Family Tickets Advice

[MonsooN]

Hi There

Me and my family are coming to London in a few weeks for a couple of days.

I use the Tube quite a bit, but my work always pays for it and I just pick up my tickets from the machine along with my train tickets, so I don't have much experience with buying tickets and fares.

We'll be in London for three days and will need unlimited tube travel in Zones 1 and 2 for the three days we're there.

Is there a daily (or weekly if it's cheaper) ticket I can buy for us? My children are aged 8 and 5. We won't need to travel before 9.30 each day, so can buy off peak.

Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers!

 

[bluegoblin7]

Your children are both free and need no ticket. For any adults, the cheapest and easiest way to go will be to use Contactless bank cards, if you have them. You'll pay £6.40 a day for unlimited travel in zones 1-2.

If not, you can buy Oyster cards when you arrive. Same price per day, but you pay it up front as 'pay as you go', plus a £5 refundable deposit for the card.

 

[MikeWh]

Your children are both free and need no ticket. For any adults, the cheapest and easiest way to go will be to use Contactless bank cards, if you have them. You'll pay £6.40 a day for unlimited travel in zones 1-2.

If not, you can buy Oyster cards when you arrive. Same price per day, but you pay it up front as 'pay as you go', plus a £5 refundable deposit for the card.

All agreed except the daily cap for zones 1-2 is £6.50.

 

[bluegoblin7]

All agreed except the daily cap for zones 1-2 is £6.50.

Oops! Yes, of course. Been back of house too much recently.

 

[MonsooN]

Thanks very much for the info. Really helpful! I think we'll just use our debit cards.

Do I just scan my debit card each time and it charges at the end of the day?

Also, how do the children get through the barriers?

 

[tony_mac]

You should "touch in" and out with your card on the yellow readers for every journey, and you will indeed be charged at the end of the day.
At stations with barriers this is obvious, but if there aren't any (such as on the Docklands Light Railway), you still need to do the touches or you will charged extra.
For buses and trams, you don't need to touch out.

Officially, you should ask staff to let your children through the barriers.
In practice, just use the wide gates and shepherd them through.

 

[spinba11]

You are meant to use the wide gates with children, you should ask to be let in/out if there aren't any wide gates.