London Discount Cards
Visiting London can be an expensive proposition. Accommodation can
be extremely expensive, then when you factor in transportation, dining,
and attraction entry, you might feel you need to take out a second
mortgage just for a week long stay. Given all that, its just as well
there are several ways to save money on your visit! One way that
is increasingly popular is to purchase a discount travel card, offering
free or discounted entry to attractions. Some card schemes also discount
dining, transportation, and leisure activities such as theatre tickets.
Here are some of the London discount cards you may like to consider:
London Pass
Not technically a discount card, but a pre-paid pass allowing free entry to many top London area attractions and
discounted entry to popular restaurants,
theatre, and shopping venues in and beyond London. Click for
more information on ordering the London
Pass through Britain Express.
Advantages
Widely recognized, great coverage. Can be purchased with a wide
variety of options, covering users for periods of time ranging
from 1 to 6 days.
Disadvantages
The priciest option among discount cards, but the price may save you
a lot of money depending on the places you are most likely to go.
Ace Card
A lower priced competitor to the London Pass, the Ace Card offers discounted
entry at over 400 London attractions ranging from restaurants, clubs,
shops,theatre, music and comedy venues, exhibitions, cinemas, galleries,
fitness clubs, and leisure activities. Typical discounts include two
tickets for the price of one at theatres, half price club entry,
and 25% off at restaurants. One important point to note is that the
Ace Card covers few of the big name London tourist attractions,
so if you are a first time visitor to London this may not be the
best card for you. On the other hand, if you've already seen the
Tower of London and its ilk, the Ace Card may be perfect for you!
Visit the Ace Card website for
more details.
Advantages
Cheaper than the London Pass, only £19.95 as of this writing.
Disadvantages
Covers fewer of the top London visitor attractions.
Discount Britain
A discount scheme with a difference. Discount Britain offers a unique
way to get 20% off entry to over 50 top London attractions
and restaurants, and several top attractions around the country.
Rather than carry a card with you, all you have to do is print
a SmartSaver discount coupon from the Discount Britain website
and present that coupon code when you enter the attraction. Discounts
apply for up to 6 adults. Visit the Discount
Britain website for
full details of attractions covered.
Advantages
No card to carry. No fees!
Disadvantages
Fewer attractions covered than the other card discount schemes.
You have to remember to print the discount code and take it with
you.
Transportation Discounts
It is WELL WORTH getting a transport card for travel around London. You will end up saving a huge amount of money over the cost of buying bus, above ground train, and Underground tickets.
The Oyster Card offers unlimited travel on
the Underground and buses. Oyster Cards can be purchased for 7
days or more at a time.
The Visitor TravelCard is similar to the Oyster Card but is geared to visitors to the UK. The Visitor TravelCard also offers unlimited
bus and Underground travel plus discount vouchers for
popular tourist attractions. Visitor Oyster card or Travelcards can be purchased online (allow 2-4 days for delivery within the UK and up to 7-12 days for delivery to worldwide locations, including the US). Cards may also be purchased from most Underground stations in London.
FEEDBACK
If you use or purchase one of the discount cards mentioned here,
why not let us know what your experience was like? We welcome your
feedback, and will post it for the benefit of others. What are
the plusses and minuses of the discount cards? Are there other
cards we should mention? Let us know
your experience!
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