How to Travel in London
London Travelcard
This is the subscription or the original card of transport used by the Londoners. It is easier to use than the Oyster Card, due to the simplified system of prices, but it's not necessarily more economical. For a Travelcard you pay only once and you benefit from unlimited travel for a specified period such as: a day, 7 days, a month or even a year.
Depending on the time of day, you can choose between Anytime Day Travelcards that are valid from 4:30 am to 4:30 next morning and Off-Peak Travelcards which cover the morning peak period when the metros are usually very crowded (hence valid from 9:30 am until 4:30 the next morning).
Oyster Card
This type of card was introduced in 2003 to increase the speed and efficiency of public transport in London and nowadays it is used by most Londoners. This is an electronic card that can be recharged periodically with certain amounts of money. Every time you will make ??a journey, the money is going to be withdrawn from the sum on the credit card.
On the long term, the Oyster card is the cheapest option when travelling by metro. You can buy a prepaid Oyster card called the Visitor Oyster Card, having already £10 or £15 credit or an empty Oyster Card. Both of them can be recharged as many times as you like.
You can purchase the 'Visitor Oyster' priced at £2, although these cards can only be used to pay on the spot and cannot be loaded for 7 days. However, you are able to load the card with electronic funds and this money will be deducted according to your destination. The cost of a one-way trip with the Oyster card is cheaper as compared with the single ticket. The prices vary depending on the distance, both by bus or metro, and depending on time of day.
An advantage of the Oyster card is represented by the daily price limits - Price Caps - as once you have consumed a certain amount on the card, any journey you will take in the future cannot be deducted from credit card. In other words, you cannot spend more than the maximum daily limit, which is currently set at the transport card's price for one day (One Day Travelcard). To ensure that the price ceiling applies to each trip you must validate the Oyster card both at the beginning and at the end.
You can even add different features such as subscription for a week, a month or more, validating the card every time you use it..
Conclusions
Both the transport card (Travelcard) and the Oyster card will pay the same amount in a full day to an unlimited number of trips. Since you will probably travel by rail more days in a row, the Travelcard is a better and easier to use option. This type of card is recommended for tourists and since it does not include the peak hour, you can travel completely stress – free after 9.30 am till early the next morning.
This is the subscription or the original card of transport used by the Londoners. It is easier to use than the Oyster Card, due to the simplified system of prices, but it's not necessarily more economical. For a Travelcard you pay only once and you benefit from unlimited travel for a specified period such as: a day, 7 days, a month or even a year.
Depending on the time of day, you can choose between Anytime Day Travelcards that are valid from 4:30 am to 4:30 next morning and Off-Peak Travelcards which cover the morning peak period when the metros are usually very crowded (hence valid from 9:30 am until 4:30 the next morning).
Oyster Card
This type of card was introduced in 2003 to increase the speed and efficiency of public transport in London and nowadays it is used by most Londoners. This is an electronic card that can be recharged periodically with certain amounts of money. Every time you will make ??a journey, the money is going to be withdrawn from the sum on the credit card.
On the long term, the Oyster card is the cheapest option when travelling by metro. You can buy a prepaid Oyster card called the Visitor Oyster Card, having already £10 or £15 credit or an empty Oyster Card. Both of them can be recharged as many times as you like.
You can purchase the 'Visitor Oyster' priced at £2, although these cards can only be used to pay on the spot and cannot be loaded for 7 days. However, you are able to load the card with electronic funds and this money will be deducted according to your destination. The cost of a one-way trip with the Oyster card is cheaper as compared with the single ticket. The prices vary depending on the distance, both by bus or metro, and depending on time of day.
An advantage of the Oyster card is represented by the daily price limits - Price Caps - as once you have consumed a certain amount on the card, any journey you will take in the future cannot be deducted from credit card. In other words, you cannot spend more than the maximum daily limit, which is currently set at the transport card's price for one day (One Day Travelcard). To ensure that the price ceiling applies to each trip you must validate the Oyster card both at the beginning and at the end.
You can even add different features such as subscription for a week, a month or more, validating the card every time you use it..
Conclusions
Both the transport card (Travelcard) and the Oyster card will pay the same amount in a full day to an unlimited number of trips. Since you will probably travel by rail more days in a row, the Travelcard is a better and easier to use option. This type of card is recommended for tourists and since it does not include the peak hour, you can travel completely stress – free after 9.30 am till early the next morning.