London Drum

Which is better: Oyster, contactless or travelcard?

Oyster card, contactless card and travelcard

Which card should you choose?

One of the first decisions that a tourist has to make when travelling around London is whether to use an Oyster card, contactless card or travelcard.

The first thing to be aware of is that using cash to buy individual tickets is definitely the worst idea, as single tickets on the train are more than double the cost of Oyster and contactless, and you can’t even buy single tickets on the bus anyway. So which of the three cards do we recommend?

Oyster cards

Oyster card and Visitor Oyster card

An Oyster card is a credit card-sized piece of plastic. You load it up with money before you travel and then tap it down on the Oyster card readers on the buses and trains. The computer will then automatically deduct the correct fare from your credit. When you start running low on credit you can just top it up again at a ticket machine.

They come in two different types: normal blue Oyster cards are aimed primarily at the locals, whereas Visitor Oyster cards are aimed primarily at the tourists (although they are basically both the same, so it doesn’t really matter which one you get).

What are the benefits of using an Oyster card?

  • The biggest benefit of using an Oyster card is its joint cheapest fares for single journeys (along with contactless)
  • The Oyster daily cap is always cheaper than buying a 1-day travelcard
  • Oyster pay-as-you-go credit can be used in zones 1-9, whereas travelcards are only valid in the zones you buy them for
  • If you register your card online then you can turn on the ‘auto top-up’ feature which takes money out of your bank account whenever your credit gets low, so you don’t have to worry about running out
  • Pay-as-you-go credit never expires, so you can carry on using any leftover credit on your next visit
  • Visitor Oyster cards also come bundled with a book of discounts vouchers which can save you money at shops, restaurants and entertainment venues. These discounts are constantly changing all the time, but in the past they’ve included things like 10% off a boat ride, 10% off souvenirs in a particular gift shop, or 20% off a meal in a particular restaurant. The instructions for each venue will come with the vouchers, but most of the time all you have to do is show your Visitor Oyster card when you pay the bill, and the staff will apply the discount

What are the downsides of using an Oyster card?

  • One of the downsides of using an Oyster card is that you can’t pay two fares with one card, so each traveller in your group will need their own
  • The weekly cap only works from Monday to Sunday, whereas weekly travelcards can start on any day of the week you like
  • You have to pay a £7 deposit whenever you buy a new Oyster card, or a £5 activation fee when you buy a Visitor Oyster card, which can’t be put towards fares
  • You can’t buy a Visitor Oyster card in central London, only the normal blue Oyster cards. If you want a Visitor Oyster card then you have to buy it online in advance and have it posted to you

Contactless cards

Contactless cards

A contactless payment card is just your normal everyday debit or credit card. It works in exactly the same way as a London Oyster card. You just tap it down on the Oyster card readers on the buses and trains and the computer will automatically deduct the correct fare from your bank account.

What are the benefits of using a contactless card?

  • One of the main benefits of using a contactless card is that it’s just your normal everyday bank card or credit card, so you probably already have one
  • Contactless also has the joint cheapest fares for single journeys (along with Oyster)
  • The contactless daily cap is always cheaper than buying a 1-day travelcard
  • Contactless can be used in zones 1-9, whereas travelcards are only valid in the zones you buy them for
  • Unlike Oyster cards, you don’t have to pay a £7 deposit to set it up
  • Unlike Oyster cards, there’s no need to keep topping it up with credit because the money comes straight from your bank account
  • Contactless cards can be used in conjunction with Mobile Pay on your phone

What are the downsides of using a contactless card?

  • One of the downsides of using a contactless card is that you can’t pay two fares with just one card, so each traveller in your group will need their own
  • The weekly cap only works from Monday to Sunday, whereas weekly travelcards can start on any day of the week you like
  • Unlike with Oyster, you can’t load a travelcard onto a contactless card
  • Not all foreign-issued cards are accepted, and foreign cards might have a transaction fee added on by your bank every time you buy a ticket, bumping up the price of your journey

Travelcards

Travelcards

Travelcards are credit card-sized pieces of paper. They can also be loaded onto an Oyster card. You choose the duration you want it to cover (either 1-day, one week, one month or one year), whether you want it to cover just the bus/tram, or the train/bus/tram together, plus the zones you want to travel through, and then you’ll be entitled to unlimited travel in those zones until it expires.

What are the benefits of using a travelcard?

  • The biggest benefit of using a travelcard is that you can make an unlimited number of journeys over one day, one week, one month or one year
  • Depending on how many journeys you make in total, a weekly travelcard might work out cheaper than the Oyster and contactless weekly cap
  • Unlike Oyster cards, you don’t have to pay a £7 deposit the first time you buy it
  • You can take advantage of National Rail’s 2-for-1 offer to get cheap entry into 150+ tourist attractions. All you have to do is print out the relevant voucher from daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-london and then hand it over at the attraction, alongside a valid National Rail travelcard for the same day of travel. But here’s the catch: the travelcard has to be printed on orange paper. That means that you have to buy it from a National Rail station (the big overground hubs like Euston, King’s Cross, Liverpool Street, Paddington, Victoria and Waterloo). Travelcards bought at London Underground stations are no good, because they will be printed on TFL’s pink paper. And travelcards loaded onto an Oyster card are no good either

What are the downsides of using a travelcard?

  • One of the downsides of using a travelcard is that you can’t share one between two people, so each person in your group will need their own
  • One day travelcards are always more expensive than the daily cap on Oyster and contactless
  • Unlike the pay-as-you-go-credit on Oyster and contactless cards, travelcards can only be used in the zones you bought it for. If you later decide that you want to travel outside of those zones then you’ll have to buy a completely separate ticket
  • Travelcards are only valid for 1-day, one week, one month or one year – you can’t buy a travelcard that covers any other stretch of days

How do Oyster, contactless and travelcard fares compare?

1-day travelcard prices and Oyster/contactless daily caps on the bus
Bus & Tram only One day Week Month
All zones
Oyster & Contactless £5.25 £24.70 n/a
Travelcard £6 £24.70 £94.90
1-day travelcard prices and Oyster/contactless daily caps on the train
Train, Bus & Tram One day Week Month
Peak Off-peak
Zone 1-2
Oyster & Contactless £8.50 £8.50 £42.70 n/a
Travelcard n/a n/a £42.70 £164
Zone 1-3
Oyster/ Contactless £10 £10 £50.20 n/a
Travelcard n/a n/a £50.20 £192.80
Zone 1-4
Oyster & Contactless £12.30 £12.30 £61.40 n/a
Travelcard £15.90 n/a £61.40 £235.80
Zone 1-5
Oyster & Contactless £14.60 £14.60 £73 n/a
Travelcard n/a n/a £73 £280.40
Zone 1-6
Oyster & Contactless £15.60 £15.60 £78 n/a
Travelcard £22.60 £15.90 £78 £299
Zone 1-9
Oyster & Contactless £22.30 £15.60 £111.30 n/a
Travelcard £28.50 £17 £111.30 £427.40
Note: Prices are correct as of

Bear in mind that travelcards only allow you to travel between a set period (either one day, one week, one month or one year), whereas the Oyster daily cap and contactless daily cap apply all the time.

You can think of the daily cap as a price ceiling – it doesn’t matter how many buses or trains you ride each day, the maximum amount that the computer will take from your Oyster or contactless card will never rise above the cap.

Peak and off-peak fares – For Oyster and contactless peak fares apply to all journeys that start between 6:30 AM and 9.30 AM (Monday to Friday), or 4.30 PM and 7 PM (Monday to Friday). It doesn’t matter what time the journeys finish. Any other journey is classed as 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.

For travelcards, off-peak applies to any journey that starts after 9.30 AM (Monday to Friday).

Which is the cheapest: Oyster, contactless or travelcard?

The Oyster and contactless cap is always cheaper than buying a one day travelcard… but bear in mind that you also have to pay an £7 deposit on top the first time you buy an Oyster card, so a 1-day travelcard can still work out as better value.

The Oyster and contactless weekly cap is identical to buying a weekly travelcard, but you need to make enough journeys to make a weekly travelcard worthwhile. If you make at least three or more journeys on six days, or two or more journeys on seven days, then a 7 day travelcard will be worth it, otherwise you should go for an Oyster card or contactless instead.

How long do Oyster, contactless and travelcards last?

The pay-as-you-go credit on an Oyster card lasts forever. If you don’t use all the money up during your first holiday then you can simply carry on using it during your next visit.

Contactless cards don’t expire either, because they take the money straight out of your bank account.

A travelcard is the only one with an actual expiry date, because you have to choose a start date and duration when you buy it – either one day, one week, one month or one year. Once the duration has passed then the travelcard will stop working.

Where can you use Oyster, contactless and travelcards?

Buses – Oyster cards, contactless cards and travelcards can be used on TFL buses all over London. And because buses don’t have zones you can use a train/​bus/​tram travelcard in whichever zone you like, regardless of which zones you actually bought it for.

London Underground, London Overground, DLR, TFL Rail, National Rail – The pay-as-you-go credit on Oyster cards and contactless can be used in all of the Oyster zones (1-9), but travelcards can only be used in the zones you bought it for.

You can also use Oyster and contactless on the Heathrow and Gatwick Express, but bear in mind that it won’t count towards the daily cap – it will just be deducted from your credit.

Taxis – Contactless cards can also be used to pay for black cabs (assuming that the fare is less than the current limit of £100). But Oyster cards and travelcards cannot.

IFS Cloud Cable Car & Thames Clipper – You can use Oyster cards and contactless to pay for a ticket on the cable car and Uber’s Thames Clipper service, but bear in mind that the cost will not count towards the daily cap – it will just deduct the relevant fare from your credit. Travelcards cannot be used to pay the fare.

Which is best: Oyster, contactless or travelcard?

So which is better? If you’re a foreign visitor coming to London for just one day then we recommend choosing a one day travelcard. The Oyster and contactless daily cap might seem cheaper, but when you factor in the Oyster card’s £7 deposit, and the fact that your bank might add on a transaction fee every time you use a foreign bank card overseas, then a travelcard will likely work out cheaper.

If you’re a foreign visitor coming to London for more than one day then we recommend buying an Oyster card or Visitor Oyster card instead… unless you’re planning on making two or more journeys on seven consecutive days, or three or more journeys on six of those days, in which case a weekly travelcard will work out cheaper.

If you’re a UK visitor then we always recommend using your contactless card, regardless of how many days you’re staying, because the fares are the same as Oyster and you don’t have to pay a deposit to get one.

Your comments and questions

Jane Is a two traveling together card, work out cheaper than a pay as go Oyster card

Staff Hi Jane. No, if you're talking about the railcard then it doesn't apply to Oyster pay-as-you-go fares. It's only really any good if you're travelling on trains outside of London - twotogether-railcard.co.uk/​using-your-railcard/​travel-times-tickets/

JohnP My sister and I are coming to London for a week of museums and galleries. We've been there three times before, but each time I get confused between travelcards, Oyster cards, etc. We arrive and depart through Heathrow, and we're staying near Holland Park/Kensington, so I THINK the 7 Day travelcard is what we should use, but I'm not sure. Any suggestions or help in explaining it more clearly would be greatly appreciated

Staff Hi JohnP. Weekly travelcards always have a start date on them (which you choose when you buy it) and they're valid for for seven consecutive days. You also have to choose which zones you want it to cover. You'll probably want zones 1-2, but it depends where you're going. Oyster cards 'might' be better because they don't have a date on them, they can be used in all the zones, and they cap the maximum price you can spend each day (regardless of how many journeys you take). You can look up the daily caps on our Oyster card page - londondrum.com/​transport/​oyster-cards.php. This might work out cheaper, but if you're making at least three or more journeys on six days, or two or more journeys on seven days, then a weekly travelcard will be better

Tony Hi. I'm London travelling across zone 1 and 2 for 3 days. Is it right that if I use a contactless card the cap will allow me to travel off-peak for less than a one day travelcard

Staff Hi Tony, that's right. The daily cap for zones 1-2 is only about half the cost of a 1-day travelcard

Bobbie I'll be in England for a month with several train trips. I just purchased a Senior Railcard. Can I get discounted fares on the tube? And how do I use it in conjunction with contactless credit card payment?

Staff Hi Bobbie. Most of the savings come from buying National Rail tickets, The only discounts you get on the tube are 33% off the daily cap for Oyster fares (off-peak only), 33% off single Oyster fares (off-peak only), and 33% off a zone 1-9 one day travelcard (when bought as part of a journey to London from outside London). You have to buy an Oyster card and get the Senior railcard loaded on to it. It doesnt work with contactless because its not possible to load the railcard onto your bank card - senior-railcard.co.uk/​using-your-railcard/​travel-times-tickets/

Susan Tchudi We're coming to London for ten days. We're staying in Kensington. We've always used travelcards in the past, but we'll probably want to go beyond zones 1 and 2, for example to Kew Gardens. So would it be better to get the Oyster card?

Staff Hi Susan. If youre staying for ten days then it will be cheaper with an oyster card, because you can only buy 1-day and 7-day travelcards. the maximum you'll pay with Oyster is the weekly cap x 1 (which is the same price as a weekly travelcard) plus a daily cap x 3 (which are cheaper than a 1-day travelcard) for whichever zones you travel through. all the caps are here: londondrum.com/​transport/​oyster-cards.php

JennyJ Hi, I am JennyJ. I go betwenn zone 1&3, there and back 3 times a week and also twice a week to zone 5 (hayes& harlington). I use an Oyster card and top up 20.00 as and when its low. What is the cap for this journey each weekplease. Is it £9 or £11 or neither. I dont know how to work out but dont think I am better off buying a card to cover zones 1-5 as only go max twice a week.

Staff Hi Jenny. The daily cap for the days when you're doing zones 1-3 is £9, and when you're doing zones 1-5 it’s £13,10. a weekly travelcard for zones 1-5 is currently £65,70, so its not worth it - londondrum.com/​transport/​adult-train-fares.php

Wangui Going through this information has been super helpful, thanks so much! My family of 4 foreigners are coming to London for 11 days from Heathrow Airport and staying at a location in Zone 6, are likely to be visiting attractions in Zone 1 everyday but also traveling to Surrey on 2 days. What is the cheapest means of travel payment to use? -VOC or travel card considering the £7 deposit and postage fee to a UK address for VOC? -If VOC then how much credit should be loaded on the cards? -Also is the weekly/daily cap applied to VOC automatic or how does it work; do the particular days eg Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday need to be specified?

Staff Hi Wangui. If it was me I would probably just keep it simple and get Visitor Oyster cards for everyone, and forget about the travelcards. Visitor Oyster cards have a weekly cap which is the same cost as a weekly travelcard anyway, so you wont be losing anything (apart from the £7 deposit - which you'd have to pay anyway because you'll need something to cover the other four days). How much credit you need will depend on where you’re going. The maximum amount you will pay each day is the ‘daily cap’ for the zones you travel through. The daily cap for zones 1-6, for example, is currently £14,10 - but maybe you’ll only be making 2 journeys each day, going there and back, so then you’d just pay two single fares instead - 2x£5,50 . If the running total between Mon-Sun reaches the weekly cap then the cost will be capped at that (currently £70,30). The caps all get applied automatically. Its all explained on our Oyster card page - londondrum.com/​transport/​oyster-cards.php

jan Hi, I am currently travelling to work from slough to zone 3, (i would also sometimes go to the other zones (1-6) - by bus/underground after work. I am using the contactless method. The job is Monday to Friday, I wanted to know if buying a weekly/ monthly travelcard would work out cheaper as I also have a 16-25 railcard. Also how does the weekly cap work? does it add your daily charges and refund you if you go over the cap?

Staff Hi Jan. Travelcards usually work out cheaper if you’re making two or more journeys on seven days a week, or three or more journeys on six days a week. You wont get it cheaper with for your railcard either, because it only gives a discount on 1-day travelcards for zones 1-9. I would recommend getting an oyster card instead because the fares and weekly cap are identical to contactless, but you can have your railcard added to it. You can’t do that with contactless. But check the travel times apply to you first, because they might not - 16-25railcard.co.uk/​using-your-railcard/​travel-times-tickets/. The weekly cap will kick in when the sum total of all your journeys that week reaches the relevant amount (its the same price as a weekly travelcard). The computer will then automatically stop charging you. Bear in mind that it only counts up the fares between Mon and Sun, and not any other combination of days, like Tue to Mon

frankie Hi, I would like to ask, if you use the same contactless card but one day you use it as the actual physical card and then the next day you use your mobile phone to pay (but with the same debit card) would it count towards the weekly cap?

Staff Hi Frankie. Unfortunately not, no. The computer wouldn't recognise it as the same card because things like Apple Pay don't pass over your card number (it passes over a unique number based on your bank card and device instead). TFL says “Always use the same device or contactless card to touch in and out… For example, don't touch in with an iPhone and touch out with an Apple Watch or contactless card” - tfl.gov.uk/​fares/​how-to-pay-and-where-to-buy-tickets-and-oyster/pay-as-you-go/contactless-and-mobile-pay-as-you-go

Betty Hi I will be in London for a week. I will be staying at a hotel at the Heathrow airport and going back and forth between there and the actual city of London. Is the Travel card best and what zones would I pick? Thank you

Staff Hi Betty. it depends how many journeys you're going to be making. If you make two or more journeys on seven days, or three or more on six days, then a weekly travelcard will probably be cheaper. We’d normally recommend getting an oyster card. All the pros and cons are described above. Heathrow to central London is zones 1-6.

Canan Hi, I'll be visiting London this summer. My daughter is 10 years old (born in 2013). Is she going to be free of charge or discounted?

Staff Hi Canan. Under 11s are free on the buses and tube (as long as she’s accompanied by an adult on the tube) - londondrum.com/​transport/​child-train-fares.php

Cristina Grilo Amaral Hi, we are a family of 4 and will be in London for 6 days. We will be riding transport a lot on those days, in zones 1- 2; meaning we should make about 6 tube trips a day. We will arrive and depart via Heathrow so we have 2 journeys (1 outbound, 1 return). Can you please indicate which card you recommend? Thank you so much.

Staff Hi cristina. Price-wise, the best would be a zone 1-2 weekly travelcard put onto an oyster card, and then adding some pay-as-you-go credit onto the same oyster card to cover the two journeys out to heathrow zone 6. But if you want to keep it easy and dont mind paying a bit more, then just get zone 1-6 weekly travelcards instead

Elaine I am travelling with a 14 year old and I would use contactless for myself but what would be the best option for my 14 year old.

Staff Hi elaine. It depends on how many journeys you're making. If you're just talking about one day, there and back, then i would buy her single tickets at the self-service machine (using your card), and then use your card on the gate for yourself. So she will end up paying the adult cash fare, and you’ll get the adult contactless fare.

Mike M We are arriving in London in late May for 3 days and another 4 days in early June after travelling around UK on Britrail Pass. While in London what would be the best card to use on Underground and 1 day to Watford

Staff Hi Mike. I would get an oyster card. there are no dates on those, so you can carry on using your credit when you return in june. You can also use them out to Watford (assuming you’re going to see the Harry Potter studios)

Ali Hi, we are a family of 4 travelling to London over Easter from the UK. We have a friends and family railcard, and I'm just wondering what is the best way for us to travel around, given we will be sightseeing in London for a few days, and also travelling to Paris via Eurostar. We also will be visiting London again in the summer for a few days. It is myself, my partner and 2 kids (ages 7 and 14). Am I right in thinking contactless is best for 3 of us (and doesn't my 7 year old travel free?). Or should I sort getting an oyster cards for us instead? Thank you for your advice in advance. Cheers Ali

Staff Hi Ali. Contactless will be the cheapest for the two adults. Your 14-year-old can't use contactless if they don't have their own bank card (the system doesn't allow you to tap your card down twice to pay two fares), so I would get the 14-year-old an Oyster card and then have the 'Young Visitor Discount' applied to it once you arrive in London - more info about that here - londondrum.com/​transport/​child-train-fares.php. The 7-year-old will travel for free.

Ali Thank you so much for that perfect and swift response. Amazing!

Sue Can we pay contactless for ourselves and our grandchildren?

Staff Hi Sue. No, each person needs their own bank card. The system doesn't allow you to tap down multiple times to pay multiple fares. What you can do is use your card to buy them a paper ticket at the machine (which will be charged as a cash fare) and then tap down on the gate for yourself (for a contactless fare)

Sue We are coming to London for one day with two grandchildren 12 and 25 years old. If we use our debit contact less card for us can the grandchildren use our credit contactless card? Although we know that would be a full fare.

Staff Hi Sue. If you mean you want to use one debit card to pay two contactless fares, and one credit card to pay two contactless fares, then no. The system doesn't let you tap down twice to pay two fares. Each individual needs their own card. But you can use one card to buy more than one paper ticket from the machine. But then you'll be paying the cash fare.

Hiko Hi,I’d like to know about 7day travel card. I’m plannning to go to Birmingham,Brighton,Wembley,and sightseeing inside zone1-2.(My son loves soccer!) My hotel is in zone1.I will stay there about 8days. If I buy 7day travel card with zone1-2,how can I go outside of that zone? Can I ride the national rail with my travel card such far area?? Does the card pay the difference, when I go outside of the zone2,like Wembley zone4?

Staff Hi Hiko. I would buy yourself an Oyster card and have the travelcard loaded on to that (rather than getting a paper travelcard). Then you can load some extra pay-as-you-go credit onto the same Oyster card to cover the extra fares. You can ride National Rail trains with a zone 1-2 travelcard, but only in zones 1-2. If your journey goes further than that then the computer will recognise that the travelcard covers 1-2, and automatically take the extra money from your pay-as-you-go credit. But places like Birmingham and Brighton are too far away for travelcards and Oyster. You will have to buy totally separate tickets for those.

Siegrid I want to go by train from city airport London to St. Pancras and may pay cash. Is there a chance for paying?

Staff Hi Siegrid. Not sure what you mean by ‘chance’, but you can pay cash at some of the self-service machines, Some will accept cards only, and some cards and cash. it will say which at the top

Peter I have a 7 hour layover at Heathrow and wish to go into Covent Garden for the day. Which is the best option for me to travel into London.

Staff Hi Peter. If that's the only place you're going then I would just buy a single ticket at the machine (zone 1-6). You can choose a return journey and it will give you two single tickets. It's not worth getting an Oyster card or travelcard just for there and back.

Julia Dear all, we a family of two adults and one 12 year old want to spent Saturday and Sunday in London. We would only need zone 1 tickets. We arrive at Gatwick and already organized this transfer by bus because of the train stikes this weeekend. Would You recommend the visitors Oyster or just day travelcards for us?

Staff Hi Julia. If it's just one day then I would probably go for a travelcard, which is easier (they sell cheaper ones just for the bus, if that's what you're planning on doing). The fares with a Visitor Oyster Card are cheaper, but they make you pay an extra £5 activation fee on top the first time you buy one, which would wipe out any savings. But if you think you'll come back to London another time then it would be worth getting Visitor Oyster cards, because you can carry on using the same ones then.

Mike Is a monthly travel card valid for a calander month or 28 days

Staff Hi Mike. It lasts until the previous date the next month. So if you choose a starting date of 20th February it will end on 19th March. If you choose 10th December it will end on 9th January. So it could be a different number of days.

Marcella Am coming to London for two nights with husband, sister and brother in law who has dementia. Will be making trip from Stansted airport to Deptford and home again via Gatwick and staying mostly around Greenwich area. We can use contactless cards but my brother in law can’t really do any cards himself and we can’t use ours to put him through the barrier? Do we just get him a ticket? Are their staff available to help if need be Thanks

Staff Hi Marcella. Its not possible to pay two fares with one contactless card (it doesnt deduct two fares if you tap it down twice). Maybe the best thing to do is get him an oyster card with some credit on it, but tap it down on the gate yourself and send him through the barrier, then just follow straight behind him after youve tapped your contactless card down. It would only take a few seconds to get you both through. Or you could ask a member of staff to help. You can usually find them standing behind the extra wide barrier they always have for wheelchairs and buggies.

Cheryl Stefanik We live in the state of Washington (zip code 98198). What is the charge/fee to order an Oyster card vs. the charge/fee to get a Visitor's Oyster card? Is the only difference in function that we cannot add money to the Visitor's Oyster card online?

Staff Hi Cheryl. there's no way to order an Oyster card online and have it posted overseas. You can only do that with Visitor Oyster cards. If you want a normal Oyster card you'll have to buy it when you arrive in London. There are a few more minor differences. You can't load travelcards onto visitor oyster cards (but you probably wouldn't want to do that anyway). And visitor oysters come with their credit already added, whereas normal oysters will have it loaded on when you buy it. Visitor oysters also have a non-refundable £5 deposit, whereas normal oysters have a non-refundable deposit of £7. The full list of differences can be found here - londondrum.com/​transport/​visitor-oyster-cards.php

Gordon Jamieson If your journey requires 2 tubes how does contactless work?

Staff Hi Gordon. You tap down at the start of your journey, and again at the end. You don't have to tap down for the station in the middle because you shouldn't have to pass through any barriers when changing platforms. (If you did happen to pass through a barrier then that would be the end of the journey)

Alex A Family of 5 travelling to London in early October. 2 adults, 2 children between 11-15 years, and 1 child who is 9 yo. Which ticket/card should we opt for as the youngest child travels free (I think) and the other 2 children get discounted fares. Can we arrange for a discounted fare oyster card when we arrive in London or do I need to arrange this from Australia before I leave? Or is there a travel card that can be bought for ‘students’? We will spend most of the time in Zone 1/2 but need to go to Watford for the Harry Potter Studios one day. PS we are arriving in London on the Eurostar as I heard you could buy oyster or visitor oyster cards on the train. Thanks, Alex

Staff Hi Alex. You can get Visitor Oyster cards posted to you overseas, buy them on Eurostar, or buy a normal Oyster card when you arrive in London. i would get either of those for everyone (apart from the 9 year old), and then have the ‘Young Visitor Discount’ applied to the kids cards when you’re in London. Its not possible to do that beforehand. it’s explained on this page - londondrum.com/​transport/​visitor-oyster-cards.php

Carol Two of us are headed to London for 14 days, most of that staying in Fulham. We are def there to sightsee in all directions. I want the card that's best for use on all forms of transportation including the Thames Clipper. Help!

Staff Hi carol. If you have a UK bank card then I would just use that, and pay contactless fares. Otherwise you should get an Oyster card - londondrum.com/​transport/​contactless-cards.php

HFPOM Hi, me and my wife are staying for 3 months in London, and we will be going from city center to Stanmore. What would be the best option? Thank you

Staff Hi Hfpom. There are pros and cons to all of them, which we’ve described on this page. But you’ll probably find that you’re better off with an Oyster card. If you have a UK bank card then might want to use contactless instead.

Chris Borland Hi, my and and I are coming to London for a long weekend, (Fri-Mon) what do you recommend we use for getting about seeing the sights?

Staff Hi Chris. It depends whether you're from the UK or abroad. Like we say above, if you have a UK bank card then the cheapest fares are with your contactless card. If you have a foreign bank card then you should go with Oyster in case your bank adds on a transaction fee every time you use it overseas

Rachael Hi 2 adults 1 child travelling Into London for a few days. We have already purchased national rail tickets with a rail card. We plan on using tube around London in zones 1-2 but are also travelling to Wembley stadium on day 2. Can we get a discount with rail card and how do we go about it thanks

Staff Hi Rachael. There are different types of Railcard, but they usually only give a discount on "Anytime Day Travelcards for zones 1-9, when bought as part of a ticket to London from outside of London". So if you've already bought the national rail tickets then it won't apply - familyandfriends-railcard.co.uk/​about-railcard/​travel-times-tickets/ Some Railcards also give you a 33% discount on Oyster fares, but only for the off-peak daily price cap. To get that you'd have to get a member of TFL staff load the Railcard onto an existing Oyster card, and then just tap down on the gate like normal

Christiane Hi ! My husband and me coming from germany to london from saturday to thursday .. arriving at saturday afternoon at LHR and need to ride by picadilly line to kings cross / st prancas.. there is our hotel ... wanna visit for 4 full days all the tourists locations ( i guess zone 1-4 ??) Then driving back on thursyday morning to LHR by tube... oyster or travelcard?

Staff Hi Christiane. I would just buy an Oyster card when you get to Heathrow and put enough credit on it to last four days. Just add together the daily cap for zones 1-6 (to get you from heathrow into central London on the first day), then the daily cap for zones 1-2 on days two and three, and the daily cap for zones 1-6 on the last day. You can see all the daily caps here - londondrum.com/​transport/​oyster-cards.php

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