london travel card or contactless

Contactless vs Oyster Card – Which is Top for London Transport?

By: Author Tracy Collins

Posted on Last updated: May 5, 2024

If you’ll be visiting London and want to see the sights by public transport, then paying by contactless vs Oyster card is one of the first things to think about. Transport for London (TfL)’s public transport network is affordable, fast, and reliable, comprising underground and overground trains, IFS Cloud Cable Car, buses, Croydon trams and Uber boats. When using these, though, is it best to use a contactless card or the Oyster system to pay for your journeys? 

Wherever you want to go in London, having a quick and easy way to pay for travel can make life much simpler. Which in turn can free up more of your precious time – and hard-earned money. 

This guide to using Oyster or contactless on the tube, buses, trains, and boats in London will steer you through the maze. If you have burning questions – such as is an Oyster card cheaper than contactless – then you can expect to have them fully answered in plain English by the end of this article. At that point, you’ll also be well-placed to choose which is most suitable for you and your travel plans.

Here are the pros and cons of using contactless or an Oyster account for London Transport. The TfL Oyster & Contactless app is also covered, as is everything you need to know about Oyster cards for kids. 

Let’s get started by taking a look at how you can pay for public transport in London, plus pros and cons of each method. 

Contactless

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• Can help you budget and track your spending and save on overseas bank charges if applicable
• Cash fares can be more costly
• Cash payments aren’t always accepted eg buses
• Cash is difficult to recover if it’s lost or stolen

If you’re wondering why use Oyster instead of contactless, then maybe it’s worth thinking about cash as a third option. You could always use pounds sterling to pay for your journeys. 

The problem is that some forms of transport, including London buses, don’t accept cash payments. Also, cash can be the most expensive way to pay, even where it is an option. So if you want to use all forms of transport, and save money, cash is best avoided. 

If you don’t use cash, you won’t have to change so much money to pounds sterling, or worry about carrying the right coins with you. Lost or stolen cash isn’t always covered by travel insurance policies, either. Whereas a credit or debit card can be cancelled instantly. 

These reasons are why we cannot recommend paying with cash for transport in London – although a small amount can be useful for emergencies, tipping, and minor purchases. So now we’ve discounted cash, let’s consider contactless versus Oyster card payments. 

• You won’t need to change as much money when paying by card
• Fare caps mean paying a maximum daily amount (the amount depends on the Zones travelled)
• You only have to carry one card around
• Contactless cards are widely accepted
• You can also pay by smartphone
• Your bank might charge for transactions in a foreign currency 
• Contactless customers such as seniors cannot benefit from Oyster card discounts

Contactless is the modern replacement for cash. Just tap your contactless card to pay your fare, instead of using coins and notes. The cost will be automatically debited from your account. Though your bank might charge a fee for a foreign currency transaction. 

Contactless is now the most popular payment method in the UK. It’s easy, convenient and widely accepted across the London Transport network.

There’s only one downside. Any bank based outside the UK is likely to charge you for all transactions made in pounds sterling. (Euros are not UK currency, and never were, and in fact the UK has now left the EU.) So check what fees your bank will charge before travelling and paying by contactless, if you want to avoid nasty surprises!

Alternatively, you can use Apple or Android pay when using your device rather than a contactless card. Whatever you use, just make sure you tap the same contactless card or device when touching in and out. Otherwise you could be charged for two separate trips. 

So how does the Oyster card compare when paying for London Transport?

• The colourful Visitor Oyster card makes a good memento of your trip
• You can track your spending more easily as the card is pre-loaded
• Separately, more than one person can use one Oyster card
• There are special discounts for Visitor Oyster card holders 
• The card is specifically designed for London Transport
• Fare caps mean paying a maximum daily sum relevant to your travel zones
• You can use your Oyster card to get into London from Heathrow, Gatwick and London City .
• You’re likely to leave an unused amount on the card at the end of your trip
• Oyster cards can’t be used at stations between Reading and Iver on the Elizabeth Line
• There’s a £7 or £5 upfront charge for each standard or visitor card
• Cards must be topped up before travel
• You can’t use Oyster cards in taxis

An Oyster card is a payment card, like contactless, but differs because it is London Transport specific. Unlike contactless, you also need to top it up in advance of travel. Oyster cards are available in standard or visitor versions. 

If you use an Oyster card, then you will need to carry around that extra card. So is there any reason to choose it over contactless?

There are two additional costs to factor in when using an Oyster card. A £7 non-refundable fee applies to the standard Oyster Card and £5 for visitor versions. The second cost comes in because you’re unlikely to use every penny stored on it. You can return the card to London Transport to redeem this – but in reality, lots of people never get round to it!

Oyster cards can be topped up in £5 increments only. You can add between £10 and £50 every time. 

If you do buy an Oyster card, though, it can be used during a repeat visit. Or you could pass it onto a friend or family member for their visit to London. They cannot be used in London taxis, though.  

As they’re targeted at tourists, Visitor Oyster cards do offer holders some special discounts. These can include some money off attraction entry fees. 

Now let’s take a look at the pay as you go system on London Transport. This lets you use either an Oyster card or contactless. 

London Transport and Pay As You Go

You can use contactless or Oyster cards on the following types of transport in London:

• Overground trains
• Docklands Light Railway (DLR)
• Uber Boat by Thames Clippers
• Underground (or tube) trains
• Most Elizabeth Line trains
• IFS Cloud Cable Car
• London buses
• Trams 

A number of the same benefits apply to both contactless and Oyster card payments.

• Only pay for the journeys you make
• Travel where and when you want to
• Use the TfL Oyster and contactless app to track your trips 
• Fare caps mean never paying more than the Bus and Tram Pass or One Week Travelcard price, even when making multiple journeys between Monday and Sunday. A full day’s travel will also be cheaper than One Day Bus and Tram Pass or One Day Travelcard

Whether you want to pay by contactless or Oyster card, download the free TfL Oyster & Contactless app before you travel. It’s available via Google Pay for Android and the App store for Apple. 

You can top up Oyster cards via the app. You can also view your trip history, check your remaining balance, and receive advance warning of any Travelcard expiry dates. 

You can use the app with more than one contactless or Oyster card. It’s thus an easy way of using the same card across multiple devices.

Zip Oyster photocards and Young Visitor discounts for kids

There is a special version of the Oyster card for children. It’s called the Zip Oyster photocard, and comes in two age ranges. These are 5 to 10, and 11 to 15. 

Free travel for 5 to 10 year olds is available on London Transport. A card isn’t always needed, as up to four kids can travel free per fare-paying adult . They can travel on tram, bus, and some train services without a card. 

Holders of the card also get free travel on tubes, DLR, and Elizabeth line services, apart from between West Drayton and Reading. They also get a child rate on the IFS Cloud Cable Car, and a 50% discount on adult fares for the Uber Boat by Thames Clippers. 

A parent or guardian can apply for a 5-10 Zip Oyster photocard online. There’s a £10 admin fee, and you’ll need a clear digital photo plus their passport. 

The 11 to 15 Zip Oyster photocard works in much the same way. There is a higher £15 admin fee for applying, however. 

11 to 15 year olds can also get free travel on trams and buses. But they pay child rate fares on tubes, DLR, Elizabeth line, and London Overground services, and the IFS Cloud Cable Car. 11 to 15 Zip Oyster photocard holders also get 50% off Uber Boat by Thames Clippers, and most National Rail fares. 

Non-resident 11 to 15 year olds can get discounted travel for up to two weeks via the Young Visitor discount scheme. This is added to an accompanying adult’s standard or visitor Oyster card. 

You’ll have to apply when the child is with you. You can apply at any tube or overground station, some Elizabeth line stations, or a TfL visitor centre. 

The London Pass is also worth thinking about when deciding whether to use contactless or an  Oyster card. 

Various London Pass packages include an Oyster card. The London Pass is a London visitor card that gets you into over 80 London attractions. This pass also includes hop-on, hop-off bus routes for exploring the city. 

You can buy a London Pass for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 10 consecutive days. Find out more by visiting the London Pass website . 

To promote their goods and services to UK visitors, big brands make special offers only available to Oyster card holders. 

Those with a Visitor Oyster card can, therefore, make the most of exclusive deals on entertainment, shopping, and food in the UK capital. 

Contactless v Oyster Card – FAQs

Both contactless and Oyster cards use the same Pay As You Go system, and both can also be used with the free TfL Oyster & Contactless app. Costs are very similar, though there is a £5 or £7 upfront fee per Oyster card. You also have to top up an Oyster card before you travel. 

For Visitor Oyster card holders, however, exclusive deals and discounts are available. For some tourists, it may also be more cost effective to get a London Pass that includes an Oyster card. 

An Oyster card for London Transport is a pay as you go smart card. You can use it across the city for most forms of travel, including the IFS Cloud Cable Car and Uber Boat by Thames Clippers services as well as buses, trams, tubes, overground trains, DLR, and most Elizabeth line trains.

A Visitor Oyster card is among the cheapest and most convenient ways to pay for journeys on tubes, buses, trams, DLR, the Elizabeth Line, London Overground, and many National Rail services. You can also use it on Uber Boat by Thames Clippers and the IFS Cloud Cable Car. 

Visitor Oyster cards also give holders exclusive discounts and deals, making entry to London attractions cheaper. You may also get money off dining and shopping. And you get to keep the card as a souvenir!

If you’re weighing up contactless versus an Oyster card, there are a few things to consider. 

Though it costs £7 to get one, using an Oyster card can help you to avoid any foreign currency transaction charges that might be levied by your bank when using contactless. Simply top up your Oyster card before travel and use this to pay, so you can avoid these.

The fare cap also means you’ll pay a maximum sum per day or week. This can work out cheaper if you travel a lot. 

London Passes that include an Oyster Card can be worthwhile if you want to visit a lot of attractions. Visitor Oyster Cards also give you exclusive deals on shopping, food, and entertainment. 

The same Pay As You Go system is used for both Oyster cards and contactless payments. You cannot use cash on London buses, so if you want to use those you’ll have to choose between contactless and Oyster.  

The colourful Visitor Oyster card also makes a nice souvenir of your time in London. Just keep in mind the £7 upfront Oyster Card cost!

Read next – Best day trips from London by train

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Oyster Card vs Visitor Oyster Card vs Travelcard

In this post, I compare the different Oyster Cards, as well as the Travelcard.

I'll also give you information on using your contactless debit/credit cards or Apple or Google Pay while you use the London Transport Network.

• What is an Oystercard?
• Using Contactless Debit or Credit Cards
• Using Apple Pay or Google Pay
• Benefits of an Oyster Card
• Visitor vs. Regular Oyster Card
• Group Travelcard
• Which One, If Any, Should You Buy?
• Tips On Using the Underground
• Things to Do in London

WHAT IS AN OYSTER CARD

An Oyster Card is a plastic smart card, which you can use to store money for rides on the London Underground and throughout the London public transport system.

This also includes buses, trams, DLR, London Overground, Elizabeth Line, TFL Rail, most National Rail services in London, Emirates Air Line cable car, and the Uber Boat River Bus Services .

Essentially, they replace paper tickets and allow you to avoid buying a ticket each time you ride.

Rather than inserting a paper ticket, you tap your Oyster Card on a yellow reader on top of the ticket barrier at the start of your journey and then again at the end of your journey.

There are 2 different types of Oyster Cards: a Visitor Oyster Card and a Regular or Standard Oyster Card . They function in essentially the same way but with a few key differences.

For example, both cards operate on a pay-as-you-go basis, but only the Regular Oyster Card can also load travelcards, which are 1 day, 7 day or 1 month passes.

I explain more of these differences in the following sections .

NOTE: The T urboPass , one of the tourist concession passes, includes a Visitor Oyster Card for free.

Children under the age of 5 can travel on all London transport networks for free (including the Underground, TfL Rail, and buses), provided they are with an adult who has a valid Oyster Card, Travelcard, or single-ride ticket.

Children aged 5 - 10 can travel for free with the Zip Oyster Photocard .

Children from 11 - 15 qualify for a ZipCard (free travel) or a Young Visitor Oyster Offer, which is a concession added to a regular Oyster card and is valid for 14 days.

Single fares and daily cap for the underground and buses are 50% cheaper than adults with this concession.

To get it, you must pay a non-refundable £7.00 fee. Or, if you are only in town for one day, you can pay for a 1-Day children's Travelcard.

Only one person can use one card. If you have 2 or more travelers, you will need 2 or more Oyster Cards.

Using Contactless Debit and Credit Cards

Contactless payment cards are now accepted across all London transport networks and ask in the same manner as an Oyster Card. See if yours is valid here .

The majority of Londoners now simply use their contactless debit/credit cards rather than an Oyster card - and you can, too! I always recommend this as the easiest way to pat for your travel in the city.

(Please make yourself aware of your bank's policies and card issuer policies before you travel. Most contactless cards will work including visa, Mastercard and American Express, but you may be subject to foreign transaction fees.)

This means there is no preparation needed when planning to take the Underground, you simply tap in and out with your payment card.

You also don't need to worry about 'topping up' before you make any journeys.

Contactless cards are also subject to the same price capping as an Oyster Card, so you never pay more than you would have spent had you purchased a daily travel card.

You are also able to take advantage of the 'bus hopper' fare. However, you won't get the same concessions available with the Visitor Oyster Card .

To learn how to use the cards and other tips on using the underground, read our post on navigating the London Underground .

Using Google Pay or Apple Pay

If you have Google Pay or Apple Pay on your smartphone or smartwatch, then you don't need to buy an Oyster card, or a travel card, at all!

These two payment methods will get you the exact same rates, and price capping (listed below) that you would be subject to when using an Oyster Card.

This means there is no need to go through the extra steps of buying one and topping up.

As with contactless credit and debit cards, you are also able to take advantage of the 'bus hopper' fare.

However, you won't get the same concessions available with the Visitor Oyster Card .

Benefits of Using an Oyster Card

Below I list the general benefits of an Oyster Card, whether it's a Visitor or Regular Oyster Card.

But remember, as of last year, all of these benefits and rates apply to visitors using their contactless cards, Google Pay, and Apple Pay!

Cheaper Than Single Paper Tickets

Actually, they are much cheaper. As you can see below, most visitors traveling in Zones 1 and 2 can save between £2.50 and £3.50 per ride. 

Most visitors to London stay within Zones 1-2, central London, though some have hotels or guesthouses outside of the city centre.

If you are flying in and/or out of Heathrow Airport, then your fare would be from Zone 1-6 to wherever your final destination is. 

The Elizabeth Line to Heathrow Airport is priced differently - any journey to Heathrow that begins, or passes through Zone 1, is priced at £12.20 - £13:30, depending how Far East you travel.

Children under 11 travel for free and there is a 50% concession on Oyster Card fares for children 11-15 years of age with the Young Visitor Oyster Offer.

To receive this offer, you need to speak to a Tube staff member at any Underground station, including Heathrow, or you can purchase it on the automatic machines in any station.

Daily Limit

In addition to cheaper individual rides, when traveling with an Oyster Card, a 'cap' is automatically applied once you reach a certain amount each day.

For example, the most you will ever spend in one day when traveling within zones 1 & 2 with an Oyster Card is £8.10 . For the Young Visitor Offer (ages 11 - 15), the cap is £4.05 .

There are different caps for each zone as the cost of travel depends on the distance you go and the time of day.

I recommend how much to put on your card per day, but you can see the price and cap table here.

Buses also cap out at £5.25 per day (with each ride costing £1.75). 

Contactless debit and credit cards are also subject to price capping!

Hopper Fare on Buses

The London mayor recently introduced the 'hopper' fare.

This means that you will be able to switch between as many buses as you like within 1 hour without being charged more than the initial £1.75 fare.

London is huge and many journeys require that you take 2 or more buses to get there.

With the hopper fare, you will only need to pay £1.75 total for all of those rides as long as the total time does not exceed 1 hour. Note that the hopper fare is applicable for all journeys made by bus & tram!

This is one of my favourite London transport "hacks." Traveling on the Underground is great but sometimes I like to enjoy the views from a bus so this is a cheap way to get through town and also see what our city has on offer.

Valid to get to and from Central London Heathrow and Gatwick Airports

Heathrow Airport is at the very end of the Piccadilly Line, and on the new Elizabeth Line , and therefore can be reached via the Underground with an Oyster Card or Travel Card. 

Unfortunately, Oyster Cards do not work on the Heathrow Express - yet! 

Gatwick Airport, which is not on an Underground Line, can only be reached by bus or train.

Oyster Cards can be used on the Gatwick Express, which is the fastest train from Central London to that airport. 

Oyster Cards Never Expire

If you plan to visit London again in the future, then you can simply hold onto the card and it, as well as the money on it, will never expire.

Your £5 purchase will be refunded automatically as pay-as-you-go credit after one year when you make a journey with your card.

You must collect your refund within six months or you won't be eligible to receive it.

NOTE: There is a limit of £10 on refunds.

VISITOR OYSTER CARD

The Visitor Oyster Card can be purchased in advance and mailed to you anywhere in the world.

This is great for those of you who feel stressed out about the idea of buying an Oyster Card while in London, and therefore would prefer to just have it sorted prior to arrival. If I have family coming to visit, and they don't want to use their contactless cards I always make sure to set them up with a visitor oyster card before they get here!

Adding money to your card is easy and I explain this process in the next section .

However, there are a few drawbacks to the Visitor Oyster Card. Firstly, it costs £5 plus postage for the card to be sent, and unlike the Regular Oystercard, you won't get the £5 back.

Secondly, you can't register a Visitor Oyster Card, something you can do with a Regular Oyster Card.

So, if you have a tendency to lose things, then this might be a consideration for you.

The larger drawback is that you can't apply any of the Travelcards (these are explained later) to the Visitor Oyster Card.

So, if you were planning on using those, or put it another way, you plan to be in London for 6 or more days, then maybe don't buy a Visitor Oyster Card. 

There are also some concessions that can be applied to certain restaurants and tourist attractions with the Visitor Oyster Card.

None of the deals are that spectacular and you generally get much better offers with a tourist attraction concession pass but check out their list in case any appeal to you.

Ultimately, if you want to have your card before arriving in the UK, or are not likely to benefit from a travelcard, then buy a Visitor Oyster Card.

Regular Oyster Cards can only be purchased in the UK. 

They are very simple to buy and can be purchased all over the city, including the airports, but if you don't want to bother with that, then opt for a Visitor Oyster Card. 

REGULAR OYSTER CARD

Just about everybody who lives in London used to have an Oyster Card! These days, however, most of us use our contactless cards instead. You'll also see many a Londoner scanning their phone or watches when going in and out of the tube barriers.

However, if you'd still like to use an Oyster card, keep reading to find out more. Note that Oyster fares are the same fares you will pay using your contactless cards, phones, or watches.

You simply add money onto your card at either a Tube station (all stations have kiosks where you can add money via cash or card), or online.

Or, you could top up at any of the roughly 4000 shops in London where you see an Oyster Card sign. These are called Oyster Ticket Stops.

You can also top up your Oystercard at a Transport for London visitor centre, including Heathrow Airport, Kings Cross St. Pancras International Station, Victoria Station, Piccadilly Circus Station, and Liverpool Street Station.

It is very simple to do and I walk you through this process in the next section.

The other options are to load your Oyster Card with a 1-Day-Travel Card, Monthly Travelcard, or even a Yearly Travelcard.

I explain more about Travelcards and when you should choose them later in this post. 

Oyster Cards are reusable so you can load and reload your card as many times as you need to while you’re here.

Visitors can even take their Oyster Cards back home with them and either keep them as souvenirs or hold onto them until their next trip to London! 

How to Buy a Regular Oyster Card

To get yourself an Oyster Card you can simply go to the window at any London Underground Station, including Heathrow Airport, and request one, or use some of the many self-service ticket machines at busier Underground Stations.

You will need to pay a £7.00 deposit, which will be refunded automatically as pay-as-you-go credit after one year when you make a journey with your card.

In addition to collecting your deposit at, you can also retrieve any extra money you put onto the card that you have not yet spent, up to a £10 limit.

However, the money you have loaded onto your Oyster Card does not expire, which means if you don’t spend it all before you leave, it will remain on your card until your next visit.

So if you plan to come back, simply hold onto your card.

For those who like to plan in advance, and don’t mind a non-refundable deposit of £5.00, it is possible to order a pre-loaded Visitor Oyster Card to be sent to you before you even leave the house!

How to 'Top Up' an Oyster Card

When using your contactless cards, or Google or Apple Pay, topping up is a step you get to skip.

However, for those of you still wishing to use an Oystercard, topping up is simple!

You simply go to a kiosk inside any Underground station and tap your Oyster Card on the ta card reader.

Select how much money you want to add to the card. Pay that amount either by credit/debit card or cash.

Then tap the yellow card reader again to close the deal. Watch the video below for a visual guide. 

Alternatively, as mentioned above, you can also add money to your Oyster Card at any of over 4000 shops that have the blue "Oyster Card" sign in their window.

These are called Oyster Ticket Stops. These are literally EVERYWHERE, so don't worry about not being able to find a place to top up. 

The one thing you should be mindful of is that you cannot top up your Oyster Card on a bus or at a bus stop.

If you board the bus and it flashes red for insufficient funds, the driver will tell you to leave.

Luckily, there is usually a business-savvy shop nearby that offers top-ups, but this is something to watch out for if you are planning to travel by bus. 

How Much Money Should You Add?

Because of the daily caps, you can have some certainty as to how much you need to add to your card.

Below is an example that assumes that you will be flying into and out of Heathrow Airport (during peak hours), will otherwise travel exclusively in Zones 1-2, and also assumes that you will reach the cap each day.

These prices could be slightly higher or lower, so do check out the fare table to make your calculations.

• 1-Day - £21.50 (see note below)
• 2 Days -£30.40
• 3 Days - £45.60
• 4 Days - £60.80
• 5 Days - £76.00
• 6 Days - £91.20
• 7 Days - £106.40

A 1-Day Travelcard is cheaper than a Visitor Oyster Card if you are only in town for the day as you won't get the £5 fee back.

Though, this does not take into account any offers that you might use with the Visitor Oyster Card.

You can also use the single fare finder on the Transport for London website to help you budget: www.tfl.gov.uk

TRAVELCARDS

Travelcards are prepaid cards that give you unlimited access to specific zones within London.

You can choose to either order these in advance (in which case you will be given a paper Travelcard) or you can buy them upon arrival (in which case you will be using a plastic Oyster Card with the Travel Card loaded onto it).

They work in the same way and can both be used on the Underground and buses and also give you a 3rd-off concession on Uber Boat Thames Clipper rides.

The only difference is that you must pay shipping and handling fees to receive the paper card, and in our opinion, these are much easier to lose!

As mentioned above, there are 4 different durations of Travelcards, but the most pertinent to visitors are the 1-Day Travelcard or the 7-Day Travelcard. (There's also a 1 Month and 1-year travelcard)

However, there's little reason you would ever need the 1-Day Travelcard as there is already a cap on Oyster Cards that limits the amount you can be charged per day (£8.10).

In fact, you will likely lose money if you choose the 1-Day Travelcard over a standard Oyster Card.

However, the 1-Day Travelcard makes you eligible for the 2-1 ticket program when travelcards are purchased from National Rail stations.

Many of London's top attractions allow you to get 2 tickets for the price of one when you show a valid travelcard.

A 7-Day Travelcard can be worth your while, as a 7-Day Travelcard for Zones 1-2 is £40.70 which works out less per day than the £8.10 daily cap.

It might also be worth considering if you purchase it through the London Public Transport Card , which includes a free private airport transfer.

For children over the age of 5, a one 1-Day Travelcard is £7.60 off-peak or £10.75 any time.

Don't forget that a contactless debit or credit card will 'cap out' at the price of a daily travel card meaning you never have to decide whether or not it's worth the money for your daily journeys.

GROUP DAY TRAVELCARDS

If you are visiting with 10 or more people, then a Group DayTravelcard may be the way to go.

All ticket holders must travel at the same time for the tickets to be valid, so keep that in mind!

Group travel cards are valid Off-Peak only so they are usable from 9:30 on Mondays to Fridays but any time on weekends and holidays.

Group travel cards cover Zones 1 - 6 and cost £10.00 for adults and £5.00 for children aged 5 - 16.

These can be purchased in advance or from ticket machines at Underground stations.

WHICH ONE, IF ANY, SHOULD YOU BUY?

As I said above, if you have Google Pay or Apple Pay on your smartphone or watch, just use that! If you don't, read below to find out the best option for your travel needs.

This depends on what it is you want to do and where you want to go! Note that the London Underground Map is divided into 9 different zones.

Zones 1 and 2 are in the centre, where most of the popular visitor attractions are.

When traveling across London, it’s worth remembering that the further outside of Zones 1 and 2 you need to go, the more expensive your journey can become. 

As a general rule of thumb, you can determine which ticket will be best for you depending on the length of time you are in town. 

In London for 4 Days or Fewer

Pay-As-You-Go:  The best part of Oyster Card (or contactless debit/credit card) Pay-As-You-Go is that you will never be charged more than it would cost to purchase a 1-Day-Travelcard.

Once you have spent the equivalent amount on your Oyster Card, that you would have spent for a 1-Day-Travelcard, your Oyster Card will stop deducting money from your Pay-As-You-Go balance.

Note: Oyster Card Pay-As-You-Go can also be used on KPMG Thames Clipper River services! 

In London for 5 Days or Fewer:

If you are not going to be in London for a month, which you can purchase a travel card for, then just using pay-as-you-go is your best option by far.

What are the Ticket Rates for 1-Day-Travelcards?

Rates vary depending on the time you wish to travel and how many zones you want to cover.

Zones: Most London attractions are within Zones 1 – 2 but a Zone 1 – 6 covers absolutely all of them, as well as Heathrow airport!

Time: 1-Day Travelcards and single-fare paper tickets come in two different formats: Peak and Off-Peak.

Peak means that you can use your ticket or 1-Day-Travelcard any time to travel on the Underground.

Off-Peak means your ticket is not valid on weekdays between 6:30 - 9:30 am or from 16:00 - 19:00 (4 pm till 7 pm) Mondays through Fridays.

Peak and Off-Peak do not apply on Single Cash fares or bus journeys.

NOTE: Don’t forget that you can get the 1-Day Travelcard with a London Public Transport Pass , which also provides a private transfer from the airport to the city center. 

If you need both services, this could be a good way to lower the overall price you’ll pay for a 1-Day Travelcard.

Anything Else?

I have some more interesting facts on our blog . This guide is only an overview of the most popular, cheapest, and easiest tickets you may need while you are in London.

However, for more information, including tickets for children, travel beyond Zone 6, or bus and tube maps please see the Transport for London Website: www.tfl.gov.uk .

If you found this post helpful, please share this with friends and family.  Also, be sure to check out our pay-what-you-like London walking tours .

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Oyster Card v Contactless – What’s the Best Way to Pay for London Transport?

By: Author Tracy Collins

Posted on Last updated: April 19, 2024

Confused? Wonder i ng which is best for you? Oyster Card v Contactless? Read on for our practical guide to help you decide which method is best for your London travel needs.

If you’re planning a trip to the UK capital, then no doubt you’ll be wondering about the best way to pay for London Transport . Using the city’s tubes, buses, trains and even boats and more is the ideal way to travel around – but should you get an Oyster Card or pay by using your regular contactless card?

Wherever you roam in London, having a simple, no-fuss way to pay for your journeys will make life so much easier. Freeing up some of your time and money so you can focus on other things. Such as shopping at the markets , enjoying afternoon tea or following in the footsteps of The Beatles . 

This article will take an in-depth look at the differences between paying for public transport by contactless or using a Transport for London (TfL) Oyster Card . By the end, you’ll be able to make an informed choice about which option will suit you best. 

Covered are all the pros and cons of each option, including the ways in which may benefit you in terms of saving money. We also discuss using the Pay As You Go system on London Transport in general, before considering the special deals you may be able to get as an Oyster Card holder, or when buying one in conjunction with a London Pass . 

First, let’s take a look at the three different ways you can pay for public transport in London, plus the benefits and pitfalls of each. 

💷 Cash

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• You can clearly see what you’re spending
• Cash fares often cost more
• Some forms of transport don’t accept cash
• Lost or stolen cash may be impossible to recover

There is of course a third option open to anyone who’s heading to London. Cash. Why not pay for your journeys with pounds sterling?

Alas, various forms of transport – such as London buses – cannot even accept cash payments. Where cash is accepted, it is also often the most expensive way to pay. Cash is thus best avoided. 

This also saves you having to change as much money, so really it’s a no-brainer. If you were robbed, you’d also lose all your cash, and this may not be covered by your travel insurance. By contrast, a card can be cancelled in a matter of moments. 

So we recommend ruling out cash altogether (though it’s always wise to carry a small sum in case of an emergency). Now, let’s consider using an Oyster Card vs contactless payments. 

• Paying by card means there’s less need for currency exchange
• Fare capping means you pay a maximum sum per day
• You don’t need to carry around more than one card
• Contactless payments are widely accepted
• Smartphone payments are enabled
• Your issuing bank may charge you for foreign currency transactions
• Oyster Card holder discounts are not available
• You will need to have your credit card readily on hand (may be more risk of theft)

Contactless is, if you like, the new version of cash. Instead of handing over notes or coins, you simply tap your contactless card when paying. The chip inside is read by the machine, and the amount debited directly from your account.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, contactless has become the main form of payment in the UK. It’s a simple, stress-free way to pay for goods and services – including, of course, London Transport.

The potential issue here is how much a foreign bank – that is to say, one based outside the UK – will charge you for each transaction made in pounds sterling.

Do note that Euros are not the currency in the UK, as the country has now left the EU. Do check the applicable fees carefully before you travel and pay by contactless, as you may get an unpleasant surprise otherwise!

If you want to pay using Apple or Android pay, this should be possible when using contactless with a device instead of a card. 

So is there a better option when it comes to paying for travel in London?

Click on the image above to purchase your Visitor Card

• As it’s pre-loaded, it can be easier to track your spending
• An Oyster Card is specially designed for London Transport
• Visitor Oyster Card holders can benefit from special discounts
• More than one person can use an Oyster card (at different times)
• You get a cool souvenir for your scrapbook – especially with the multi-coloured visitor Oyster Card!
• A £7 cost applies when you get a standard or visitor card
• You’ll need to top it up in advance of travel
• You can’t use an Oyster card at any station between Reading and Iver
• Some funds are likely to remain unused
• Taxis don’t accept Oyster Cards

Like contactless, an Oyster card is a payment card. It’s available as a standard or visitor Oyster Card, and either way you can top it up in advance before paying for your trips on London Transport. 

The obvious question that comes to mind here is why you might want to carry around an extra card. Are there any benefits to paying by Oyster Card versus contactless? 

There are some extra costs associated with having an Oyster Card. Whether you go for the standard or visitor version, a non-refundable £5 fee applies before you can use it.

On the plus side, an Oyster Card you’ve bought can be used by a friend or family member during a future visit. 

It’s also unlikely that you’ll use every penny stored on the Oyster Card. This means London Transport is quids in if you don’t return the card to redeem this. Many people never do. If you’re likely to be one of them, then you could also lose out.

This is because you can only top up an Oyster card in £5 increments, adding between £10 and £50 each time. Note that you can’t use Oyster Cards to pay for London taxis, though they do accept contactless payments.  

Visitor Oyster Card holders can benefit from some special discounts. These are aimed at tourists visiting London, and give money off admission prices to popular attractions. 

Now you have some idea of the differences, let’s move onto which forms of London Transport let you pay as you go. In other words, which allow you to use either contactless or an Oyster Card!

Pay As You Go on London Transport

You can use an Oyster Card or contactless payment card on the following forms of transport:

• London Underground trains
• London Overground trains – including some outside London
• Most Elizabeth line services
• The Docklands Light Railway (DLR)
• Trams 
• Thames River Buses
• The Emirates Air Line

As transport for London points out, some of the same benefits apply to both Oyster Card holders and those making contactless payments.

• Only the journeys you make are charged for
• Travel anywhere you want to, whenever you like
• Keep track of your journeys via the TfL Oyster and contactless app
• Fare capping may mean you never pay more than the price of a One Week Travelcard or Bus and Tram Pass, even if multiple journeys are made between Monday and Sunday. One day’s travel will also cost less than a One Day Travelcard or One Day Bus and Tram Pass
• You’ll need to top up an Oyster Card in advance of travel

Though historically there were key differences between using an Oyster Card and paying by contactless, there is now very little between them. 

The key now is to make sure you download the TfL Oyster & Contactless app before using London Transport for the first time. This is a free app, and is available via both the App store for Apple and Google Pay for Android. 

If you do choose to use an Oyster Card, you can top up via the app. You can also view your balance, be notified of upcoming Travelcard expiry dates, and see your journey history. The app can be used in conjunction with more than one Oyster or contactless card.

The London Pass is also worthy of consideration when you’re weighing up whether to use an Oyster Card or a contactless card. 

Some London Pass packages include an Oyster Card as part of the deal. So what is a London Pass? It’s a visitor card for those who want to see London, giving the holder use of or entry to more than 80 London attractions.

The Pass can last for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 10 days. It also includes use of hop-on, hop-off bus routes, which, combined with London Transport, can get you to just about every corner of the city. 

You can get more information in our guide to the London Pass.  

Big brands work in partnership with the London Pass , promoting their goods and services to visitors who will spend money in the UK. To attract custom, they post special offers that are exclusively available to Oyster Card holders. 

This means you may be able to take advantage of special deals on shopping, entertainment and food while in London when you have a Visitor Oyster Card.  

Oyster Card v Contactless – FAQs

Both an Oyster Card and contactless use the Pay As You Go system provided by transport for London. The difference is in the type of card, and the fact that an Oyster Card should be preloaded with credit before travel. 

They are otherwise very similar, but Visitor Oyster Card holders may additionally benefit from exclusive deals only available to cardholders. You can use the TfL Oyster & Contactless app with either type of card. 

As both cards use the same Pay As You Go system and are compatible with the TfL Oyster & Contactless app, the costs are comparable. As a tourist in London, it can be worth getting an Oyster Card as part of the London Pass. Visitor Oyster Card holders may also be given access to exclusive deals and discounts. 

The fare cap works in the same way for Oyster and contactless cards.

However you must take care to touch in, using the same card or device each time, as you board or alight from a bus, tube, train or boat. Not doing this means you may be charged the maximum fare, as Transport for London cannot track the capping accurately. 

While you don’t strictly need one, there are certain Oyster Card benefits available to visitors. You may also be able to avoid bank charges for foreign transactions by topping up and using an Oyster Card instead of a contactless card. 

If you’re considering the London Pass, then it’s worth looking at the option of getting an Oyster Card along with this. A Visitor Oyster Card may also give you access to deals on food, shopping and entertainment that are only available to holders. 

The bottom line is that both Oyster and contactless cards use the same Pay As You Go system. You cannot use a London bus and pay cash, so it’s best to pick between those two options when visiting the city. 

An Oyster Card can also make a cute souvenir for a scrapbook charting your London adventures if you’re into that sort of thing. But you may pay the £5 Oyster Card fee in return for that privilege!

Find out more about the types of Oyster Card and whether it’s worth you getting one in this post . 

• London Travel Guide – links to everything you need to know to plan your trip
• Looking for accommodation? Read our guide to where to stay in London
• First time visitors? Read our top tips for visiting London for the first time
• How to get around London? Read our guide to using public transport in London and our guide to London’s manin trains stations.
• What to see and do – Complete London bucket list with guide to all the top sights and attractions & Guide to the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace
• How to purchase tickets for London attractions – Guide to purchasing tickets for the lost popular London attractions & Best London bus tours reviewed
• Boat trips and cruises – Comparison guide to the best boat trips and cruises on the Thames
• Visiting on a budget? Read out budget guide to London with tips to save money when visiting
• Free things to do in London – Discover 32 free things to see and do in London
• Best day trips? Read our guide to the best day trips by train and our guide to the best tours from London
• Love castles? Our guide to the most popular castles to visit from London
• Beatles fan? Read our guide to the Beatles in London
• Visiting in the winter? What to do in London in winter
• UK Train Travel Guide

Oyster card or Travelcard in London: How to choose

When planning a trip to London, you need to think houw you’re going to get around and what tickets you’ll need to pay for public transport.

Buying single tickets is simply not recommended, as it works much cheaper to use a transport card or contactless payment. The transport cards that you will need to look into are basically the oyster card and the travelcard. Using contactless payment works out exactly the same as using an oyster card.

However, deciding what works best for you can be a little daunting, so we will explain the main differences and hopefully help you make that decision.

London Oyster card, Travelcard or Contactless payment

One important thing to remember is that every person needs their own card. Unless you are just using buses, in which case, more than one person can use the same card. But for trains, underground, overground, trams, riverboat services or anything else you need one card per person.

London Oyster Card: What is it

The London Oyster Card is a pay-as-you-go plastic card, the size of a credit card. In order to get one you need to pay £7, and you can top it up as many times as you need and use it again and again. It’s valid for travel on the Underground, overground, DLR (docklands light rail), TFL rail, Emirates airline, and some trains. It’s also valid for travel within any of London’s Travel Zones , so you don’t need to choose what zones you will need it for when buying one. Every time you use it, the fare will be calculated depending on the travel zones that you have travelled to and from, and the time of the day you have made the journey (peak / off-peak).

It is the best option if you are visiting London and going to use London’s public transport a few times a day, for example, if you need to travel to get to central London from your hotel, then to get to a different place in London and then back to the hotel.

With an oyster card, you will pay for each journey you make, and there is a maximum daily cap. Once you have reached this daily cap, you will not get charged any more for extra journeys.

⇒ Read More about London Oyster Card

Contactless Payment on London Transport

This is slowly becoming the most popular option for paying for London’s public transport. Contactless payments work exactly the same as the oyster card, with exactly the same fares, and it saves you having to spend £7 on an Oyster Card.

A few things to have in mind if you are travelling to London from abroad are transaction fees and exchange rates. But in this case, you’ll find that nowadays, cards such as Revolut have made travelling much easier.

⇒ Read more about contactless payments on London Transport

London Travelcard

The London travelcard entitles you to unlimited travel for a set number of days within the London Travel Zones chosen.

This card that can be purchased for 1 day, 1 week, 1 month or 1 year, and with it, you have unlimited travel for the London transport zones you have chosen.

Generally speaking, a one-day London travelcard is something I don’t usually recommend as the oyster card’s daily cap is cheaper than the one day travelcard. A 7-day travelcard is helpful if you are going to use London’s public transport a lot (which doesn’t need to be the case if you plan your trip well), if you are going to be travelling outside of zones 1 – 4 every day or if you go are going to spend more than five days in London.

⇒ Read more about the London Travelcard

How to choose between Oyster Card, Contactless or Travelcard

To choose between an oyster card or travelcard to save as much money as possible when planning a trip to London, there are two things that we must take into account: The number of days that you are going to be in London and the travel zones that you are going to travel to and from:

Number of days

As a general rule, after comparing prices, I usually recommend a London Oyster Card or Contactless payment method if you are going to be in London for less than five days. If you are staying in London for more than 5 days, it’s probably worth getting a 7-day travelcard.

Travel zones

If you are buying a travelcard, you need to know what zones you’ll be using. London’s most popular attractions are mostly in zone 1. Some tourist attractions can be found in zone 2, such as Camden Town Market. But you also need to have in mind where your hotel is.

⇒ Read more about London Travel Zones

Oyster Card Daily Capping: Something to keep in mind when choosing between Oyster Card, Contactless or Travelcard

I must mention that the oyster card has a daily cap, and once this daily cap has been reached for certain travel zones, you can travel for free within the same travel zones. You still need to use your oyster card as you normally would, but you won’t be charged.

The cheapest one-day travelcard for costs £15.20. This is the price of the 1-day travel card for zone 1, zones 1-2, 1-3 and 1-4. The maximum daily cap when using an oyster in zones 1 and 2 of London is £8.10, £9.60 for zones 1-3 and £11.70 for zones 1-4. So, if you use an oyster card and travel in zones 1 and 2, once you have reached £8.10 you can travel free within zones 1 and 2.

2023 Fares Comparison: Daily Oyster Card Cap – 1 Day Travelcard – 7 Day Travelcard.

What’s cheaper according to number of days and travel zones, taking into account 2023 fares, what you should never do if you land at heathrow airport.

If you are thinking about buying a London travelcard for your stay in London if you are going to be in London for more than 5 days, and you arrive at Heathrow airport, we wouldn’t recommend that you buy a 7-day travelcard for zones 1 – 6 at Heathrow underground station to use during your whole stay as you will be paying too much.

I would recommend that you buy an oyster card at Heathrow underground station, and add a zone 1-4 travelcard onto it (if you are going to be in London more than 5 days), but use it with pay-as-you-go credit to get to central London on the first day and then again when you return to Heathrow airport.

Transport passes for children in London

Children under the age of 11 travel free within London travel zones. Children over 11 can also benefit from reduced fares; you can find out more about this in our article: Travelling in London with kids .

Find out more

For more information, visit London’s official transport website: Transport For London

Related Posts

London underground, london travel zones, travelling in london with kids, contactless payment on london transport.

What is your recommendation for buying a ticket for an 11 day stay in London (2 adults and children 16 and 13 years old). Hotel accommodation in Sutton with daily travel to and from the city centre, travel within zone 1-2 during the day + a day visit to the Harry Potter Studio. Thank you very much.

Hi Jan, Personally I wouldn’t recommend Sutton if you are going to travel to Central London every day as you would need to combine Underground with trains. We know some people that live near Sutton and most of the times the trains have delays or cancellations. The Harry Potter Studios are located in North London, while Sutton is in the South, so that day you would need around 2 hours to go there and another 2 hours to come back…

Also, depending on the airport that you would be arriving to, I would recommend a different area to find accommodation.

Hope it helps. If you have any questions about any other areas let us know.

Have a nice day!

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On this page, fare zone maps (pdf), public transport london, fares & payments, london airport transfers, cruise port transfers, travel to / from london, most popular tours.

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Best London transport pass - Oyster, Travelcard or Contactless

Make an informed choice on the right london travel pass for you with question and answer blog if needed.

If you want the best public transport deal for your visit to London there is no doubt that at first sight the various ticketing options are bewildering. There is no universal best option, each option has its own market.

Invest just a little time into understanding the options and by picking the right solution for you. As well as saving significant money you will also save time and have a stress-free experience.

We have a dedicated detailed analysis page explaining in detail the differences between the various ticketing options (see link below). This page is a more simplified step by step approach to identifying the best public transport pass for you in London.

Oyster, Travelcard or Contactless - detailed comparison of your ticketing options

After reading both pages if you are still confused then you can Ask Bob at the foot of this page, where you can discuss your particular situation.

Select the right pass   Contactless cards   Visitor Oyster & Oyster   Frequently asked questions   Still confused? Ask Bob  

Selecting the right transport pass for you

For the tourist or those making short visits to London there are aspects of the Travelcard that make them very appealing and if understood can make Travelcards cheaper than Oyster cards or contactless payment cards, especially if you are visiting the major sights on a first-time visit.

So all in all it can be quite confusing for the visitor planning their visit to London to make an informed choice.

This page discusses the differences between Oyster, Contactless Payment Cards and Travelcards so you can identify the right product for you, our detailed Travelcard , Contactless Payment Cards and Oyster card pages give a full explanation of each.

Contactless Payment Cards - on paper best for many but with major drawbacks

Contactless payment cards have become mainstream for payment of public transport in London. In the long term this type of technology may well become dominant, replacing Oyster as the most popular payment method.

The big attraction of contactless payment is you can use your own credit/debit card or even your mobile phone linked to an Apple Pay account with no need to purchase any dedicated transport ticket.

Contactless payment uses Oyster fares, the lowest fares unless you are staying more than five days.

The main reasons why visitors do not use contactless payment:

• If you are from overseas your fares will converted from pounds sterling to your local currency daily by your provider, often with significant foreign exchange charges.
• Each person needs their own contactless supported credit/debit card or mobile phone account, you cannot share.
• If you are staying and travelling in London for more than 5 days in any 7, a 7 day Travelcard is cheaper than Oyster fares.
• Concessionary fares (including children) are not supported by contactless payment.

Contactless Payment - full details

Visitor Oyster cards & Oyster cards

Oyster fares are the lowest fares and if you are not using contactless payment then you need to buy an Oyster card to gain access to the Oyster fares.

For most overseas visitors an Oyster card or a Visitor Oyster card is the most popular ticketing solution.

A lot of visitors are under the impression that a Visitor Oyster card is in some way a better deal than a standard Oyster card purchased in London, but on balance the reverse is true.

The only reason to purchase a Visitor Oyster card is if you are happy to pay a price premium for a less flexible product just for the convenience of having the Oyster cards in your hands before departure to London.

Oyster cards bought in London have a refundable deposit of £5, Visitor Oyster cards have a non refundable deposit of £5.

Oyster cards bought in London allow you to load Travelcards (but not 1 day Travelcards) onto your Oyster. If you are staying 6 or more days a 7 day Travelcard will probably be cheaper than Oyster alone. Visitor Oyster cards do not have this capability.

Oyster cards - full details

Do you have any children under 18 years?

If yes, read the article linked below about obtaining half price or free child fares before you go any further and factor this into your Oyster v Travelcard decision. (Contactless payment cards are not an option for concessionary fares like children).

I’m afraid child fares are really complex so it is worth taking some time to understand the options available.

Child fares on London Transport - full details

In London 5 or more days? (Combining Travelcards and Oyster)

If you are travelling 3 or more times a day for 5 or more days in any 7 day period then a 7 day Travelcard becomes cheaper than an Oyster card.

If you are staying in London for say 10 days or are staying in the outer zones where your travel patterns may well be more irregular in terms of which travel zones you travel through, it may well suit you to combine Oyster and Travelcard, sometimes using both for the same journey.

For Oyster cards bought in London (but not Visitor Oyster cards) you can load 7 day, monthly or annual Travelcards onto the Oyster card. You cannot load Travelcards onto contactless payment cards.

So, if you have an Oyster Card with money loaded onto it under Pay As You Go and a 7 day Travelcard zone 1/2 loaded onto the same Oyster Card, a classic example of where it becomes beneficial to the visitor is outlined below:

You are flying into Heathrow (Zone 6) and staying in a hotel in Central London (Zone 1) and sightseeing for 9 days before flying out of Heathrow. One day you are visiting Hampton Court in Zone 5.

What you can do is buy an Oyster card at Heathrow Airport Underground Station and load some money onto it immediately and use it as an Oyster card. On the third day you buy a 7 day Travelcard zone 1 and 2 and load that onto the Oyster card.

For the next 7 days all your travelling is in the central zones except the airport trip on the last day and your trip to Hampton Court. On 5 of the days where you are exclusively travelling in zones 1 and 2 the Travelcard covers all of your travel needs.

On the journeys to and from Hampton Court and to Heathrow the system will take from your Oyster an extension fee to cover the part of the journey outside zones 1 and 2 covered by your Travelcard. This is performed automatically with no input on your part.

1-day Travelcard cannot be loaded onto Oyster Cards

If you buy Travelcards only and for a duration of 7 days upwards, unless you buy from a national railways ticket office in London or online from an overseas agent, your Travelcard will come loaded on an Oyster Card. If your Travelcard is purchased from a railways ticket office or online in advance it comes in the format of a card ticket with a magnetic strip, not on an Oyster.

Travelcards - full details

Is sightseeing a major part of your visit to London?

If you are visiting places like the Tower of London, Madame Tussauds etc there is a railways promotion that is available to people with Travelcards purchased from the railways that is not available to Oyster card holders.

Under the promotion one person pays the full adult admission, the other goes in free. For places like the Tower of London that’s a saving of over £20 – savings can easily be more than the cost of the fares that day!

The savings are substantial, and you have to jump through a few hoops, but many end up buying Travelcards purely on the basis of obtaining these savings on your sightseeing, even though an Oyster card would be cheaper for the transport alone.

Railways 2 for 1 sightseeing promotion - full details

Are you travelling in a group of 10 or more?

If you are travelling in a group of 10 or more a 1 Day Group Travelcard may be cheaper than either Travelcard or Oyster card, but only if you travel outside zones 1 to 3.

This is the only group fare available. There are no family fares or passes either for smaller groups.

1 Day Group Travelcard - full details

Travelling to and from London's airports

Heathrow airport.

Heathrow Airport is in Zone 6 of London’s transport system. You cannot use Oyster or Travelcards on the Heathrow Express trains to/from Heathrow, but you can use them on the Underground, TFL Rail Heathrow and London buses at Heathrow.

Do not get a 7 Day Travelcard for zones 1 to 6 just to cover the Underground transfers from Heathrow. Get a 7 Day Travelcard zone 1 to 2 loaded onto an Oyster to cover the airport trips, you will save a lot of money this way. (See example in the “In London 5 or More Days” section above)

City Airport

City Airport is in Zone 3 of London’s transport system and is served by the DLR system that connects with the London Underground.

Gatwick Airport

You can use Oyster pay as you go and contactless cards on train services between London and Gatwick Airport, but you cannot use Travelcards.

Whether it's a good idea to use Oyster rather than buy tickets from the railways is another question and a complex one to answer. You will need to carefully read our dedicated pages on the Gatwick trains and understand how Oyster works to make an informed comparison.

Gatwick - London trains - full details

Luton, Southend & Stansted Airports

Neither Oyster or Travelcard go out to any of these airports, so your airport transfers are a separate purchase to your London transport.

Just making 1 or 2 journeys?

You cannot pay cash and buy a single ticket on the buses. On the trains and underground you can buy a single ticket but it comes at a punitive price for most journeys compared to Oyster.

If you have a credit/debit card that supports contactless payment then use it, this will be your cheapest fare, though if you are from overseas your provider may have foreign exchange charges. Oyster Cards have the same fare structure as contactless payment cards.

If you have neither Oyster or contactless payment card then you have an awkward decision. You can pay single cash fares on the underground and trains, but not buses. For most journeys you will pay a significant price premium over Oyster fares.

You can get an Oyster card. This ensures you have the cheapest fares but you have the hassle of the Oyster deposit on purchase then cancelling your Oyster at the end of your trip to reclaim your deposit and any balance left on the card.

Still confused, got something you want to add? Ask Bob!

If your requirement is complex or not neatly addressed by the above just make a comment or ask a question below. Normally, Bob, our resident expert and author of this page will reply within 24 hours.

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Oyster Card vs Contactless: How to Pay for Public Transport in London

Last updated: March 13, 2024 . Written by Laurence Norah - 66 Comments

I recently wrote a post about the best ways to get around London . That’s all well and good, but it’s missing a key component – the most cost-effective way to actually pay for transport in London.

You’d think this would be a fairly obvious answer, but unfortunately, it’s a little bit more complicated than you might imagine. Fear not though, this post will guide you through the options and help you decide which payment option is best for using London’s public transport system!

First, there are three ways that you can pay for the majority of public transport in London. These are cash, the London Oyster Card, and a contactless enabled credit / debit card. Let’s look quickly at these three options, and then figure out which is right for you.

Payment Options for Travel in London: Cash, Contactless and Oyster

Cash – Cash is by far the worst way to pay for transport in London, and should be avoided in pretty much all cases, with the exception of taxis (although these accept contactless and credit cards too).

Usually, cash fares are much higher than the other payment options, plus some services, like the bus, don’t even accept cash any more. Basically, don’t use cash to pay directly for your ticket in London if you can avoid it!

If you do want to use cash, the best option is to buy an Oyster Card. These can be purchased and topped up with cash at most stations. Just be sure to use a machine that accepts cash, or go to a ticket counter.

Oyster Card – The Oyster card is a London-wide rechargeable card, designed to be re-used, and accepted on pretty much every form of London transport. There are a number of versions of this card, however for the purposes of this post we’re going to focus on the standard blue Oyster card that you can purchase in London from most train and tube stations.

For more on the different kinds of Oyster card, including the benefits of buying a visitor Oyster card in advance, and detailed information on how to actually use an Oyster card for travel in London, read this detailed post on using the London Oyster card .

Contactless – The most recent payment option for travel in London is a bank issued credit or debit card which has been enabled for contactless transactions. This means that the card has a chip in it which can be read wirelessly when held near a contactless enabled reader.

As well as being able to use these cards for normal transactions, you can also use contactless cards to pay for travel in London. These can be used instead of buying tickets with cash or using an Oyster card. If you have an Apple Pay or Google pay enabled smartphone, you can also use this as a contactless payment option.

So those are the three options. In this post we’re going to focus on the Oyster Card and Contactless Cards, to see which one is best for you when paying for travel in London.

Given the high cost of buying tickets with cash, and the fact that cash isn’t even accepted on a few transport options, we’re going to ignore cash as a payment option in this post, and advise you to do so also.

Contactless vs Oyster Cards for London Travel

Contactless – which public transport supports it in london.

Currently contactless can be used to pay for travel on the following public transport options in London: bus, tube, tram, DLR, London Overground, IFS Cloud Cable Car, River Bus, and the majority of National Rail services inside London.

You can also use contactless for some airport services, including Gatwick Express and Heathrow Express. See our guide to getting to London from the airport for more information.

You can also pay for all black taxis using contactless, assuming the fare is less than the contactless threshold of £100. Note that black taxis are separate to other forms of public transport in London and are billed separately – they don’t fall inside travel cards, caps, or other payment schemes.

Basically, anywhere you can already use an Oyster card, you can use a contactless card – just look for the yellow Oyster card reader and don’t forget to touch in (and out, if necessary) to pay for your journey – see more here for details of how to use the different public transport options in London.

Advantages of Contactless

It’s already on a card you own: if you already have a supported contactless credit card or smartphone, using this for your travel is more convenient than getting a separate Oyster card, which you have to pay a deposit on and keep topped up.

Doesn’t need to be charged up: One of the main problems with Oyster is that it’s a preload system, so you need to have credit on the card in order to use it. You can set it up to automatically reload itself, but if you’re a visitor to London this extra hassle might not be worth it.

Instead, you’ll find yourself queuing at reload stations at tube stops, and if you’re at a bus stop with no credit you’re going to be out of luck as most of them don’t have reload points. Contactless cards are linked to your bank account, so as long as you have credit, you’ll always be good to go.

You can use a mobile payment system such as Google Pay or Apple Pay : If your smartphone supports a contactless payment system, then you don’t even need to carry a contactless card – you can just link your contactless card to your smartphone payment system, and pay with that. One less thing to carry!

Can be cheaper in certain situations: sometimes Contactless can be slightly cheaper for daily fares, especially if you are travelling from further out in London, due to a difference in the way daily capping works across zones. This isn’t usually a big difference, but can make contactless a little bit cheaper in some situations for daily journeys too.

Disadvantages of Contactless

Doesn’t support all foreign issued cards: You shouldn’t have a problem using UK issued contactless enabled cards on Visa, Mastercard, Maestro and American Express to pay for your travel on London transport.

Unfortunately, this isn’t true for foreign issued contactless cards, as standards appear to differ. Currently, all American Express contactless cards should work fine. Then, some foreign issued Mastercard, Maestro and Visa cards will work, and some won’t. There’s no definitive list – it’s a case of try it and see!

Foreign transaction fees: If you are using a foreign issued card, even if it is supported by the Oyster contactless system, you need to check to see if it incurs foreign transaction fees.

Contactless payments are in GBP, so if your card issuer charges you transaction fees for foreign currency transactions, then these costs could outweigh the savings of contactless. Check with your card provider before you travel to see if this is the case.

Concessions can’t be added: A big disadvantage of contactless is that the system currently doesn’t support concessions, such as those for seniors, students, and children of a certain age.

If, for example, you’re a visitor to London travelling with children aged 11-15, you will want to use Oyster cards or travelcards in order to get discounted travel, such as with the Young Visitors Discount which offers 50% off travel when loaded to an Oyster card.

Children under 11 qualify for free travel with a fare paying adult, and this does work with contactless. You will just have to use the wider ticket barriers (marked for accessible / luggage) in tube stations so you can pass through together.

See more about how this works when travelling with children here , and more on available concessions here .

Oyster – Which public transport supports it in London?

Oyster works on all the same public transport options in London as contactless, namely, bus, tube, tram, DLR, London Overground, IFS Cloud Cable Car, River Bus, and the majority of National Rail services inside London.

Note that you cannot use your Oyster card to pay for a black taxi in London.

The Oyster Card is also not supported on private services like Hop on Hop off buses, which you would need to purchase separately. You can see some Hop on Hop off options in London here for an idea of pricing.

Hop on Hop off transport options are also included on a card like the London Pass , which might be a good option if you plan on doing a lot of sightseeing when in the city.

Advantages of Oyster

It works and support is available. As noted not all contactless cards work with the system but the Oyster card should always work. If there are problems, you can get support or get your credit refunded if your card is registered on the TfL website .

Easier to keep track of spending: Because you have to load your Oyster card, it’s easier to keep an eye on how much you are spending on London transport and you can set a limit much easier.

That said, I don’t think this makes a great difference to your average person as you will likely have to travel anyway, but it’s something to keep in mind if you like to restrict your spend on public transport.

Supports travelcards: One of the main advantages of the Oyster card is that it supports travelcards. These are fixed payment pre-paid options, where you pay a certain amount for unlimited travel inside specific London zones for a weekly, monthly or annual price.

With weekly fare capping, this has become less of an advantage, because the price of a seven-day travelcard on Oyster is the same as the weekly cap on contactless. However, a seven-day Oyster travel card is valid for seven days from when you activate it, regardless of which day of the week it is, whereas contactless capping is fixed for Monday – Sunday.

If you are in London for seven days starting anytime outside of that Monday – Sunday period, and will be travelling enough to make the travel card worth it, then it will be better value than a contactless card.

Supports cash : If you want to pay for your transport in London using cash, you can buy and top up an Oyster card with cash. This is normally a lot more cost effective than paying for a cash ticket, with the rare exception of a one-off single journey as you have to consider the cost of the Oyster card.

Supports concessions: As discussed above, if you are travelling with children, or are a London resident who qualifies for one of the discounts and concessions available to adults (see here for full list), you will want to use the Oyster card that matches your concession in order to get the best deal on transport in London. As a visitor to London with children aged 11-15, you can also add a Young Visitor discount to an Oyster card for savings.

Visitor Oyster Card Discounts: If you buy a visitor Oyster card prior to your trip to the UK, such as the one included with the London Pass , it qualifies you for some discounts. I’d not say these are worth buying the card for specifically, but they are good to know about.

Disadvantages of Oyster

You have to pay a deposit: When you first get a regular Oyster card, you have to pay £7. This used to be refundable, but as of 2020 this £7 is added to the card as credit a year after your purchase.

This credit happens when you take a journey using the card between one year and eighteen months after first activating it. If you don’t use the card in that six-month window, the credit is lost. If you are only visiting London for a short time, this might not be credit you can use, meaning there’s a tangible £7 cost associated with using it.

Note the Visitor Oyster Card only costs £5 to buy, but this is a fee and does not become a credit. For most visitors though, the £7 of the regular Oyster card is lost anyway.

It has to be recharged: One of the main downsides of Oyster is that it’s a pay as you go card that needs to have credit on it use it. This is fine if much of your travel is by tube as the majority of tube stations have machines that you can top-up on.

However, if you travel by bus a lot (often the most cost-effective way to get around London), you’ll have to go out of your way to find a charge point, as most bus stops don’t have them. If you register your card online, you can mitigate this issue by setting up auto top up.

Can’t be used on taxis: This isn’t really a big deal, but it’s worth bearing in mind that you can’t use your Oyster card on taxis. To be honest, the higher fares associated with taxi rides mean we’d suggest avoiding using a taxi unless you really want a direct trip from point A to point B, however, we’ve added it for completion!

There will always be leftover funds:  Because Oyster is a pay as you go system, you have to have funds on the card to use it. Because trips vary in fee, it’s almost impossible to get the card to zero. So if you stop using the card, there will be leftover money on it.

You can get this money back by returning the card, but we suspect most people don’t do this. TfL have shared that as of 2019 there’s over £400 million in unused balances and deposits!

Should You Use Oyster or Contactless to Pay for Public Transport in London?

First, if you are visiting London and don’t have a contactless payment card, I wouldn’t worry too much about trying to get one just for the trip to London – the Oyster system will suit you just fine.

If you would like to pick up a visitor Oyster card in advance, you can do so from this link .

Alternatively, if you are coming to London as a visitor, you can buy an Oyster card in a package with the London Pass here and save on attraction entry as well. See our review of the London Pass here .

The situation changes if you already have a contactless card which is compatible with the public transport system in London.

In the majority of cases, if you have a contactless enabled credit or debit card supported by the London transport network, then you should use it to pay for travel in London. It’s the easiest and most convenient way to pay, is supported on every form of transport, and in most cases is either cheaper or the same price as using an Oyster card.

The main times you should NOT use your contactless card are:

• If your card is not UK issued and your card issuer charges you fees for overseas transactions that make it more costly than Oyster
• If you are eligible for a concession , such as when you are travelling with children aged 11-15, or if you are a senior citizen resident in London
• If you are buying a weekly 7-day travelcard for travel exclusively outside Zone 1 (unlikely as a visitor to London)
• If you are buying a weekly 7-day travelcard, and you will travel enough to hit the daily cap on at least five out of those seven days and your trip is for a week-long period that isn’t from a Monday – Sunday.
• If you are buying a monthly travelcard for travel in London – this is not possible on contactless and there is no monthly capping

There are no doubt some more situations where an Oyster card or travelcard might be cheaper than contactless. Usually, figuring this out will require you to do a bit of math and have a detailed understanding of your exact travel plans, which might take more time than is worth the small saving!

As a visitor, we believe that in the majority of cases if you already have a contactless card you are going to find that it is both cheaper and easier to use contactless for your London travel, outside of the five points listed above. If one of those does apply, you can get an Oyster card here before you visit, or simply buy one on arrival.

Our advice therefore, is to use your contactless card for London travel if the five points above don’t apply to you. It’s easy and convenient, you don’t need to worry about recharging it, and you benefit from daily and weekly caps for travel, meaning it will likely be cheaper than the other options in nearly every case faced by most visitors to London.

Does Oyster Support Weekly Capping?

Until the end of September 2021, only contactless supported weekly capping on fares across the whole network. Both Oyster and Contactless have long supported daily capping (meaning you won’t ever pay more for your travel than if you had purchased a one day travel card), however until September 2021 only contactless supported the Monday – Sunday weekly cap.

As of 28th September 2021, both Oyster and contactless support both daily and weekly caps across the TfL network, which is great news for Oyster card users as it can be a significant saving.

For an example, if all your travel is within zones 1 and 2, the current weekly cap is £42.70 (as of March 2024). This weekly cap is calculated for travel from Monday through to Sunday, meaning it works best if your travel starts on a Monday. For comparison, the daily cap in zones 1 and 2 is £8.50. Over seven days, that works out to £59.50.

Tips for using your payment method

Once you have picked your payment method, be that contactless, Oyster or a smartphone payment system – make sure you stick to it, and only swipe that payment method on the reader! If you hold two payment methods near the terminal, it will randomly pick one of them, meaning you could be double charged if you don’t touch out with the same card.

If you are using a Google or Apple smartphone to pay, make sure you use that consistently. If you have a payment card registered on the device and decide to switch to the physical card instead of using the smartphone, or vice versa, this is technically registered as a different payment card.

This is actually a good workaround if there are two of you travelling together and you only have one contactless payment card. You can add the card to your Apple or Google device, and then one person can use the physical card and the other one can use the smartphone version.

We also highly recommend you register your payment method online with TfL . This has multiple benefits, including being able to keep track of your spending, and in the case of an Oyster card, you can reclaim and funds on it if you lose it!

Further Reading

We have plenty of further reading to help you plan your trip to London, both content we’ve created based on our experiences, and third-party content we think you’ll find useful.

• Looking for things to do in London? See this complete list on GetYourGuide of attractions, tickets and tours for some ideas!
• Our detailed guide to public transport in London
• The official TfL website , which will give you information on tickets, routes and any updates to services in the forms of delays or cancellations
• Jess’s detailed guide to the London pass , which will help you decide if this is a good way for you to save money on your London sight-seeing. The London Pass has a package option to include a Oyster Card and currently also includes Hop-on, Hop-off bus passes, which can be a great transport option.
• My guides for London must do’s in one day, as well as a detailed two day London itinerary . If you have longer in London, we also have a detailed six day London itinerary
• Harry Potter fans will want to check out our guide to the key Harry Potter filming locations in London
• Jess’s guide to a 1-day walking tour of the highlights of London .
• The Eyewitness Travel Guide to London , which has all sorts of information within, including more itineraries and ideas for your trip
• Rick Steve’s London guide, the #1 bestseller on Amazon for UK travel guides, and always an excellent source of relevant information

And that sums up our post on the best way to pay for public transport in London! As always, if you’ve got any comments or thoughts, let us know in the comments below!

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Venkat says

17th May 2024 at 4:39 pm

Don’t buy Oyester card, if you have wifi enabled contact less card. Recently as a family of 4 members visited London. we purchased 4 oyester cards with 7 pounds non refundable deposit in each card. we have to add topup balance for travelling. at the end of our trip we couldn’t able to get the 7 pounds, which is non refundable.bit is is big amount. I don’t know why that much of amount fixed as non refundable. The actual cost of making Oyester card is less than 1 pound and Non refundable amount also should be less than 1 pound. We also used contact less card in buses and they are working fine. If you already have contact less card, don’t buy Oyester card

Laurence Norah says

17th May 2024 at 4:42 pm

Yes, this is correct. As I say in this guide, if you have a contactless credit card this is normally the best way to pay for transport in London. The only exception is if your card charges fees for overseas transactions, or if you are travelling with children who qualify for the young visitor discount, as this can save you quite a bit as well. I hope you enjoyed your time in London!

Jessica says

9th April 2024 at 8:11 pm

Thank you for your post because this is far too complicated than it should be. I was directed to get a Friends and Family Railcard. This doesn’t work in conjunction with Contactless but I guess there is a way to link it to Oyster. I’m just wondering what makes the most sense.

We will be travelling from Heathrow Terminal to Zone 1 Travelling on Stansted Express from Liverpool Street Station to Stansted Airport Considering the train to Windsor Castle and/or Stonehenge Would likely do a day pass for Zone 1-2 one day,

With friends and family kids 4 and under are free but with Oyster there is a photo card where kids under 11 are free with adult ticket. Our kids are 2 & 6 yrs.

It’s very hard to determine if Family Railcard vs Oyster makes sense. I assume with the railcard I just have to purchase online. Would you get both the Family Railcard and Oyster and try linking them? Do you think the 5-11 photocard is a necessity? Any input or suggestions is appreciated!

14th April 2024 at 11:06 am

It’s my pleasure and I agree it can be a bit complicated. Honestly, if you have contactless that will probably be the simplest option. It applies a cap to your travel on both a daily and weekly basis, so you never pay more than a certain amount. For your children, the photocard is only important if they are traveling alone. Kids under 11 travel for free when accompanied by an adult, so you don’t need a photo card for them. The photo card is more designed for local residents who take public transport to school for example.

The Friends and Family railcard would save you some money on your transport to Windsor Castle and Stonehenge, but as you have to pay to get it you’d want to check if it would actually end up saving you money. Again, it’s designed more for regular travelers as it’s valid for a year. It saves most families quite a bit over a year if used for a few trips, but might not be worth it in your case for just a couple of journeys. You’d likely save more by just booking your train tickets well in advance, which is how to get the best value fares.

Let me know if you have any more questions and have a great time in the UK!

Nilesh Sahni says

7th January 2024 at 4:27 pm

We are couple visiting London for 8 days and planning to go to Edinburgh by LNER rail. We are comfortable with contactless cards to commute in London, but I saw there are some railcard concessions on booking LNER tickets for Edinburgh.

I’m getting inclined to purchase twotogether railcard to make use of this concession. Please suggest is it worth buying this railcard just for LNER rail concession or is there any other better alternate to book this travel.

9th January 2024 at 1:35 pm

A railcard can definitely save you money on train tickets. However, the best way to save is by booking as far in advance as you can. For example, a standard single from London to Edinburgh is around £193 at the moment. If you book in advance as far as you can, prices are as low as £44.10 currently for one person one way. I believe tickets can be booked up to 90 days in advance of travel.

In terms of a railcard, whether or not it will save you will depend on the ticket. With the previous example:

2 advanced singles without railcard would be £88.20 without the railcard, and £58.20 with the railcard. 2 anytime singles without railcard would be £387.8, and £255.90 with.

I believe the Two Together railcard costs £30. In the first case, the saving would be exactly the same, however I assume you are doing a return journey so yes you would end up saving. In the second case, you would definitely save.

Have a great trip!

Amanda Smith says

6th September 2023 at 4:16 pm

We will be traveling to London for the first time soon. We’re planning on staying in the city for a while then traveling to the Cotswolds for a few days before we head back to the airport. We are trying to decide on the best way to do this. We could rent a car in London but we’re a little intimidated about driving through the city (on the side of the road we are unaccustomed to driving on), or I’m thinking we could take a train to a less populated city (like Oxford, for example) and rent a car there to head to our final destination. My question is this: Can you use the contactless system and Oyster cards for the train? If so, is there some cost advantage to using one or the other? Do I need to book the train in advance? And finally, do any of these sound like a decent plan, or do you have a better option?

6th September 2023 at 4:23 pm

This is a great question. So I would highly recommend not renting your car in London. I’m actually doing something similar right now with a trip around Wales, so rather than rent in London I took the train to Cardiff and will be renting to and from Cardiff instead. London is challenging to drive in, plus there are the issues of the congestion charge zone AND the Ultra Low Emissions Zone to contend with. So best to skip all that if you can!

Oxford, Bath or Bristol would all be good options for getting to the Cotswolds. I’d probably err towards either Bath or Oxford as they are smaller so easier to drive from. I’d definitely suggest picking up and dropping the car at the same location as it avoids the one-way fee.

For trains, the Oyster card doesn’t work beyond London. However it’s easy enough to book train travel in the UK. There are direct trains from London Paddington train station to both Oxford (around an hour) and Bath (around 1.5 hours), and you can book trains online using a site like trainline . You can also just buy tickets on the day if you prefer with contactless payment from a ticket machine, but if you book in advance you normally get a better price and, depending on the train, a reserved seat. However you don’t have to book in advance.

Hopefully this answers your questions, but if not do let me know and I will do my best to help out! Have a great time in the UK. I’d also suggest reading my tips for driving in the UK which might give you some pointers 🙂

Jeremy says

15th October 2022 at 5:44 pm

Thank you for the detailed write up. A question: Instead if using one contactless and one physical card, can I use 2 contactless iPhones (Apple Pay) linked to the same card? As I do not intend to bring the physical card along. Thank you.

16th October 2022 at 3:45 pm

Yep, that would work! Every device creates it’s own “virtual card”, which the Oyster system sees as it’s own card.

Keith Pugsley says

19th September 2022 at 7:06 pm

Thanks for the Blog. With a son just starting study in London I have looked into this ‘minefield’ of confusion. If you have the knowledge (and inclination) I’d value your thoughts on the questions I still have. 18+ Oyster card talks of ‘discounted travel’ but all I can see from the Tfl website is that there is a discount for purchasing Travel cards. No mention of discount on fares. The only discount I can see for fares is if it is linked to a Railcard and then there is a 30% discount on off-peak travel on the tube. However you can link a Railcard to a standard Oyster card and also get this discount so what is the point of a student oyster card? Then it seems you have to pay a £20 ‘admin fee’ to get the student oyster card, whereas it seems you only pay £5 for a regular adult card. The Tfl site says for pay as you go using ‘contactless’ you don’t get cheaper fares! But this is not explained. just another ‘hanging statement’. If you are able to throw any light on this I’d be most grateful. Thanks.

20th September 2022 at 9:20 am

I hear you, the TfL website is a bit of a maze when it comes to finding things out. You are correct, the 18+ Oyster card does not offer discounted travel on pay as you go fares, only on Travelcards, for which there is a 30% discount. I think the theory is that this is aimed at someone who will be travelling multiple times a week, for whom a travel card would make sense, and so then there is the added benefit of a 30% discount.

The question really is to think about how often your son is likely to need to travel using public transport. If it is going to be at least 4 days a week, then a travel card with the discount is likely going to save money. If it’s less than that, then there might not be any savings, in which case just using a normal contactless bank card for payment, or an Oyster card, might be just as cost effective.

You are also correct that there is a railcard option, which might make sense if your son already has a railcard. I think the option exists to link it to a student Oyster card because you can still use a student oyster card as a normal Oyster card without adding the discounted travel card to it, so this would save someone having to carry two cards.

I hope this helps a bit. My main suggestion is to look at where your son will be living and his travel requirements, and then doing a bit of math to see which option is going to work out the most cost effective. I also wish him the best with this stage of his life 🙂

tawny own says

12th September 2022 at 3:58 pm

Thank you! Info which I think was not covered in the article – can you use cash to buy and top up an Oyster card – and which is difficult or impossible to find on the TfL site. Have spent about an hour trying to find out.

12th September 2022 at 3:59 pm

Thanks! I’ve updated the post to make this clearer, that you can definitely use cash to top up an Oyster card, as well as to buy one. The larger machines at tube stations accept cash, as do the ticket counters at stations with ticket counters.

5th September 2022 at 8:25 pm

My wife and I will be traveling from US to London soon. (4 days) We have a good no foreign fees contactless card, but the card is a joint account. Can we use the same card for two riders for underground/bus fare? I’m would like to use contactless for the reasons that you mentioned -(Initial charge for the Oyster card – how much to put on it – and we are sure to have unused money on it)

on another note – Quick question-transportation from Heathrow to city center can be cheaper and faster than a cab- but we will have luggage and need a transfer from station to the hotel (Westminster area). thoughts? Thanks Ken and I will also check out your other trips on visiting London

6th September 2022 at 10:43 am

So you can’t use the same physical card, but what you can do is use a virtual version of the card. So if you have a smartphone that supports contactless payments (Google Wallet or Apple Pay for example), or a smartwatch, then you can add the card to that device and use that as a second card. Because the smartphone assigns it a virtual card number, it works as a separate card for the purposes of the TfL system. This is fully supported and my wife and I do this, so I know it definitely works.

If you don’t have an app or supported phone, then you can also purchase an Oyster Card easily and load it up.

For transport to central London, for sure, the Underground, Elizabeth Line or Heathrow Express will be the lower cost option, although Heathrow Express won’t be much difference. The Underground would be around £10 for the two of you, and Elizabeth Line (to Paddington) will be around £24 for the two of you.

I actually have a whole guide to getting from London airports to central London .

So you have two options really, one is to book a transfer in advance from Heathrow using a service like minicabit . Prices will be in the region of £70 – £80 I expect.

Alternatively, you could take the Elizabeth Line to Paddington and then take a taxi or Uber from there. Honestly, the cost saving probably won’t be that great as you have to get across London. The cheapest option is definitely going to be the Underground but you will have to change lines and it will be less convenient of course.

Have a great trip to London and let me know if you have any more questions!

5th July 2022 at 7:22 am

I am slightly confused about the travelling with children situation. I am visiting in August with my 8 year old and can’t decide if I actually need a visitor oyster card or can just use contactless. A friend of mine travelled with her daughter last year and just used contactless but your article says that’s not possible? Any chance you could clarify this please? Thanks ☺️

5th July 2022 at 10:41 am

Your friend is correct, and I recently was able to get clarification from TfL on this point as well. Children under 11 can travel for free with a fare paying adult on contactless pay as you go, as long as they are with the adult. This works on contactless. I’ve updated the relevant section of this guide to be clearer on this point! When using the tube, just be sure to head to the wider barriers which are marked as accessible / for luggage, so you can pass through together.

Let me know if you have any more questions 🙂

5th July 2022 at 2:04 pm

Thank you so much, that’s really helpful information!

Olivia says

14th June 2022 at 2:40 pm

Thank you so much for the article Laurence, truly helpful!

I have a question… You mentioned about the possibility of sharing one bank card between 2 people by one using device and the other the physical card (contactless). How does that work? How does it show in the bank statement?

You recommended registering our payment method online and I saw on their website that you can actually know your trip history online if you use Apple Pay by adding your credit card number to your online account. But if me and my friend register the same credit card on our accounts (one of us using Apple Pay and the other the physical card), would that affect anything?

Many thanks!!

14th June 2022 at 4:18 pm

Hey Olivia!

My pleasure. Ok, this is a great question. So you can definitely use one card between two people by having one person use a physical card and one using a contactless payment method. This works (as I understand it), because Apple Pay / Google Pay create a virtual card number for transactions, so the TfL system sees it as a different card.

You can still register them “both” on the TfL system. I believe the way you do this is create an account normally, and then add the physical card details to your account. When you travel, it should show the different devices you are using (the card, Apple Pay, Google Pay etc). TfL even says that using different devices, like an Apple Watch or separate smartphones, also count as different payment methods, even on the same card.

However, I *think* you need to manage them from one account which would be registered to the person whose name the card is in.

Hopefully this makes sense, let me know if you have any more questions!

Jennifer Budd says

27th March 2023 at 6:53 pm

Hi Laurence- Quick piggy back question. What if there are three family members traveling together with the same card? We are traveling with our 16 year old son. Thanks! Jen

30th March 2023 at 2:10 pm

Hi Jennifer!

So you can’t use the same physical card for multiple people, but if you have multiple devices (an Apple Watch and an iPhone for example) then you can load the card onto a virtual payment method like Apple Pay or Google Wallet, and each person can then use the card. You just need a different device for each person, so that would be two devices and the physical card in your case.

I hope this makes sense, have a great time in London!

varados sucuri says

19th April 2022 at 9:14 pm

The system strikes me as relentlessly complicated and not at all user friendly. Cash appears to be considered poisonous. Is there any way to obtain an Oyster card with cash? I saw no mention of privacy. Are all these transactions automatically collected by the British government and used to track the movement of its citizens?

20th April 2022 at 11:04 am

Hi Varados,

You can indeed purchase an Oyster card with cash at various locations including at many newsagents and at tube stations across London. You can see a full list of where you can buy your Oyster card here: https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/how-to-pay-and-where-to-buy-tickets-and-oyster/buying-tickets-and-oyster?intcmp=54759

It can also be topped up with cash at ticket machines, just make sure you don’t use the “card only” ticket machines and you will be fine.

6th March 2022 at 11:10 pm

thank you.. it is really helpful

7th March 2022 at 11:56 am

My pleasure 🙂

28th August 2021 at 10:40 pm

Absolutely love that article. Thank you

29th August 2021 at 8:36 am

Thanks very much!

John Pressagh says

11th February 2020 at 7:57 pm

Please subscribe me to mailing list

11th February 2020 at 11:20 pm

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Philip says

11th December 2019 at 1:00 pm

Thanks Laurence, most helpful. For occasional visitors to London, like me, contactless beats Oyster. I had an old style Oyster & applied for the newer type and received that by post. I went online and arranged to transfer my small balance over to the new card. As expected they cancelled the old card and said I would get the transfer on tapping in with my new card between dates in the very near future when I shall not be in London. I tried to arrange ithe transfer by phone but needless to say I have had to write. I set up auto top up on my new Oyster but the minimum transfer and retained credit is £20. Again a date I can’t make but that £20 will be transferred back to me automatically. Your warnings about unused balances now refers to a minimum of £20 if auto top up is set up. Frankly a single registered contactless credit card is much easier provided I use the card itself, Apple Pay on phone or on watch and never mix the card or devices on any given journey.

11th December 2019 at 3:32 pm

Hi Philip – we agree! There are only a few cases where an Oyster card makes more sense, we think that most visitors and travellers in London will benefit from contactless these days.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experience, much appreciated 🙂

24th October 2019 at 10:13 pm

Thank you so much for all the infos. Very comprehensive and useful … However it looks like the London public transports system is not only Byzantine but also quite expensive if not a scam. In comparison with Paris, the Navigo Card cost 22.80 € weekly (Monday to Sunday) or 75.20 € monthly, for all zones (plus 5 € for the card). With it you can use any Metro, RER (suburban express) train, buses, Transilien suburban trains, and trams … as much as you want. In a nutshell : It is unlimited for the period the card is valid (weekly or monthly) and can be top up for every new period. This has to be put in light that pollution in a real concern in Paris and the local authorities want to phase out dramatically the use of cars in the French capital to render it inconvenient and expensive : narrowing the streets to make wider pavements and or lanes for bus/taxi/bicycle as well as expensive car parks. On the other hand since the last 2/3 decades or so a lot of money has been invested to expand and modernize the infrastructures by offering an alternative/incentive to motorists/commuters while keeping affordable prices.

25th October 2019 at 4:41 pm

It certainly sounds like the Paris card is more cost effective, although I can’t comment as to why that is! Thanks for your input 🙂

1st August 2019 at 7:54 pm

Thank you very much for the information on the blog! I wanted to specifically ask you something.

I travel from Croydon/zone 5 to London bridge/zone 1 M-F also take busses. I was told to buy the weekly plan on the oyster card for £60. Because the contactless payment will most likely charge me a daily rate of £12. Is it just the same with a contactless payment and the oyster then? I understand from your blog, that no matter what, anyway there is a weekly limit?

2nd August 2019 at 9:10 am

Our pleasure. I will try to help 🙂

So the Oyster card has a daily cap for all journeys, and a weekly cap for bus and tram journeys only. Contactless has both a daily cap and a weekly cap for all journeys including the tube.

However, the weekly cap on contactless always runs from Monday to Sunday. So if someone is visiting London from say a Wednesday to a Tuesday, even though they may travel for a week, they end up falling into two weekly cap periods, so the overall cost might end up higher.

In this case, the 7 day travelcard would make more sense because it starts on the first day you use it and then runs for a week. However, if you are commuting regularly every week, then contactless would be best. After that, the Oyster travelcard would be better than just Oyster, as Oyster by itself has no weekly cap for tube journeys.

Let me know if this doesn’t make sense!

6th August 2019 at 1:44 pm

Hi Lawrence. One more question… if traveling with the oyster will set me up in a plan of a total of £60 per week. How much would be the max weekly cap m/f on the contactless payment. Using busses and trains from zone 5 to zone 1. I’m trying to understand what payment method will actually be cheaper… Many thanks! Juan!

7th August 2019 at 2:32 pm

The weekly cap prices are usually the same. Looking at the TFL site, the weekly contactless cap price for zones 1-5 is £60, with a daily cap of £12.

I hope this helps 😉 You can calculate it yourself here: https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/find-fares/tube-and-rail-fares/caps-and-travelcard-prices?intcmp=54720

Maggie says

27th July 2019 at 11:28 pm

Hello, great information, I was in London last year and used contactless card , it was so easy. I am now planning on returning to London next week, however I will be with my 2 children aged 7 and 9. I can’t seem to find anything clear on what to do with them. We will be taking national rail transport from surbiton into central London on a daily basis and I understand this is free for children their age, as all tube and bus transport in central London, if with an adult with travel card or oyster card. do i just use my contactless and have a guard always let them through the barriers? I presume this would be the case even if I did get a visitors oyster card. or I have read about a child zip oyster card? is this something they would have to get? I’d be grateful for any help you may be able to give, thanks

29th July 2019 at 7:47 pm

I’ve contacted TfL about this issue in the past as it’s quite a common question, and the response I am given every time basically mirrors what you say – the guard will let you through the barrier with your kids. As long as you have a valid card, they can travel with you. You don’t need the zip oyster card, I believe that’s just for kids travelling alone.

I hope this helps – let me know if you have any more questions!

Beckie says

12th June 2019 at 2:17 pm

Thanks for this useful article. I have lost the auto top up on my pay as you go Oyster recently due to not updating my card details in time. I don’t seem to be able to re-add it. I feel forced into using contactless, which I am OK about (and you advise for me, I travel 3 days a week Croydon to London and have no concessions) but I am going to miss being able to view my journey history. Occasionally I have picked up payment faults (like tap out not having worked properly) by looking at it. Am I right in thinking only the actual payment will show on my bank account, not where I tapped in/out of? I think this is a major downside and feel a bit vulnerable to over paying. Beckie

12th June 2019 at 2:29 pm

My pleasure. So certainly, TfL are moving towards contactless and away from Oyster in the mid term – it’s obviously easier for them if they don’t have to manage a whole card system.

The good news is that you can track your contactless journey history – just sign up at https://contactless.tfl.gov.uk/ and you can enter your card details and it will show you your journey history for that card, including all the payments, where the journey was to and from, when you hit a daily cap etc. It’s also accessible in the TfL app 🙂

I hope this helps – I’ll update the post to include this information 🙂

7th May 2019 at 5:23 pm

Hi, I will visit London for 10 days. I still don’t quite understand what a `contactless’ card is? Is it a regular credit card issued from a bank. I checked all my credit card and didn’t see any symbol or icon indicating the card is contactless. If I ask the local bank (in US), do they understand what contactless mean? Also, I have a travel card used for traveling and will not charge for transaction fee ( worked that way when I was in Asia). Do you know if that will work for this travel card at all the station machines and will not post transaction fee? (that may be a stupid question, the machines may only charge for what need to be charged, bank is the one will figure out the transaction fee, right?)

Thank you Joy

7th May 2019 at 5:40 pm

So a contactless card is a relatively new payment technology where the credit card has a wireless chip built into it, so instead of inserting it into a card machine, you just hold it near the card machine, and it takes the payment. As this is the same technology that the Oyster cards have used for a long time, when contactless cards became popular in the UK, the Oyster card readers were updated to support them. The contactless logo is on the card, and looks like four little single parentheses, all getting bigger.

I’m not sure how widespread contactless is in the USA however, it’s down to the individual banks to implement. Your bank should be able to tell you, it is certainly a well known technology by now.

For the bank card and transaction fees, your card should work the same as it did in Asia, so if you don’t get charged fees it should just work as a payment card. It’s important to always choose to pay in GBP rather than USD if given the choice, as your bank will usually give you a better rate than if you let the merchant do the conversion, as they usually give bad rates.

I hope this all helps, and it’s not a stupid question at all! If you still need clarification, I am happy to help!

7th May 2019 at 8:38 pm

Thank you so much for the information.

I checked my bank credit cards again, there is one with the logo you mentioned, I will check with the bank.

Wonder if you can give me suggestion about where should stay. Since I am a member of a brand hotel, and they are much cheaper than the ones in the London center. There is one not far away from Heathrow airport, (and the Hayes district ) I plan to stay there during my London visit and take Heathrow express daily to and back from London city. (I looked up the info, it takes may be 15min)

Should I purchase the oyster card for visitor and can the card be used for the Heathrow express, and while I am in the city?

Or purchase the one for the express for my daily travel, then another oyster card for the use in the city?

Thank you so so much for all your information. It is really reassuring, I am sure for all travelers who never been in a new city, to have a blog like yours. I hope you don’t mind later I have few more questions. ( I will try look up myself first …. that’s how to adventure travel)

Have a great day

8th May 2019 at 9:29 am

So you can use the Oyster Card for Heathrow Express, but I’d advise against it because it will charge you the full fare, which is up to £25 each way. This would quickly negate the cost saving of staying outside the city center! However, if you book online in advance you can get tickets for as low as £5.50. So if that is the option you choose, I would suggest doing that. A couple of posts worth reading are our guide to getting from London’s airports to the city centre:

https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/get-to-london-from-airport/

And one of our itinerary posts, which has a bunch of hotel recommendations 🙂

https://independenttravelcats.com/london-itinerary-6-days-in-london/#Where-to-Stay-for-6-Days-in-London

If you did decide to use the Oyster card, you would only need one, it covers the whole London area,

Happy to help with any more questions 🙂

francis croker says

22nd April 2019 at 9:55 am

am going down to Wembley in may for cup final,been told aneed a contactless card,please help me out,havnt a clue where to start.,

22nd April 2019 at 10:29 am

Hi Francis,

If you have a contactless debit or credit card from your bank (it will have a little symbol on it to indicate this), you can just use this to navigate – just touch the card on the yellow reader at the gates and the system will calculate the correct fare. If you don’t have a contactless card you can contact your bank and they should be able to send you one – most banks issue contactless cards by default these days.

If you don’t have a contactless card, you can just buy an Oyster card instead, most underground stations have Oyster card sales points. These are pay as you go cards, so you need to preload them in advance, which you can do at the station.

I hope this helps – enjoy the game!

Joseph Leiba says

31st March 2019 at 7:18 pm

Isn’t there a disadvantage of relying on a mobile payment option like Android Pay, because it requires cell service? I’m concerned that I would lose cell connection in an underground station and be out of luck.

For the auto top-up option with Oyster, is there still a danger of not having enough credit on the card for some trips with higher fares?

Thank you very much!

31st March 2019 at 7:48 pm

Android Pay doesn’t need cell service, it works offline 🙂 The card details are stored in your phone and passed directly to the reader. So it’s like using a normal credit card, which also works without cell service as you know 🙂

I just spoke with TfL about your second query as no-one has asked that before. They said that you are correct – if you try to take a journey that costs more than the balance on your card, it will likely reject the card. Heathrow Express for example is over £20, and the auto-topup only kicks in at £10. So if you have a balance of between £10 and £20, it won’t autotopup, but you also won’t be able to use it for that journey.

I would probably use contactless or Android Pay generally to avoid this situation,

Let me know if you have any more questions!

31st March 2019 at 9:06 pm

That is very helpful! Thank you so much!

Gavin Spencer says

12th March 2019 at 10:30 pm

Hi Laurence,

Two questions: An Oyster card doesnt merely extract payment. Before it does so, it needs to calculate how far you have travelled, and does this by recording where your journey begins (when you tap in) and later, where it ends (when you tap out). Contactless cards have this “journey calculation” capability? Wow, that’s an awful lot of extra “thinking” for a simple credit/debit card, isnt it? In any other transaction a contactless card merely has to make a predetermined payment. (I realise you didnt design the system, just wondering what you might know.)

Also, regarding the foreign transaction fees using overseas contactless cards: If you use an overseas credit/debit card to charge up an Oyster card, that will also incur foreign transaction fees, so isnt it kind of a wash? Or do you think that the fees will be more if you use the card to travel rather than just to charge up your Oyster card?

Thanks in advance. A very informative article.

13th March 2019 at 9:51 am

So as I understand it the processing doesn’t happen with the card, it happens with the Oyster system. When you tap in with your Oyster or contactless card, that information is registered with the Oyster system, which then tracks your journey. It’s also more clever than just tracking a single journey – it tracks your journeys on all the various Oyster enabled transport options, so if you fall under the daily or weekly caps, you won’t pay more than you have to.

For the foreign transaction fees – yes, you are correct, it would be the same if you used the same card for the top up. That said, some banks charge a minimum amount per foreign transaction. So if you top up an Oyster card once, you will only be charge that fee once. However, if you journey several times on the credit card, there’s a risk of being charged that minimum amount every time, which could add up quickly.

I hope this makes sense!

13th March 2019 at 6:00 pm

I see what you’re saying. But still, having the contactless card talk to the Oyster system is an extra layer of “intelligence”, over and above simply making payments.

On the other thing, gotta balance the possible fees with the inconvenience of obtaining an Oyster card and the £5 deposit, which as I recall can be a hassle to get back. Not every station and do it. Sigh….so many decisions 😉

Antony Macer says

5th March 2019 at 6:11 pm

Your web-page is a delight. As an ex-Londoner who now only occasionally visits the city, the need to find advice like this is essential. Many thanks for making access to it so simple.

5th March 2019 at 7:44 pm

Thanks so much Antony, that’s really kind. Let us know if you have any questions, and have a great time in London when you visit 😀

Susan Ireland says

16th October 2018 at 7:21 am

My husband and I are going to London for 10 days. We want to get Oyster cards. When we top up the card, can we use our US-issued mastercard and visa card? Or do we have to top up with cash? Thank you!

17th October 2018 at 7:33 pm

From what I have read, the majority of US issued credit cards will work in the machines. If they don’t, major travel centres like Heathrow, or the large train stations in London, will have ticket windows with a human where you will be able to use the card.

Hope this helps!

17th October 2018 at 9:43 pm

Thank you, Lawrence. That’s reassuring.

30th June 2018 at 6:06 am

contactless can be cheaper than oyster when you are mixing journeys in the centre of london with journeys further out. it’s because the daily price caps work in a slightly different way. There’s a clip of two people doing the same journeys with contactless and oyster here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w95ULafeSY contactless was a few pounds cheaper.

30th June 2018 at 9:24 am

Great video, thanks for sharing. I will update the post accordingly 🙂

Diovane Bonotto says

2nd December 2016 at 5:07 pm

Apple Pay from overseas can be use?

Laurence says

2nd December 2016 at 5:21 pm

Hello Diovanne,

You can use Apple Pay from overseas yes, but it’s up to your card issuer as to whether the card is supported, and you have to be sure you won’t be charged transaction fees. You can see more here: https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/contactless/other-methods-of-contactless-payment/apple-pay?cid=applepay

Paul and Carole says

19th November 2016 at 11:09 am

Thanks for the information regarding the contactless option, we have always used cash previously and will definitely be using this option. We live in the UK and don’t get to London often so are looking forward to our trip next April. #TheWeeklyPostcard

19th November 2016 at 11:15 am

My pleasure! If you’ve got contactless, it’s definitely the way forward, so much easier (and miles cheaper!) than cash 🙂

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How to Use a Contactless Card on London Transport

Anyone with a contactless debit or credit card can use it to pay for travel in London. It’s ideal if you don’t have or want an Oyster card. Or if you run out of pay as you go credit on your Oyster card.

Your card is used the same way as an Oyster card – you tap in and out at the tube or train station ticket barriers or tap the yellow card reader when you get on a bus.

The main difference is that you don’t have to top-up your Oyster card with money, the fare is taken from your debit card or credit card the following day.

You need one contactless debit or credit card per person . You can’t pay for two or more people with one card.

Contactless single fares 2024

Underground.

For central London (zone 1) it costs  £2.70 off peak and £2.80 peak per journey with a contactless debit or credit card.

Read more about London’s zones .

What are the contactless peak/off-peak hours?

Off-peak fares apply on Fridays from 8 March until 31 May 2024

Monday–Thursday 6.30am–9.30am and from 4pm–7pm.

If you travel into central London (zone 1) from an outer zone, there is no afternoon peak rate . You are charged the off-peak fare.

Off-peak fares are charged at all other times, including Public Holidays.

Contactless Daily Cap 2024

If you want to use your contactless card to pay for travel for the whole day, there’s a ‘daily cap’. This is the maximum you pay for unlimited travel in one day. For central London, it’s  £8.50 .

Contactless daily cap from 3 March 2024

It’s  £1.75 for one bus journey or for unlimited bus journeys within one hour with a contactless card. If you use the buses all day,  £5.25 is the maximum amount deducted from your card.

There are no zones for bus travel in London.

Contactless weekly fares

If you use a contactless card to pay for travel between Monday and Sunday there’s a weekly cap – the maximum amount deducted from your card.

As it runs from Monday to Sunday, the cap does not benefit everyone.

For anyone visiting London for 5-7 days, a weekly Travelcard or bus pass might be cheaper depending on the day you first use public transport.

For central London (zone 1) it’s  £42.70 . Contactless weekly cap prices are the same as weekly Travelcard prices.

• You benefit from the contactless ‘weekly cap’ if you arrive in London on Monday or Tuesday and use it to pay for public transport every day until Sunday
• If you arrive in London on Wednesday to Sunday and use public transport every day for 6-7 days, buy a weekly Travelcard instead

The cost for bus travel between Monday and Sunday is  £24.70.

• You benefit from the contactless weekly bus fare if you arrive in London on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday and use the buses every day until Sunday
• If you arrive in London on Thursday to Sunday and use the buses for the next 5-7 days, buy an ordinary weekly bus pass instead

How do I use a contactless card?

Tap your contactless debit/credit card on the yellow card reader when you get on the bus. You don’t need to tap your card when you get off.

On the underground/overground

Tap your card on the yellow card reader to open the ticket barriers at the start of your journey. Do the same when you arrive at your destination. Even if the barriers are open, tap the reader otherwise you are charged the full fare.

The following working day, your journeys are added up and the money is deducted from your bank account or added to your credit card bill.

Non-UK issued contactless card

Visitors with non-UK issued cards should bear in mind that overseas transaction charges might apply when you use a contactless card. It’s probably best to check the fees with your card provider first.

If you have two or more contactless cards, make sure they’re not near each other when you tap your card on the reader. Decide which one you’re going to use and stick to it.

If you use different cards you will not benefit from the daily or weekly cap and you could be charged the ‘full fare’ (expensive!).

A record of usage is available, but you need register your contactless credit/debit card with TfL.

If you don’t want to do this, get an Oyster card instead. Receipts are available when you buy and/or top-up a card at an underground station ticket machine. You don’t get one automatically, you have to select ‘Receipt’ on the screen. Look out for the prompt – it’s easy to miss.

Related pages

• Guide to London transport tickets
• London transport zones

Last updated: 22 February 2024

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London Travel: Which Oyster Card is Best for Visitors?

With so much to see and do in every corner of the city, transportation is an essential part of your London adventure. One of the easiest and cheapest ways to travel is with an Oyster card, which can be used on the capital's buses, trams, and metro. Oyster cards can also be used to pay for journeys on the DLR, London Overground, Transport for London (TfL) Rail, Emirates Air Line, the River Bus and most National Rail services within the city. In short, an Oyster card gives you full access to all of London's diverse public transport options .

What is an Oyster Card?

An Oyster card is an electronic plastic smartcard that can be loaded with pay-as-you-go transport credit. There are two options available to tourists: the regular Oyster card used by London natives, and the Visitor Oyster card, which is specially designed for use on one-off trips. Both cards work in conjunction with the yellow card readers installed at all transport stations, calculate the cheapest possible fare for each journey, and offer a daily capped rate that makes unlimited travel affordable. 

Both versions of the Oyster card are significantly cheaper than traditional paper Travelcards. For example, travel within transport Zones 1 and 2 is capped at a daily maximum of £6.60 with an Oyster card, while a Day Travelcard for the same zones costs £12.30. At the end of your trip, you can request a refund of any unused credit, or give your Oyster card to a friend or family member. Pay-as-you-go credit on both cards is fully transferable and never expires. 

Visitor Oyster Cards

If you're traveling to London for a short visit, a Visitor Oyster card is probably the most convenient choice. You can order one online ahead of your trip, and have it delivered to your home so that when you arrive in London, you don't have to waste time queuing to purchase a regular Oyster card. This is especially helpful if your flight arrives at Gatwick Airport, as all Oyster cards can be used on the trains from the airport to central London. Visitor Oyster cards cost £5 (plus postage), and can be pre-loaded with credit options ranging from £10-50. 

If you run out of credit during your visit, you can load more money onto your Oyster at any Oyster Ticket Shop (of which there are more than 4,000 across London) or TfL Visitor Centre. It's also possible to load credit at any Tube, London Overground or TfL Rail station, and at several National Rail  stations. Visitor Oyster cards are only compatible with pay-as-you-go credit and cannot be loaded with multi-day travelcards or passes in the way that regular Oyster cards can. However, a major advantage of this card is the special offers and discounts it offers at selected restaurants, shops, galleries, and entertainment venues.

Regular Oyster Cards

For long-term visitors, a regular Oyster card could be the more cost-effective option. These cards can only be purchased upon arrival, from Oyster Ticket Shops, Visitor Centers and most London Tube and rail stations. They cost £5 ( refundable at the end of your trip ) and can be loaded with any amount of pay-as-you-go credit. Unlike Visitor Oyster cards, this option can also be loaded with multi-day travel cards that give even cheaper fares for longer stays; or with discount cards including Bus & Tram Passes and National Railcards. Remember that only pay-as-you-go credit can be used by someone else after you leave. 

Regular Oyster cards are compatible with the TFL Oyster App, and can be registered with a contactless and Oyster account . The latter allows you to easily see how much credit you have left, to view your journey history and to apply for refunds online. 

Alternative Options

If neither Oyster card option sounds like a good fit for you, there are alternative ways to pay for transport in London. Although they don't offer the same discounts, paper Day Travelcards may appeal to those that prefer to keep things traditional. This ticket allows for unlimited travel within a 24-hour period on the bus, Tube, DLR, tram, London Overground, and most National Rail services within London. Discounts are also available to Day Travelcard holders wishing to make use of the Thames Clippers River Bus and the Emirates Air Line cable car. 

For the more tech-savvy, contactless cards allow you to pay for journeys of £30 or less by touching the card to the same yellow card readers used for Oyster payments. The benefits of contactless payments over Oyster cards include not having to worry about running out of credit or queuing to top up your Oyster when your credit is running low. Contactless payments on the same card are automatically capped on a daily and weekly basis, so you'll still benefit from reduced fares.

However, if your card is issued outside the UK, you may have to pay overseas bank charges . Similarly, while American Express contactless cards and nearly all Mastercard or Maestro cards are accepted, some other foreign cards may not work on the London transit system. The same issues apply to those intending on using Apple Pay . Check with your card issuer in advance to find out whether your card is compatible, and what charges you may incur by using your card overseas. 

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Contactless Fares 2024 - London Bus, Tube & Daily Cap Prices

What is a contactless card.

A contactless card is just a bank card – your normal everyday debit card or credit card. As long as it has the fan symbol on it then you should be able to use it straight away:

Contactless cards work in exactly the same way as Oyster cards . There’s no need for a PIN, a signature, or to insert it into any reader. All you have to do is wave it in front of the yellow Oyster readers and the computer will use wireless near-field communication (NFC) technology to deduct the correct bus fare or tube fare from your bank account.

Contactless cards also work when attached to mobile payment systems like Apple Pay, Google Pay, Garmin, Fitbit, Samsung, Barclaycard Mobile and bPay .

What are the benefits of a contactless card?

• It’s just your normal everyday bank card, so you probably already have one
• Contactless payments are accepted all over the TFL network on the buses , London underground , DLR, TFL Rail, National Rail, Thames Clipper , and even the IFS Cloud Cable Car
• Contactless bus fares and tube fares for single journeys are always the cheapest fares available (alongside Oyster), but unlike Oyster, there’s no need to pay a £7 deposit to get one
• The contactless daily cap is always cheaper than buying a 1-day travelcard
• The contactless weekly cap is the same price as a weekly travelcard
• Unlike Oyster cards there’s no need to keep topping them up with extra credit, or worrying that your credit is about to run out on the journey home
• The technology is safe – there’s no need to insert your bank card into any slot, or enter your PIN where somebody might see it. You shouldn’t even need to take your card out of your wallet if you don’t want to, as the machine is sensitive enough to read it through the material

What are the downsides of a contactless card?

• Unlike Oyster cards , it’s not possible to load a travelcard onto a contactless card
• If you’re travelling with more than one person then you’ll each need your own bank card
• There are no contactless fares for children
• Foreign cards might not be accepted, and overseas banks might add on a transaction fee every time you purchase something abroad, which will bump up the cost of each bus ticket and tube ticket

Can you tap your phone on the London Underground?

Contactless cards attached to mobile payment systems like Apple Pay, Google Pay, Garmin, Fitbit, Samsung, Barclaycard Mobile or bPay can be used to pay fares on the London Underground and TFL buses.

Just wave your mobile phone or iWatch near the big yellow Oyster readers – exactly as you would with a normal bank card.

But you must remember to use the same device each time, otherwise you won’t benefit from the contactless travel cap. If you tap down with your actual bank card at the start of your journey, but switch to your mobile phone at the end, then the computer won’t recognise it as being the same card (even if it’s the same card number). That’s because mobile pay systems don’t pass over bank card number. They actually pass over a totally unique number derived from your bank card and device, so TFL’s system has no way of linking the two journeys.

Can foreign bank cards be used on the London Underground?

Only a few foreign bank cards are accepted on the London Underground… chiefly American Express and most MasterCard, Maestro and Visa cards. You can check whether yours will work at the TFL website .

But be careful! If you’re using a foreign bank card then you should be extremely careful about the travel charges, because your bank might add on an extra foreign exchange fee every time you use it overseas – which will likely include each individual bus and tube ticket.

UK-issued bank cards should work fine as long as they carry the contactless payment logo

When are Peak and Off-Peak train times?

Peak: Peak time is 6:30 AM to 9.30 AM, and 4.30 PM to 7 PM (Monday to Friday). Any journey that starts during those times will have to pay a peak fare. It doesn’t matter what time your journey finishes.

Off-Peak: Outside peak time is off-peak . Weekends and public holidays are always off-peak. Note: Between the 8th March and 31st May 2024 TFL are running a trial called ‘Off-Peak Friday Fares’, where Fridays will be classed as off-peak all day.

What is the daily and weekly cap?

Daily price cap – Contactless cards have something called a ‘daily cap’. This is the maximum amount of money that the computer will take from your bank card each day – and it’s always lower than the cost of a one day travelcard .

Every time you use a London bus or tube train the computer will total up the cost of each individual journey, and if the accumulated amount exceeds the daily cap it will stop charging you. Every journey you make after that will be free.

Buses and trains have their own travel caps. If you stick with the buses all day then the cap will be cheaper. If you use the trains all day (or a combination of buses plus trains) then the cap will be higher. You can see what the caps are in the contactless fares table above.

Note: the computer doesn’t actually charge your bank account for each individual bus or tube journey, because it needs to see if you reached the cap. It waits until the early hours of the next day and then deducts a lump sum for all of the journeys combined.

Weekly price cap – The contactless weekly cap is the maximum amount that you will be charged over seven consecutive days – and it’s always the same price as a weekly travelcard .

Unfortunately there’s a catch… because the computer can only keep track of journeys from Monday and Sunday. If you’re travelling over any other stretch of seven days, like Thursday to Wednesday for example, then you’ll end up paying seven daily caps instead – so in that scenario you’re probably better off buying a weekly travelcard because that can start on any day you like.

Can two people share one contactless card?

No – it’s not possible for two people to share one contactless card. Each person in your group must have their own card if they want to pay a contactless fare.

This also applies to couples with a joint bank account – each partner will need to have their own card.

Can you pay two train fares with one card?

Tourists often tap one card down twice, making the perfectly reasonable assumption that it will subtract two fares, but the system doesn’t work like that. The first time you tap down the computer will think you’re starting your tube journey, and the second time you tap down it will think that you’re ending it. Only one tube fare will be charged in total, so if you get stopped by a TFL inspector you’ll be in a bit of trouble.

If you really do only have one card between you then buy the other person a paper ticket at the self-service machine first (which will be charged as a cash fare), and then you can tap it down on the gate for yourself (which will be charged as a contactless fare).

Where can you use contactless cards?

Buses – Contactless bus fares are available all over London.

London Underground, London Overground, DLR, TFL Rail, National Rail – Contactless tube fares are available within Oyster zones 1-9, plus some stations outside the zones including Watford Junction and Gatwick Airport. Note: If you use your contactless card on the Gatwick Express and Heathrow Express then the cost won’t count towards the TFL contactless cap – it will just deduct a one-off fare straight from your account.

You can use TFL’s map to see which stations are within the Oyster zones: http://​content.tfl.gov.uk/​london-rail-and-tube-services-map.pdf .

Taxis – Unlike Oyster cards and travelcards, contactless cards can also be used to pay for black taxi cab rides (assuming the fare is less than the current contactless limit of £100).

Thames Clipper and Cable Car – You can also pay for a ticket on the Thames Clipper riverbus service and IFS Cloud Cable Car . They have exactly the same kind of readers that you find on the buses and trains.

Is contactless the cheapest way to travel?

Contactless cards are the cheapest way to travel on the bus and London Underground, alongside Oyster. But contactless usually works out cheaper if it’s your very first visit to London because you also have to pay a £7 deposit the first time you buy a Oyster card .

The contactless daily cap is always cheaper than buying a one day travelcard , and the weekly cap is always the same price as a weekly travelcard . But the contactless weekly cap only runs from Monday to Sunday, so a weekly travelcard will work out cheaper if you’re travelling over any other stretch of seven days, and you’re planning on making three or more journeys on six days, or two or more journeys on seven days.

Can you get a receipt for a contactless tube journey?

It’s not possible to get a paper receipt at the point of travel. The Oyster readers at London Underground stations don’t have the facility to print out receipts.

If you really need a record of your bus or tube journey then you can register your contactless card on the TFL website beforehand, where they log twelve month’s-worth of journeys. If you don’t want to register your card then you can get a record of the previous seven days here .

Do you need to register contactless cards?

There’s no need to register your contactless card on the London Underground. As long as it carries the wireless payment symbol then it should work fine:

TFL website – If you do want to register your card then you can set up an account on TFL’s website . Most of the benefits only apply to Oyster card users, but contactless users can look up their last twelve month’s worth of journeys.

TFL app – You can also register your card through TFL’s Oyster & Contactless app .

How do you use contactless on the bus?

Using contactless cards on a London bus is very easy. All you have to do is touch your bank card against the big Oyster reader by the door (it’s bright yellow – you can’t miss it). If it registers okay then you will hear a beep and see a little green light on the machine. If you hear two beeps and see a red light then you should try again. Try taking your card out of your wallet or purse and holding it flush against the reader.

Some buses also have a second reader by the middle doors, and a third one by the back door, but if you’re an inexperienced traveller then we recommend sticking with the front door. That’s because the front door will always have a reader, and if you try and board a bus through a door where there isn’t one then it will look like you’re trying to dodge your fare. You will soon get to know which buses have extra readers as you make more journeys.

Note: There’s no need to touch down again when you leave the bus – you only have to do that when travelling on the train.

How do you use contactless on the train?

Using contactless cards on the London Underground is very easy. When you enter a the station and approach the ticket barriers you will see a big yellow Oyster reader at the front of the gate. Just wave your contactless card next to it and the gate will open automatically.

If the gate beeps and refuses to open then take your card out of your wallet and touch it flush against the reader. If it still doesn’t work then you’re probably out of money (which means your bank account is empty!).

When you leave the station at the end of your tube journey you’ll need to touch it down again. That’s because the computer needs to work out what your route was. If you only touch down at the start then the system won’t know which zones you passed through and will hit you with a penalty fare instead (ouch!).

Note: During rush hour the TFL staff will sometimes open the barriers to speed the flow of people through the station, but you STILL need to tap down – even if the gate is already open.

Why won’t your contactless card work?

Card clash – There are loads of different reasons why your card might not work, but the usual one is ‘card clash’. If you keep your Oyster card and bank card in the same wallet (or two different bank cards) then the computer might register the presence of both and get confused about which one to charge. It will then end up rejecting both. If this happens to you then don’t worry… just separate your cards and try again.

New bank card – If you have a brand-new bank card then your bank won’t allow you to make a contactless payment until you’ve made at least one chip-and-pin transaction. This is a security measure put in place by your card issuer. So all you have to do is go into a shop and buy something that requires you to enter your actual PIN number, or withdraw some money from an ATM cash machine, and it should start working okay after that.

Foreign bank card – If your card has been issued by an overseas bank then you should check whether it’s accepted on the TFL website .

Not enough money – The final reason is that maybe you just don’t have any money in your account.

Your comments and questions

MP Hi, was just wondering if when using contactless can two people use one card?

Staff Hi. No, if you're tapping down on the gate then each person will need their own card. But you can use one card if you buy two tickets at the machine - but then you'll be paying the cash fare instead of the contactless fare

Sarah Can I get a receipt when I make a contactless payment please?

Staff Hi Sarah, not at the station. But if you register your card on the TFL website beforehand than they will log your last 12-months worth of journeys

Steve Do I need to register my credit card with London Transport before I can use Contactless on the Tube?

Staff Hi Steve. No, you can use it straight away. It's no different to just using it in a shop. The only real reason you'd need to register it is if you want to see a record of all your journeys.

John Hi. Can one contactless card be used to pay for more than one person (ie 3 adults) on the same journey?

Staff Hi John. No, you will each need your own card. If you tap down multiple times on the gate then it doesn't charge multiple fares. But you can use one card to buy three paper tickets at the self-service machine if you want - but then you'll be paying the cash fare, rather than the contactless fare.

Joe Hello, I will be in London from Friday to Monday and will be travelling on trains between zones 1-3. Firstly, do I need to register online before using contactless payment or do I just touch and go? Secondly, what would be the maximum I would be charged in that 4 day period please? Thank you very much.

Staff Hi Joe. You don't have to register your card first. The only reason you might do that is if you wanted to check all your journey's and fares on the TFL website later. The maximum amount you will pay each day is the 'daily cap' for the zones you travel through. Prices are shown in the table above

PKing I travelled into London today from Cockfosters using my contactless bank card, when I arrived back at Cockfosters this evening the barrier was open and without thinking I just went straight through but didn't touch my card back through, I have just seen on this website that you must check in and out etc as you will be changed the maximum price... What is maximum price? I am really worried that it is going to cost be a fortune? Please someone help?!

Staff Hi PKing. Assuming that you remembered to touch down on the way in, then it would have charged you whatever the maximum journey was on that line - right up to the last stop. For example, if you started your journey in zone 1, and forgot to tap down when you left the train in zone 2, it would have charged you all the way up to the last stop on the line (Cockfosters in zone 5). But seeing as that's where you were going anyway it should be the same price. [Note: I suppose it's possible that they will charge you the other way instead - towards Heathrow - because they won't be able to tell which way you were headed. The maximum price for that would be zones 1-6, rather than zones 1-5.]

PKing Thanks for the reply, I went Cockfosters to South Kensington then Piccadilly Circus and back to Cockfosters again. I did the payment at Piccadilly Circus but not when we got back at Cockfosters as gates were open and kids busting for a toilet so I didn't give it a second thought, will I be fined? It was first time using the contact less today as well.

Staff As long as you remembered to tap in on the way in, then you'll be fine because they're still charging you a fare (the maximum possible one). If you forgot to tap in at both ends then that would be different - that's when you can get in trouble.

PKing Thank you, what a worry! Thanks so much for replying

Mari I used a contactless card for tube journey correctly going & returning all worked well but when home found my card had been locked - had a lengthy call to bank to unlock and enable another £30 limit to be drawn. Why would this be?

Staff Hi Mari. You'll have to ask your bank, but I know my bank would freeze my card if it was used for unusual things. It's a security thing, to protect your money. So if this was the very first time you've used contactless on the underground then they may have seen that as unusual.

Dean Can I use my iPhone and Apple watch to pay for a cashless train ticket

Staff Hi Dean. Yes, you can use Apple Pay. You just touch in and out the same way you would with a normal contactless card.

Pat Whaley If both my wife and I use the same card and scan it twice? As I do not have contactless on my card

Staff Hi Pat. No. Only one fare will be deducted. (The first time she taps down the computer will think she's entering the station, and the second time she taps down it will think she's leaving the station.) But she could use her card to buy you a ticket at the self-service machine. But then you'd be paying the cash fare instead of the contactless fare.

Tim Sharp Do you have to set anything up to use your contactless card, or does it just work? Also, not absolutely certain what the 'cap' means - does it just mean that when you reach a certain spend, your journeys effectively become free, or does the card stop working?

Staff Hi Tim. You don't have to set anything up. It's no different to using it in a shop, you just tap it down and it should work. The cap is the maximum amount the computer will take off your card in any one day, but you can still carry on making journeys after you reach it. And you still have to carry on tapping down - you just won't be charged.

Tim Sharp Thanks, that's very helpful - we'll just use our contactless cards this weekend then

Lyn Do you still get issued with a ticket if you pay by contactless. If not how does the ticket person know you have paid for the train

Staff Hi Lyn. You don't get a ticket with contactless. If an inspector wants to check you've paid then he has a little handheld reader which he'll touch against your card.

Fiona Gee Can I use my phone (Apple Pay) as a contactless payment for a tube fare, like I do in a shop?

Staff Hi Fiona. You can, yes. It works in exactly the same way

JC Hi, am I right to understand that for contactless weekly cap, it will work just right if travels begin Monday and the cap will be computed and charged to the bank/debit card on Sunday? If there is no travel whatsoever on 1 day of the week, what happens then? Will it be charged as daily cap until the next Monday begins? Thanks.

Staff Hi JC. That's right, it only counts from Mon to Sun. Your account will still get charged fares at the end of each day (or the daily cap, or whatever you owed), but if the accumulated total reaches the weekly cap before the end of Sunday night then it will stop charging you. You don't have to travel every day, but you would have to travel for at least 5 or 6 days to reach the total (depending on which zones you are travelling through).

Tara Hi can you explain how the contactless works for me please. I am making a one off journey from Oxford Circus to Liverpool Street and then a day later Liverpool Street to Paddington. If for instance I got the central line to Oxford Circus then Bakerloo line to Paddington, is this two payments or should I get Hammersmith line direct to Paddington from Liverpool St? Thanks in advance,

Staff Hi Tara. You tap down at the start of the journey, and then again at the end of your journey. When you change trains in the middle of the journey you don't have to pass through any barriers, so there's no need to tap down. All you're doing is walking between different platforms. It's only when you pass through some barriers and exit the station that your journey comes to an end.

Bob Howard If two adults are travelling together, but have only one contactless card with them, how do the both pay at the same time with the contactless card?

Staff Hi Bob. You can't. If only one of you has a contactless card, then only one of you gets a contactless fare. It's not possible to tap down twice and pay two fares. But you can use the card to buy a paper ticket at the self-service machine for your partner if you want - but then you'll be paying the cash fare instead.

Mary Where can I get a contactless card?

Staff Hi Mary. It's just your everyday bank card. If you've got an old one that hasn't got the contactless symbol on it then you might have to ask your bank to send you a new one

Tort If I use my debit card (contactless) how many journeys can I use it for in one day as I see there is a daily cap. I need to get to Greenwich and then to North Greenwich from Paddington. Two of these journeys will be at peak times.

Staff Hi Tort. There's no limit. You can make as many journeys as you like. Once the accumulated total reaches the cap the computer will stop charging you, but you can still carry on making journeys

Tony The cap for contactless is that all I will be charged if I travel all day

Staff Hi Tony. As long as you use the same card each time, yes. That is the maximum amount you will be charged in one day

Nigel I notice off peak travel from zone 1-6 on the underground is between 09:30 & 16:00. I'll be using a contactless card so does my journey have to end by 16:00 or does it still apply if I start at, say, 15:45

Staff Hi Nigel. The only thing that matters is when your journey starts. If it starts during off-peak hours then it will be charged as off-peak. It doesn't matter when it ends.

Kathghee If my daughter and I use contactless payment for our single journey where do we buy a ticket for 12 year old grandchild travelling with us?

Staff Hi KathGhee. All underground stations have self-service ticket machines, so you can use your contactless card to buy her a ticket from there

Joan If I use contactless on the tube and I have a child with me who goes free, how do they get through the barrier?

Staff Hi Joan. All tube stations have extra-wide gates for people with buggies and wheelchairs. Just use that one and you'll have plenty of space to walk through together. If he doesn't make it you can ask a member of staff at the barrier to swipe him through

MP Can I use contactless on overground trains as well as the tube and do they both have a daily cap? Thanks in advance

Staff Hi MP. You can use contactless on the overground as well, but only if the stations are inside the Oyster fare zones. Here's a map which shows all the underground and overground stations inside the zones: tfl.gov.uk/​cdn/​static/cms/images/london-rail-and-tube-services-map.gif

Mandy M Sorry to sound so dim but by contactless card do u mean my normal debit cash card?

Staff Hi Mandy. That's right, yes. It's just the normal bank card that you use to do your everyday shopping

Philip B Can I just confirm that if I intend to use contactless card for the same fares as an Oyster card I have no need to do anything other than turn up with my card, IE no need to set up any account etc, thanks for useful site.

Staff Hi Philip. That's correct, yes. You don't have to set up an account if you don't want to. It just does some handy things like log all your journeys so you can see where you've been and what you were charged, but that's about it, really.

Helen To purchase a day cap contactless for zone 1, do I simply scan my debit card at the turnstile at each station I use? Regardless of the number of trips, does it only debit the daily cap price? Do I then not need a ticket as such? Thanks, I have never used contactless before.

Staff Hi Helen. You don't buy a daily cap. Every time you touch your contactless card down on the gate the computer will charge you the relevant fare. It will also keep track of the accumulated total throughout the course of the day, and as soon as it recognises that you've reached the daily cap it will stop charging you (but you still need to carry on tapping down for each journey). And you don't need a ticket - just your bank card.

LBS Coming down for 4 nights with my daughter (12) and will use my contactless card for payment on tube... Can I just scan my card twice each time, or will I need to use one card for me and one for my daughter?

Staff Hi LBS. You have to use two different cards. If you try touching it down twice with one card then it will still only take one fare. The first time you touch down it will think you are entering the station, and the second time you touch down it will think you are leaving the station. If you've only got one card then buy her a ticket at the self-service machine with it, and then touch it down on the gate for yourself (but then she'll be paying the cash fare instead, rather than the contactless fare)

Bil How do I get a receipt if I use contactless payment

Staff Hi Bil. It's not possible to get one at the gate, but if you register your card on the TFL website beforehand it will give you a journey history and log all the payments it took.

Lily This site is brilliant and explained so much. One thing I am still not sure about, my 12 year old daughter and I are coming for a day out in London soon, staying in Zone 1, and want to use just buses not the underground. I would rather use contactless payment but realise I will not be able to do this for her too, what would the easiest thing be to do in this situation?

Staff Hi Lily. I would probably get her on Oyster card. It might seem that a 1-day bus-only travelcard is cheap because it only cost £5.20, but you will also need to pay a £5 deposit on top for a brand-new oyster card (assuming that she doesn't have one), because the 1-day bus-only travelcards only come loaded onto an oyster card. The bus+train travelcards do come as a paper ticket, but they are more expensive - £13:90. So seeing as you've got to pay the £5 deposit for a brand-new Oyster card anyway you may as well just get her one of them, because the daily cap on the bus is only £4.65. (If you'd rather not have the hassle of getting an oyster card on the day then maybe just order her 1-day bus+train travelcard straight from the TFL website for £13:90, and have it posted to you. It's not possible to buy the bus-only ones from their website)

Eunice Hello, May i know is that ok sometimes i use apply pay on phone, another time i use my contactless card? (They are actually the same bank a/c) just wondering will they still count as the same account to meet the daily cap? Thanks!

Staff Hi Eunice. It has to be the same card every time, not just the same account. But I’ve got an inkling that Apple Pay doesn’t pass your card number over, so the computer wouldn’t be able to match the two together. I would check with TFL to be sure - tfl.gov.uk/​help-and-contact/​contact-us-about-tube-and-rail

Ian Hi how would i get my 4 year old grandchild through the barrier/gate if he travels for free?

Staff Hi Ian. There's always at least one extra wide barrier for wheelchairs and people with luggage. If you use that then there will be plenty of space for her to get through beside you. But if she misses it then all you have to do is ask a member of staff behind the barrier and they will let her through

Dave Dee If my 14 yr old uses a bank card for contactless, does she get the child discount or will she have to pay full fare. Regards David

Staff Hi David. She’ll just pay an adult fare. There are no child discounts for contactless. (The reason is because bank cards don’t contain any information about your age, so the computer has no way of knowing you’re a kid)

Altaf Hussain Hi there, I want to travel on Saturday from Victoria u g to wimbledon main station. Can please tell me the total return cost of the journey. Many thanks.

Staff Hi Altaf. Look in the table under zones 1-3, off-peak. There are no return fares, you just pay the same price as two singles

Derek Can I buy a card from Canada and have it sent to me

Staff Hi Derek. Not a contactless card, no, because it’s a bank card. It comes with a bank account. But you can get a Visitor Oyster card sent over - city-guide.london/​transport/​visitor-oyster-cards.php

Susan Hi. We will be travelling with 4 children ages 10, 7, 5 and 10 months. Will they need their own tickets to use the train?

Staff Hi Susan. No, they can all travel for free (if accompanied by an adult) - city-guide.london/​transport/​child-train-fares.php

Anna My partner doesn’t have a bank account can she use my applePay (on phone) and I use use my bank card as they both come out of the same account?

Staff Hi Anna. To quote directly from TFL: “You can pay for someone else's travel with your contactless card or device if they're travelling with you. You need to pay for your own travel with a different card or device” So if it’s the same card on ApplePay then the answer would seem to be no. But they also say you can pay with a different device, so maybe. [You could certainly use your card to buy your partner a ticket at the self service machine (for the cash fare) and use your card to get the contactless fare for yourself.] But you really need to ask TFL for a definitive answer - tfl.gov.uk/​help-and-contact/​

Derek John Charlton My wife and I each have a contactless card for the same account, can we use them on the tube. Thanks

Staff Hi Derek. Yes, as long as you each have your own card. (You can't tap one card down twice and have it take two fares.) To quote TFL: "If you have a joint bank account, you can usually both use your contactless cards to travel as each card will be charged separately."

Sophia Hi! I'll be arriving in the UK via Heathrow with my parents on 15th December and will stay in London till 20th December, before making our way to Cambridge. My cards are foreign banks and I take note of your reminder about the exchange rates charges. That said, would it be wise for us to purchase the 1-day travelcard daily, or the weekly travelcard to be used on the London tube and buses during our stay in London? Also, can we use the same travelcard for the bus ride to Cambridge? Many thanks!

Staff Hi Sophia. You'd normally have to make at least 3 journeys on the six days you're in London for it to work out cheaper than contactless, but seeing as you might have extra charges on your foreign bank card you're probably better off with the weekly travelcard. You can't use it to Cambridge though, because that's too far away. you'll have to buy a completely separate ticket for that. Note: If you want to use the travelcard from Heathrow then you'll have to get zones 1-6, but you probably don't need to use zones 1-6 all week (you'll likely only need zones 1-2, depending on where you're going). so you could buy a zones 1-2 card and then just buy yourself single tickets at Heathrow station to get you into London, which will save you about 18 quid

STEPHEN NICHOLS I'm travelling from East Croydon 12:00 to Gatwick Airport. I notice a day return is cheaper than 2 singles. Will contactless charge the cheaper day return rate or 2 singles?

Staff Hi Stephen. Gatwick is outside the zones so there are no separate contactless fares. all youre doing is paying a normal gatwick fare with your card. if you want a return ticket youd have to buy it at the machine beforehand

STEPHEN NICHOLS Thank you replying to my day return ticket or contactless East Croydon to Gatwick question. Nat rail website flagged up oyster and contactless has been extended to certain stations including Gatwick. A normal single ticket is £5.70 or off peak day return £6.90. However contactless to Gatwick was flagged up as £3.40 each way making £6.80 return. Contactless best for the 2 journeys.

Staff Hi Stephen. Bit difficult to check without knowing your date, but when we look on the national rail website for East Croydon to Gatwick its just coming up as £6,90 for a return. two singles are coming up as 2 x £5,70. can't find that £3,40 fare.

STEPHEN NICHOLS Hi, typed East Croydon to Gatwick weekday 11am return 3.30 pm. On Nat rail website 'Train time & tickets' section just above "Departs at" info top left of website page was “with Oyster or Contactless (pay as you go) from £6.80". However this is only cheaper if I journey back before 4 pm else it rises to £8.90 return when the day return ticket £6.90 is best. Thanks for taking time with earlier two questions.

Nell Hello sorry if this sounds daft. I'm only in London one day a Thursday. I will be going from Earls Court to London Bridge. I understand I just tap my card to get onto the stations, there is no added cost to using the contactless. I don't want to get home and find the cost is more than i was expecting. Thank You for reading my request.

Staff Hi Nell. That’s right, that’s all you have to do. The only way you’d be charged extra is if you forget to tap down at either end, and get a penalty fare. Or if your card is from a foreign bank, then your bank might charge an extra fee on top.

Sue Is there a child fare and do i have to purchase this?

Staff Hi Sue. There are no child fares for contactless, only adult ones. Here are all the child fares - city-guide.london/​transport/​child-train-fares.php

Steven Hi, my family and I (3 adults) had used our contactless cards to pay for a bus (number 427) ride from Ealing Broadway to Ealing Common on Saturday 12/3/22 at 20:00 as Ealing Common tube station was closed for some works. We were each charged 7.45 GBP so it seems to be a most expensive bus ride for such a short distance. Is there any way to get a reimbursement?

Staff Hi Steven. We can't see anything that costs £7.45, so we don't know how that came about. If you haven't registered your contactless card with TFL beforehand (most people don't) then TFL only keep the last 7 days of your journey history so you'll have to query it in the next few days. See '7 day journey & payment history' on this page - contactless.tfl.gov.uk/​UnregisteredCustomer/​Show

Robert Hi , when using a contactless card , say i go from heathrow to paddington , do i tap my card when i enter And exit when i get to paddington ? then from there just use my card to enter and exit different stations thank you

Staff Hi Robert, You have to tap down at both ends of the journey, yes. thats so the computer knows which route you took and what to charge you.

Debbie I’ve been in London for 3 days using my contactless card to travel in zone 1 only, one journey was in peak time. I have been charged 2 separate charges; £21 & £5. I thought my daily journeys would be capped at £7.70 per day making the cost £23.10. Am I missing something.

Staff Hi Debbie. The £5 is probably two single fares of £2.50 (the system waits until the end of the day before it charges you, to see if you reached the cap, and then charges you a lump sum). But I can't imagine what the £21 was. Did you maybe get a train from Gatwick? Because that price wouldn't be included in the cap. But you can check the last 7 days of payments on the TFL website, even if you haven't registered the card - contactless.tfl.gov.uk (check the link for '7 day journey and payment history')

Debbie Hi no I travelled to Kings Cross, walked to Leicester Square on the first day. I haven’t left Zone 1 on any of the days. I used an Uber boat on the second day, would that have been included in the £21 charge? I thought I would be charged for that separately. I’ll give the link you sent a try. Thanks.

Staff Thats probably what it was… maybe a £16:10 return ticket on Uber, which isnt included in the cap, and then a couple of £2.50 single fares - thamesclippers.com/​plan-your-journey/​ticket-information

Yesi I will travel from Newcastle to London Kings Cross and from London Kings Cross to Paddington to get Heathrow express. 1.) How to get the tube ticket from Kings Cross to Paddington? Can I use contactless? 2.) Do I need to exit the gate to get Heathrow express from Paddington station? How if I use contactless but not exit the gate from Paddington?

Staff Hi Yesi. You can use contactless for Kings Cross to Paddington. You don't need a ticket, you just tap your bank card down on the gate, as explained on this page. You will have to exit the barriers at Paddington, because you need to leave the underground part and go up to the National Rail platforms to catch the Heathrow Express. You can then use contactless on the Heathrow Express as well if you want, but you'll probably find it cheaper to buy a ticket online in advance

Maria Hi, I'll be travelling with my 10 year old son. Will I have to pay separately for him if using contactless? Or can he travel for free since he's with a paying adult?

Staff Hi Maria. Kids under 11 travel for free, but if he's 10 and looks over 11 you might want to take proof of age just in case one of the staff queries it - city-guide.london/​transport/​child-train-fares.php

Bill Where to get contactless card

Staff Hi Bill. It’s just your normal everyday bank card, so you need a bank account

Claire Just check every time enter station and leave I scan my contactless card ? I’m coming for day on Sunday want go to London eye then not sure where else at minute thanks my daughter will be ten.

Staff Hi Clare, Thats right, yes. On the trains you touch down at both ends of the journey. But on the buses you only do it when you get on.

Harsh Shall I use same bank account to tap for 2 person tickets? One by card and another contactless tap by phone.

Staff Hi Harsh, that will only work if its a different card number. you cant use one card to pay two contactless fares

Josie I'll be visiting London on a Tuesday arriving at Kings X and traveling to the Barbican (using the tube) for the Museum of London. Both of which are in zone 1 I believe. I will use contactless, and understand that I need to tap before taking the tube, and tap again when exiting. Will I just be charged for that single journey, and another single journey from the Barbican to Kings X (on my return) or some other amount ie a cap? Please explain what the 'cap' is, how much it is, and how it works. Thanking you.

Staff Hi Josie. You tap in at the start of each journey, and tap out again at the end. You will be charged two single fares (they dont do return fares on the underground). You’d only pay the daily cap if the total combined value of all your journeys that day equals it, but if you look at the fare table above you can see that two single fares are less than the daily cap. Its all explained in the ‘What is the Daily Cap’ section above.

Tony Can I use my bus pass on any bus?

Staff Hi Tony. It depends what one you’ve got. If you’re talking about a senior one issued outside of London, and it has a red rose symbol on it, then you can use it on TFL buses after 9 AM - city-guide.london/​transport/​senior-bus-fares.php

Pauline Hughes I have reached the daily zone 4 cap £11. If I now get a bus will the zone 4 cap apply or how do I find out if the bus I'm getting is in zone 5 which presumably increases the cap to zone 5 £13.10? I'm trying to work out my cheapest option ...

Staff Hi Pauline. Buses don't have zones (only trams and trains have zones). So if you've been catching trains in zones 1-4, and then get a bus in what would be zone 5 for a train, then you'll still get charged the zones 1-4 cap. But if you've been using buses all day, and no trains, then you'd use the cheaper cap shown here instead - city-guide.london/​transport/​adult-bus-fares.php

Eve Why is a contactless card charged as paying by cash when used in a ticket machine - no staff to ask for advice at the station - return journey from North Greenwich to Mile End charged at £12.60 rather than £3.40 a difference of £9.20 !!!

Staff Hi Eve. You don't need to buy a ticket from the machine if you're using contactless. You just tap your card down on the yellow reader by the gate. If you buy one from the machine you’ll always be paying the cash fare. Contactless fares rely on the computer tracking one person’s journey through their card, but it has no way of knowing who’s going to be using the paper ticket.

Gote Hi I got a Swedish Debit Bank / Visa card. can I use that as contactless card (since it is a foreign / non British bank card)?

Staff Hi Gote. The only ones that TFL mention as definitely being okay are (quote) "American Express (AMEX) MasterCard and Maestro (some cards issued in the USA, Canada and the Netherlands aren't accepted), Visa and V PAY (some cards issued outside the UK aren't accepted)". So your visa card might be okay. We don't usually recommend it though, because they might add on a transaction fee every time you buy something abroad, which will include individual bus and train tickets.

GOTE Hi again If i have a contactless card and use it for travelling as follows - can you please verify prices and the use of the card. 1. Day one travelling from Heathrow to Tottenham Court Road I use the card at the gate once entering at Heathrow and once exiting at Tottenham Court Road? and nowhere in between? Which train / line to use and where to change if necessary? Total cost £5.00 2. During my stay in London there is a daily cap for travelling within zones 1-2 of £7.70? 3. When returning to Heathrow, the travel is as above just the opposite order?

Staff You can get the elizabeth line for £5,50 - city-guide.london/​transport/​train-journey.php?from=heathrow-terminals-1-2-3&to=tottenham-court-road . At the moment the daily cap is £7.70 for zones 1-2 (the prices always go up in March). And the return journey will be the same in the opposite order. But remember they might add on a transaction fee if it's a foreign card.

Brian I think I understand the cap. Does this apply to tube and bus or are they separate. Say I used up all my 8.10 tube fares, would I then be charged for using a TfL bus

Staff Hi Brian. If you use buses all day, and no trains, then you'll pay the bus daily cap, which is cheaper. But if you use trains all day, or a combination of trains and buses, then you'll pay the train daily cap instead. You wouldn't have to pay for the bus in your example, because once you reach the daily cap you can still carry on riding the buses and trains, but the computer stops charging you.

Jen If my journey starts with the tube at Waterloo and then I change to a train at Liverpool St, do I have to tap off the tube and then onto the train? Zone 1-3

Staff Hi Jen. If you're changing to another tube train at Liverpool Street, then no, you should be able to change platforms without passing through any barriers. But if you mean you're catching a National Rail train at Liverpool Street, then yes, you'll have to go through a gate and tap out.

Christine Remnant Do you need to tap your Card again when you finish your journey

Staff Hi Christine. Only on the trains. You don't have to tap them down again on the buses

Jean Hi, we're travelling from Westminster to Wembley Park on a Sunday paying for tickets via our Debit cards. Each of us will use contactless at the self service machines to get a paper ticket. Can we buy our outgoing and return tickets at the same time if staying within the same zones. And is the route we want to take direct or must we change

Staff Hi Jean. Assuming that you’ve both got UK bank cards, it would be better to just touch them down on the gate because then you’ll be paying the contactless fare. If you buy tickets at the machine you’ll be paying the cash fare, which is more expensive. If you do choose to pay at the machine there’s no such thing as a return fare, but you can choose a return journey. The price will be the same as two single journeys, and the machine will give you two single tickets. it is a direct train - city-guide.london/​transport/​train-journey.php?from=westminster&to=wembley-park

Deidre Gray Can you use a rail card when you pay contactessly with a credit card?

Staff Hi Deidre. Unfortunately not, no. Theres no way to load a railcard onto a bank card, only oyster cards. Oyster has the same fares as contactless, so maybe you can get one of them instead

Joanne I'll be travelling in London with my 11 year old daughter, just for one day and probably just two journeys in zone 1. I know there are no child fares but if she swipes one of my bank cards (contactless, and not the one I'll be using) is this OK? Presumably I'll just be charged adult fare for her?

Staff Hi Joanne. If they're two completely different card numbers then you could do it, but technically i’m not sure whether banks allow other people to use your card, even if you give your permission, which is something to be aware of. If you want to be safe then just buy her a paper ticket at the machine with your card… but then she’d be charged a cash fare

Tarun Hi, hope you're doing well. Is there any significant difference in price between using an Oyster card vs. a contactless card (aside from the £7 deposit). I will be staying in London long-term so would like to know which would be the best option in the long run. Thanks!!

Staff Hi Tarun. The fares are identical. The only time they might be different is if you had a foreign bank card, because some banks add on a transaction fee every time you use it overseas.

john Do we pay for children 16 years and below

Staff Hi John. 11-17 year olds from London can get discount fares with the right card. Under 11s are free - city-guide.london/​transport/​child-train-fares.php

Carole Why do you not tap out when getting off the bus, how will it know what to charge. Also if I travel from deptford bridge station to cutty sark station can I use contactless to pay and do I tap on and off.

Staff Hi Carole. On a bus you pay for one journey, rather than the number of stops. It doesn't matter whether you travel one mile or five miles, it's still the same price. You can use contactless on the bus. You only have to tap when you get on, not off.

Jerry If I'm traveling from Heathrow to Tottenham court, then to Leicester square, then back from Tottenham to Heathrow using the E-line and the tube is that capped for one day at the zone 1-6 cap?

Staff Hi Jerry. No, because if you add up the individual journeys they don't quite reach the daily cap, so you'd be charged the individual fares instead (i make it £14, but it depends if your tottenham court road to leicester square bit is peak or off-peak)

Jerry I must be misinformed; I thought the fare from Heathrow to Tottenham on the E-line was 13.90 each way?

Staff We have found that mentioned on the internet, so we see what you're saying, but we've double-checked it on TFL's official fare finder page and it's coming up as normal underground prices (which is what we quoted above). They also mention the Elizabeth line at the top. Heres the page if you'd like to check -- tfl.gov.uk/​fares/​find-fares/tube-and-rail-fares/single-fare-finder?intcmp=54716 —- but we’ve sent a query to TFL to confirm

jerry Thank You for taking the time to inquire about this for me, i have not been able to find a definitive answer.

Staff Received a reply from TFL - "We appreciate how confusing this can be for the travelling public. Fares on the Elizabeth line are generally the same as fares on the Underground, but the single fare to and from Heathrow is £12,80 in Peak hours (£10,20 in Off-Peak hours). This compares favourably with Heathrow Express prices but the Tube fare is cheaper"

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The Ultimate Guide On Paying For Travel In London

• Last updated May 15, 2024
• Difficulty Advanced

• Category Travel

Are you planning a trip to London but feeling overwhelmed by the thought of paying for everything? Don't worry, we've got you covered! In this ultimate guide, we'll walk you through all the different options for paying for travel in London, so you can navigate the city like a pro without breaking the bank. Whether you're looking to take the famous double-decker buses, ride the iconic red London Underground, or explore the city on foot, we've got tips and tricks to help you save money and make the most of your time in this vibrant city. So grab your Oyster card and let's get started on your London adventure!

What You'll Learn

Budgeting for london travel expenses, finding affordable accommodation options in london, tips for saving money on transportation in london, exploring free or low-cost attractions in london.

Are you planning a trip to London but worried about the expenses? Don't worry, with proper budgeting, you can enjoy your time in this vibrant city without breaking the bank. In this article, we will guide you on how to budget and pay for your travel expenses in London.

• Plan ahead: Before arriving in London, it's essential to research and plan your trip in advance. This will help you identify the places you want to visit and estimate the amount of money you will need for transportation, accommodation, food, and activities.
• Transportation: London has an extensive public transportation system, which includes buses, underground trains (known as the Tube), trams, and trains. The Oyster card is a contactless payment card that offers discounted fares on all modes of public transport in London. You can purchase an Oyster card at any Tube station or online. It is essential to load enough credit on your Oyster card to cover your anticipated travel expenses.
• Tube fares: The fare on the London Underground varies depending on the zones you travel through. It's cheaper to travel during off-peak hours (between 9:30 am and 4:30 pm or after 7 pm on weekdays) or all day on weekends. Consider using an app or website to plan your route and check the fares in advance.
• Buses: If you prefer buses over the Underground, the Oyster card can also be used for bus travel. Buses in London have a flat fare, regardless of the distance traveled. Just tap your Oyster card on the reader when boarding the bus, and the fare will be deducted automatically.
• Walking and cycling: London is a great city for walking, especially in the central areas. Many major attractions are within walking distance of each other. If you're feeling adventurous, you can even rent a bicycle from the Santander Cycles scheme and explore the city at your own pace.
• Taxis and ride-sharing: If you prefer a more convenient and direct mode of transport, taxis and ride-sharing services like Uber are available in London. However, these options can be quite expensive, so it's advisable to use them sparingly to save money.
• Accommodation: London offers a wide range of accommodations to fit every budget. Consider staying in a hostel, guesthouse, or budget hotel to save on accommodation costs. Alternatively, you can also look for vacation rentals or shared accommodations through platforms like Airbnb.
• Food and drinks: Eating out in London can be expensive, but there are ways to save money on food. Look for affordable eateries, street food markets, or food stalls where you can find delicious and cheap meals. Additionally, consider grocery shopping and preparing your own meals if you have access to a kitchen in your accommodation.
• Free attractions and activities: London is home to many free attractions and activities. Take advantage of this and explore iconic landmarks like the British Museum, Tate Modern, or the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace without spending a dime.
• Plan your activities: While it's important to be flexible and leave room for spontaneous adventures, planning some of your activities in advance can help you stick to your budget. Many attractions offer discounted tickets when booked online in advance, so take advantage of these offers to save money.

By following these tips and being mindful of your spending, you can enjoy your trip to London without breaking the bank. With proper budgeting and smart choices, you can experience the best that London has to offer while keeping your expenses under control. So start planning, and have a fantastic time exploring this vibrant city!

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London is known for being an expensive city, and finding affordable accommodation can often be a challenge. However, with a little bit of research and planning, it is possible to find affordable options that suit your budget. Here are some tips to help you in your search for affordable accommodation in London:

• Consider staying in neighborhoods outside of central London: Central London is undoubtedly the most expensive area to stay in. Consider looking for accommodation options in neighborhoods like Hackney, Brixton, or Camden, which are still well-connected to the city center but tend to have more affordable prices.
• Look for budget hotels or hostels: There are plenty of budget hotels and hostels in London that offer affordable rates. While they may not have all the amenities of a luxury hotel, they can provide a comfortable place to stay at a fraction of the cost. Websites like Hostelworld or Booking.com can help you find affordable options.
• Explore short-term rentals: Websites like Airbnb and HomeAway offer a variety of short-term rental options in London. Renting a room or a whole apartment can sometimes be more cost-effective than staying in a hotel, especially if you are traveling with a group or staying for an extended period.
• Consider serviced apartments: Serviced apartments are a great option for those who prefer more space and privacy. These fully furnished apartments usually come with a kitchen, allowing you to save money on eating out. Websites like TheSqua.re or onefinestay offer a range of serviced apartment options in London.
• Stay in university accommodations during vacation periods: When students are on vacation, many universities rent out their empty halls of residence at discounted rates. This can be a great way to get affordable accommodation in central London. Websites like UniversityRooms or Londonist can help you find these options.
• Check for last-minute deals: Last-minute deals can sometimes offer significant savings. Websites like Lastminute or Booking.com have special sections dedicated to last-minute deals. If you are flexible with your travel dates, this can be a great way to find affordable accommodation.
• Consider house-sitting or house swapping: If you are open to the idea of taking care of someone else's home or exchanging homes with someone, house-sitting or house swapping can be a great way to get free accommodation in London. Websites like TrustedHousesitters or HomeExchange can help you find these opportunities.
• Use comparison websites: There are several websites that aggregate prices from multiple accommodation providers, allowing you to compare prices and find the best deals. Websites like Trivago or Kayak can help you save time and money by finding the most affordable options.

Remember to book in advance and be flexible with your dates to maximize your chances of finding affordable accommodation in London. With these tips and a bit of patience, you can find a comfortable place to stay without breaking the bank.

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London is a vibrant and bustling city, filled with iconic landmarks, world-class museums, and a rich history. But with so much to see and do, the cost of transportation can quickly add up. Luckily, there are several ways to save money on transportation in London. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your travel budget:

• Use an Oyster Card: One of the best ways to save money on transportation in London is by using an Oyster card. This smart card can be used on buses, trams, the London Underground, and even some National Rail services. By using an Oyster card, you can benefit from discounted fares compared to buying paper tickets. You can also easily top up your card online, at underground stations, or at selected retailers.
• Take Advantage of Off-Peak Travel: If your schedule allows for it, consider traveling during off-peak hours. Transport for London offers discounted fares for travel outside of the morning and evening rush hours. By avoiding peak times, not only will you save money, but you'll also have a more comfortable and less crowded journey.
• Explore by Foot: London is a city best explored on foot. Many of its major attractions are located close together, and walking allows you to take in the sights and sounds of the city at your own pace. Not only is walking a cost-effective way to get around, but it's also a great way to stumble upon hidden gems that you may otherwise miss.
• Take Advantage of Free Transport Options: London has several free transport options that can help you save money. The Emirates Air Line cable car provides scenic views of the city and is free for holders of valid Oyster cards. Additionally, the Santander Cycles, also known as Boris Bikes, offer a cost-effective way to explore the city on two wheels. The first 30 minutes of each journey is included in the rental price, making it a convenient and budget-friendly option.
• Consider Multi-Day Travelcards: If you're planning to use public transport frequently during your stay in London, it may be worth investing in a multi-day travelcard. These cards offer unlimited travel on buses, trams, the London Underground, and some National Rail services within specific zones. Depending on the length of your stay and the zones you plan to visit, a multi-day travelcard could be a more cost-effective option than buying individual tickets for each journey.
• Plan your Route in Advance: Before embarking on your journey, take some time to plan your route in advance. Use online journey planners or apps to identify the most efficient and cost-effective routes. By avoiding unnecessary changes and taking the most direct routes, you can save both time and money on transportation in London.
• Consider Contactless Payment: If you don't have an Oyster card, you can also use contactless payment with a debit or credit card. Transport for London offers the same discounted fares for contactless payments as they do for Oyster cards. Just tap your card on the yellow card reader at the beginning and end of your journey to pay for your travel.

In conclusion, traveling in London doesn't have to break the bank. By using an Oyster card, taking advantage of off-peak travel, exploring on foot, and making use of free transport options, you can save money on transportation and have more to spend on enjoying everything else this incredible city has to offer. So plan ahead, make smart choices, and make the most of your travel budget in London.

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When planning a trip to London, it's not uncommon to worry about the costs associated with exploring one of the most vibrant and bustling cities in the world. However, with a bit of research and planning, you can easily find a multitude of free or low-cost attractions that will allow you to experience the best of London without breaking the bank. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your trip without spending a fortune:

• Museums and Galleries: One of the best things about London is that many of its world-renowned museums and galleries are free to enter. From the British Museum to the National Gallery, you can immerse yourself in art, history, and culture without spending a dime. Don't miss the Tate Modern, which offers an impressive collection of modern and contemporary art, or the Natural History Museum, which is a favorite among adults and children alike.
• Parks and Gardens: London is known for its beautiful parks and green spaces, and luckily, most of them are free to access. Take a stroll through Hyde Park or Regent's Park, where you can enjoy lovely gardens, peaceful lakes, and even spot some wildlife. Make sure to visit St. James's Park, which offers stunning views of Buckingham Palace and is the perfect spot for a picnic.
• Walking Tours: Explore the city on foot by joining one of London's many free walking tours. These tours cover a wide range of topics, from the historic City of London to the vibrant street art scene in Shoreditch. You'll learn about the city's history, architecture, and hidden gems while getting some exercise at the same time.
• Markets: Wander through the bustling markets of London, such as Borough Market and Camden Market, where you can sample delicious street food, browse unique stalls, and soak up the lively atmosphere. Even if you don't plan on buying anything, a visit to these markets is an experience in itself.
• Street Performers: London is home to some incredibly talented street performers who entertain crowds with their music, magic tricks, and acrobatics. Head to Covent Garden or South Bank, where you can catch free performances and shows that are sure to leave you amazed.
• Free Events: Check out London's event calendar to see if there are any free events or festivals happening during your visit. From music concerts in parks to cultural celebrations, there's always something happening in the city that won't cost you a penny.

To make the most of your trip to London, it's also important to save money on transportation. Consider purchasing an Oyster card, which is a reusable smart card that allows you to travel on the city's buses, trams, and trains at a discounted rate. You can easily top up your card with credit and use it to navigate around the city, making it a convenient and affordable option.

With these tips in mind, you'll be able to enjoy the best of London's free or low-cost attractions without worrying about your budget. So go out and explore this vibrant city without breaking the bank!

The Best Time to Apply for a Visa Before Traveling

Frequently asked questions.

There are several options for paying for travel in London. You can use a contactless payment card, such as a debit or credit card, to tap in and out of the transport system. Alternatively, you can use an Oyster card, which is a reusable smart card that you can load with money and use to pay for your travel. Another option is to use digital wallets, such as Apple Pay or Google Pay, if your device supports it. Finally, you can also buy paper tickets or travelcards for specific periods of time.

While cash used to be a common way to pay for travel in London, it is no longer accepted on buses. However, you can still use cash to buy tickets at ticket machines or ticket offices in underground stations. It is recommended to use contactless payment methods or an Oyster card to avoid potential inconvenience.

There are several benefits to using an Oyster card for travel in London. Firstly, it offers discounted fares compared to buying paper tickets. Secondly, it is more convenient as you can top-up your Oyster card online, at ticket machines, or at various retail locations. Additionally, it allows you to use pay-as-you-go, which means you only pay for the journeys you take, rather than purchasing a ticket for a specific period of time.

Yes, you can use your contactless payment card from another country to pay for travel in London as long as it has the contactless symbol on it. However, it is advisable to check with your bank or card issuer before traveling to ensure that your card will work abroad and to inquire about any possible international transaction fees.

Yes, you can request a refund for any remaining balance on your Oyster card. You can do this at ticket machines or ticket offices in underground stations. There might be a small administration fee deducted from the refund amount. Alternatively, you can keep the Oyster card for future visits to London as it does not expire.

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contactless payment caps the daily and weekly cost - London Forum

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contactless payment caps the daily and weekly cost

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I am sorry to post this question if it has been answered before. How does the "contactless payment caps" work? Is it like "day pass" if you use the same contactless method on publc transit for certain trips, once it meets the day pass or weekly pass amount, it will stop charging? In another word, we dont need to buy a day pass or weekly pass but still can get the discount by using the contactless method? 😳🤔Please help! 🙏

5 replies to this topic

Yes, exactly. Each morning at 0429 your account is debited for the previous day's travel up to the cap for the zones through which you've travelled.

For example, the daily cap for zones 1 and 2 is £8.50.

https://tfl.gov.uk/campaign/new-fares#on-this-page-3

Correct, the system stores your journeys during the day and debits your account once a day at the relevant amount for the zones travelled in. For instance only travel in zones 1-2 and the daily cap is £8.50.

The weekly cap runs from Monday to Sunday.

Make sure you each use a separate contactless card, phone etc to touch in to enter the station then touch out at your destination. There is a penalty fare if you don't do this.

On the buses you only touch in when you board and don't touch out when you get, it's a fixed fare unlike on the tube etc.

Some stations don't have gates so look for and touch in/out at the stand alone card readers.

BTW children depend on their ages if any traveling you.

-- once it meets the day pass or weekly pass amount, it will stop charging?--

It's not a pass, but yes, that's correct.

--still can get the discount by using the contactless method?--

There's no discount. You just stop being charged. Usually after your third journey. The price varies depending on the zones you travel in. You can check the prices here:

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/find-fares/tube-and-rail-fares/caps-and-travelcard-prices?intcmp=54720

Thanks all for the clarification. So I just need to use the same credit card for all my trips then I only need to pay £8.5 for Zones 1 & 2. If I want to travel from LHR to the city then travel within zones 1-2, will I be charged £15.6 instead of £8.5 because LHR is in Zone 6?

£15.60 will be the most that you would pay when travelling in zones 1-6.

If you only travelled on the underground from Heathrow to zone 1 and nothing else then you would be charged £5.60 which is the fare from the airport.

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NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

London Tube ticket from the 80s drives home just how much fares have risen

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An old London travel card reveals how much the cost of Tube travel has increased over the years.

London would not be the same without the underground.

Whether you love it or hate it, the Tube has been a fundamental part of life in the capital since it opened more than 160 years ago.

Ticket price increases on the Transport of London network are also a regular occurrence – although fares were frozen again this year.

A Londoner discovered a 1988 London Underground travel card when going through their parents’ old books, sharing the rare find online on Reddit.

It shows how much prices have ballooned since.

Back then, an off-peak travel card across zones 1 to 3 for one day cost £2, MyLondon reports.

Because of inflation, that equals £5.36 today.

Today, hopping on the Tube for one day of travel between zones 1-6 will set you back by £15.90.

The discovery sparked nostalgic memories on Reddit, with one user saying ‘that’s a blast from the past. People selling cards at stations! I remember doing it too.’

Another said: ‘Wow, talk about nostalgia! Back then I was riding the tube in to University every day.’

Latest London news

• Boy, 6, dies after falling more than 150ft from tower block
• Iconic London gay bar up for sale after it didn't show Eurovision in Israel row
• Urgent measles warning to parents as cases rise in London

To get the latest news from the capital visit Metro.co.uk's London news hub .

Travel cards were introduced on the London Underground and buses in 1983, while day tickets were launched the following year, according to MyLondon .

The graphic below reveals how much Tube prices have increased for one-day travel cards in zones 1 to 4.

Londoners let out a sigh of relief in 2016, when TfL announced a ticket price freeze.

Passenger fares were frozen between 2017 and 2020, preventing a rise of 12%, the BBC reported.

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced another fare freeze in January until March 2025 ahead of the mayoral race .

It comes after the transport authority announced an average rise of 5.9% last year.

The average pay-as-you-go Tube fare went up by 30p, while the fare for a single bus journey increased by 10p, according to the broadcaster.

A spokesperson for the Mayor said Khan pledged to freeze TfL fares until at least 2025 to ‘support Londoners with the cost of living crisis.’

‘This is the fifth time Sadiq has frozen fares as he continues to build a greener and fairer London for everyone,’ they added.

Overall consumer prices in Britain have increased by around 236% since the ticket was issued.

The Tube has been modernised since it opened, including the addition of the Elizabeth Line , a better phone signal and an off-peak Friday price trial announced by City Hall.

Passengers are set to get mobile signal within most of London underground by the end of this year – to the delight of those who rack up hours of travel on the Tube each month.

Stretching 249 miles, the underground network has hundreds of secret passages, historical Grade II-listed stations and even ghost platforms.

If you ever feel you are being watched when catching the Tube, it could be because some of the passages have metal grates with views of unassuming passengers.

Travel influencer Dan Thomas revealed a tour of the historic passages.

It could also be because there are more than 15,500 CCTV cameras in the London Underground.

@danthomasuk Replying to @Dan Thomas | Travel & Music🩵 The Hidden Tunnels in Shepherds Bush Station Others in Baker Street: @Dan Thomas | Travel & Music🩵 TFL transport museum Hidden London tour Secret London Abandoned stations Closed underground stations Closed tube station For fans of Secrets of the London Underground and Siddy Holloway #hiddenlondon #secretlondon #londonunderground #abandonedplaces #abandonedstation #tfl #londontube #shepherdsbush ♬ Lovin On Me – Jack Harlow

A TfL spokesperson told Metro.co.uk if it plans to extend the off-peak Fridays trial: ‘We continue to analyse the impact of our trial of off-peak pay as you go fares on Tube and rail services on a Friday, which remains ongoing until May 31.

‘This analysis will take into account a number of aspects including assessing changes to both morning peak ridership and overall daily ridership, as well as the impact to businesses across London.’

The London Underground

Here is everything you need to know if you ever find yourself in a Tube-themed pub quiz.

The underground was affectionately nicknamed Tube after the shape of its tunnels.

The Tube opened in 1863, and since then the passenger numbers have increased to a whopping 1.35 billion each year.

Today, it boasts 11 lines with 272 stations stretching across the capital and beyond Greater London.

The furthest Underground station from central London is Chesham in Buckinghamshire located in zone 9.

It stretches for 249 miles.

The busiest station is Waterloo with 100.3 million passengers annually, according to TfL.

Waterloo is also the station with most escalators – 23 in total.

While the average train speed across the Tube is around 20 mph, the Metropolitan Line can reach speeds of up to 62 mph.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected] .

For more stories like this, check our news page .

MORE : Royal Vauxhall Tavern future hangs in the balance after row over Eurovision boycott

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MORE : How Britain’s shopkeepers are fighting back against flower pot stealth tax

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"Student in London in the 80s. All came flooding back," another added. A third user commented: "Childhood memory unlocked right there. I have this sudden memory of playing with them like they were credit cards in my purse! ".

However, some Londoners were quick to share their hesitation about using travel cards for their journey. As one person commented: "It's funny because I live about an hour from London via train, I hardly ever even buy a ticket these days, just use tap and go via contactless. This is a treasure honestly!"

Our London Underground newsletter brings you the latest travel updates to help you survive your commute - as well as a weekly dose of Tube trivia! You can sign up HERE.

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London Tube ticket from the 80s drives home just how much fares have risen

An old London travel card reveals how much the cost of Tube travel has increased over the years.

London would not be the same without the underground.

Whether you love it or hate it, the Tube has been a fundamental part of life in the capital since it opened more than 160 years ago.

Ticket price increases on the Transport of London network are also a regular occurrence – although fares were frozen again this year.

A Londoner discovered a 1988 London Underground travel card when going through their parents’ old books, sharing the rare find online on Reddit.

It shows how much prices have ballooned since.

Back then, an off-peak travel card across zones 1 to 3 for one day cost £2, MyLondon reports.

Because of inflation, that equals £5.36 today.

Today, hopping on the Tube for one day of travel between zones 1-6 will set you back by £15.90.

The discovery sparked nostalgic memories on Reddit, with one user saying ‘that’s a blast from the past. People selling cards at stations! I remember doing it too.’

Another said: ‘Wow, talk about nostalgia! Back then I was riding the tube in to University every day.’

Latest London news

• Boy, 6, dies after falling more than 150ft from tower block
• Iconic London gay bar up for sale after it didn't show Eurovision in Israel row
• Urgent measles warning to parents as cases rise in London

To get the latest news from the capital visit Metro.co.uk's London news hub .

Travel cards were introduced on the London Underground and buses in 1983, while day tickets were launched the following year, according to MyLondon .

The graphic below reveals how much Tube prices have increased for one-day travel cards in zones 1 to 4.

Londoners let out a sigh of relief in 2016, when TfL announced a ticket price freeze.

Passenger fares were frozen between 2017 and 2020, preventing a rise of 12%, the BBC reported.

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced another fare freeze in January until March 2025 ahead of the mayoral race .

It comes after the transport authority announced an average rise of 5.9% last year.

The average pay-as-you-go Tube fare went up by 30p, while the fare for a single bus journey increased by 10p, according to the broadcaster.

A spokesperson for the Mayor said Khan pledged to freeze TfL fares until at least 2025 to ‘support Londoners with the cost of living crisis.’

‘This is the fifth time Sadiq has frozen fares as he continues to build a greener and fairer London for everyone,’ they added.

Overall consumer prices in Britain have increased by around 236% since the ticket was issued.

The Tube has been modernised since it opened, including the addition of the Elizabeth Line , a better phone signal and an off-peak Friday price trial announced by City Hall.

Passengers are set to get mobile signal within most of London underground by the end of this year – to the delight of those who rack up hours of travel on the Tube each month.

Stretching 249 miles, the underground network has hundreds of secret passages, historical Grade II-listed stations and even ghost platforms.

If you ever feel you are being watched when catching the Tube, it could be because some of the passages have metal grates with views of unassuming passengers.

Travel influencer Dan Thomas revealed a tour of the historic passages.

It could also be because there are more than 15,500 CCTV cameras in the London Underground.

A TfL spokesperson told Metro.co.uk if it plans to extend the off-peak Fridays trial: ‘We continue to analyse the impact of our trial of off-peak pay as you go fares on Tube and rail services on a Friday, which remains ongoing until May 31.

‘This analysis will take into account a number of aspects including assessing changes to both morning peak ridership and overall daily ridership, as well as the impact to businesses across London.’

The London Underground

Here is everything you need to know if you ever find yourself in a Tube-themed pub quiz.

The underground was affectionately nicknamed Tube after the shape of its tunnels.

The Tube opened in 1863, and since then the passenger numbers have increased to a whopping 1.35 billion each year.

Today, it boasts 11 lines with 272 stations stretching across the capital and beyond Greater London.

The furthest Underground station from central London is Chesham in Buckinghamshire located in zone 9.

It stretches for 249 miles.

The busiest station is Waterloo with 100.3 million passengers annually, according to TfL.

Waterloo is also the station with most escalators – 23 in total.

While the average train speed across the Tube is around 20 mph, the Metropolitan Line can reach speeds of up to 62 mph.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected] .

For more stories like this, check our news page .

Get your need-to-know latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more by signing up to Metro's News Updates newsletter