week will this be?

 

[pethadine82]

It will be next wed. Yes having breakfast arround KGX sounds like a good idea, could take some photos of the beautiful St Pancras station should get me to 9.30.

 

[jon81uk]

Hefty "Heathrow premium" though.

Only on single journeys, once you hit the daily cap (which is lower than the travelcard cost) then there are no further charges. Unless you intend to ride around trainspotting and therefore never leave the stations and then go over the maximum time, contactless will be cheaper than a travelcard for zones 1-6.

 

[1D54]

What is the maximum journey time between touching in and out?

 

[jon81uk]

What is the maximum journey time between touching in and out?

Depends on the day of the week and the zones travelled to/from, but generally about 100 minutes.

Maximum Journey Times – Oyster Fares Central

oysterfares.com