MIG wrote:

Fig wrote:
On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 00:01:23 -0000, peter wrote:

I will be staying in London for 11 days later on in the year

I will be arriving Eurostar (Waterloo). Can anyone advise me how long it
takes to purchase a 7day travel card on Oyster (I assume you have to go
to
the underground booking office, or can a machine issue one)? Also what
paperwork is required, and is it easy later, to add PAYG to the card (can
you just "topup" a card even thought it hasn't previously been used for
PAYG)



It is possible to purchase PAYG oystercards in Sydney but not Travel
cards
on Oyster (the TFL website for visitors will sell 7day travel cards but I
think they are issued as paper travel cards, and no amount of emailing
will
get a response)

The length of time it will take depends only on the length of the queue at
the ticket window. You don't need any paperwork at all. The actual
transaction should take only a few seconds.

Once you have your oyster card you can load it with pre-pay (PAYG) at any
time at a machine. If you are planing on using pre-pay and can purchase a
card at your home then I would advise you to do that. You can add a 7 day
travel card once in London at a machine and avoid the queue at the ticket
window.


Unless the rules have changed, you don't pay the £3 deposit if you get
a period travelcard when first getting the card, so getting the card in
advance would not be such a good option.

One could argue that paying the £3 deposit is worth it to avoid the
hassle of queueing.

Anyway to elaborate on my epic ramble in my other post on this thread I
see that Australians can only buy an Oyster card pre-loaded with £20
PAYG credit from Visit Britain Direct - however this will cost AUD
55.00 which according to XE currently works out at just under £22 -
given that it includes the £3 deposit (and I think the postage too)
would appear to be a (minor) bargain.

Whether the OP wants £20 of PAYG credit as well is another question.
It would seem that some visitors to London who are being sold an Oyster
card in advance are probably paying over the odds by using Oyster PAYG
for a week's visit when they'd be better off with a 7-day Travelcard.