Train tickets in London - buy before we go?

hoping someone can clarify

my wife is taking the kids to London during half term (and stopping in Croydon)

As I understand it she can buy cheap (£12.50) Croydon to London train ticket online and it includes a free All Zone Underground ticket - can you get the same ticket from the station when you are there?

sorry if that seems a silly question but rarely do "normal" tickets prices on the day match online

Why not look to see how much the ticket would cost today (or look tomorrow morning for tomorrows prices) and compare with the advanced purchase price.

jb

thanks jb - didn't think of that, doh!

but yep it comes up as same price

Have you got a railcard ? We got a Friends and Family Railcard bought with our Tesco clubcard points and saved us a fortune on train tickets from Sheffield to London and on the underground tickets too

£12.50 seems too much. The Croydon stations are in zone 5 and with a daily travel card should only be £8.90 - have a look here: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/oyster/using-oyster/price-capping#on-this-page-3

I travel between central London and Croydon everyday everytime I go and stay with my brother, and I know on my Oyster it is never more than £8.50 per day (that's my train journey to and from central London and all the underground journeys I want to make). I would have suggested getting an Oyster card but the travel card only seems to be 40p more.

...I would have suggested getting an Oyster card but the travel card only seems to be 40p more.

She's going to need one if she expects to use any buses.

Agree - Oyster card is the way to go for all buses and Tube in London - can't get far without one.

I don't think they accept cash now.

Agree - Oyster card is the way to go for all buses and Tube in London - can't get far without one.

I don't think they accept cash now.

No cash on buses now.

That's why I said she'd need one.

I got caught out when they first went card-only.

There are other options, but Oyster is worth for the automatic discounting etc.

There are different ways to pay for your bus fare:

•An Oyster card with pay as you go credit, Travelcard or Bus & Tram Pass

•A Visitor Oyster card

•A contactless payment card to pay as you go

•A Day Travelcard

thanks folks, it is probably dead simple but seems complicated from here

my understanding is off peak Travel Card is £8.90 but if we want to go from Croydon to Victoria by train (in 15 mins) rather than a long tube trip it is £12.50 - that's for 1 adult 1 child - so maybe the difference is the child train fare as I know kids are free on tube

Still need to be clear, can she buy a travel card at the station when she gets there?

There isn't a tube between London and Croydon, it is only a National Rail train. To clarify, travelcards and Oyster cards are valid on all of London's public transport network. Here is some information that will hopefully clear things up for you: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/ticket_types/46575.aspx

Assuming your partner will be using East Croydon station then she should be able to get her travelcard or tickets from there - it's a proper railway station. Make sure she ensures she does get on the quick train (stopping at only Clapham Junction between East Croydon and Victoria). There's also a not-so-fast one that stops at eeeevery stop.