Droitwich Spa - London (+ extra bits)

[Class172]

Hello everyone,

I may be going down to London on the 1st April (Sun) and returning on the 3rd (Tue) with my family (2 adult, 2 child), staying within zone 1 and we would almost certainly be using the tube/DLR every day: I was wondering would anyone be able to advise me which method to use for tickets; I had thought of some options:

1) Buy DTW-London return + buy LU tickets when needed
2) Buy DTW-London return + 1-6 travelcard (combined) (will this be valid on all three days?)
3) Buy DTW-London return + Oyster card (not entirely sure how the fares work for Oyster)

I can get the tickets from DTW-London easy enough, I'm just having trouble working out which way is cheapest for us to travel around (mostly central) London - any help clarifying the best method would be good.

Thanks in advance.

 

[calc7]

Travelcard-inclusive tickets are only valid for one day (well, upto 0429 the following day) unless they are season tickets.

Depending on how much travel you will be doing on the first and last days, you could buy the tickets to Zone U1* LONDN which includes a single tube/DLR journey in Zone 1 (useful for getting to the place where you're staying upon arrival and back to the station the morning you leave).

If you're doing lots of travel on any of the days, there's no saving to be made on Oyster - you might as well buy paper travelcards.

If you can give the approximate usage in tube/DLR transport on each day, and the ages of the children, we can advise you more specifically.

 

[Class172]

Should be mostly within zones 1/2 (especially day 1/3), but maybe a foray out to the Thames Barrier via the DLR on the second day. Child ages: 7,15 and we have 1 Family & Friends railcard.

 

[calc7]

The F&F railcard gives you a discount on Off-Peak Day travelcards.

For instance, on the East Coast website, put in the details for your party and you can get a day's off-peak travel in Zones 1 and 2 for your family for £15.20.

This was done by searching for a return between Limehouse Lts (a station in Z2) and London. You can get a 1-4 travelcard by replacing Limehouse with, say, Barking.

 

[bb21]

A F&F Railcard will give you a discount on travelcards including at least Zones 1-6. There is no saving to be made with a Zones 1-2 or 1-4 version.

Unfortunately there is no discount offered to F&F Railcard holders on Oyster PAYG.

Undiscounted adult daily caps (starting at £6.60 for Zones 1-2) are higher than a discounted Zones 1-6 Travelcard (£5.60) whereas a child-rate Oyster has a lower flat-rate cap (£1.40) for all zones than a discounted travelcard (£2), however you do need to own an 11-15 Zip card.

More details in MikeWh's excellent explanation here and from his website.

If you make more than 1 journey a day, I think F&F-discounted travelcards will be the easiest solution. They can be purchased from either NR or LU ticket offices.

 

[dzug2]

The 7YO travels free on TfL services so unless you are going anywhere odd (very broadly National Rail south of the river) don't pay for him at all.

The 15 YO should get day child rate travelcards - you don't have time to get him a zip Oyster (and in any case it's a £10 non-refundable fee) - or include him in the family discounted rate