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Fare Calculator

Fare calcuator.

Enter two stations and select a passenger type to find fares.

About our Fare Calculator

This tool allows you to find out how much a Single fare costs between two stations of your choice. At present, this only works for stations within the TfL network.

All you need to do is select two stations and the type of fare you want to find - and then click "Calculate Fare". You will then be shown the available fares, which often includes the Peak and Off Peak Oyster/Contactless fares and, if available, the cost of a paper Single ticket.

Some stations, for example Reading, are outside the Oyster zones, so you won't be able to use an Oyster card for that journey. If this happens to be the case, you will see a note at the top of the page.

For some journeys, you will be shown an "Alternative Fares" section. These journeys often avoid Zone 1 and are cheaper but may be slower or require more changes.

Make sure you select the appropriate fare type, e.g. Adult if you are using a Contactless or Oyster card with no discounts. If you have a different type of Oyster card, be sure to select it in the dropdown.

This website does not sell tickets. If you need to purchase paper tickets, you can do so at the station or elsewhere online.

Why use our fare calcuator?

• Find the best value: quickly compare different fare types to see which is the most effective for your trip.
• Plan ahead: calculate your travel costs in advance, allowing you to budget more effectively.
• Explore options: discover alternative routes that might save you money if you're not in a hurry.
• Avoid suprises: know the expected price beforehand so you're not caught offguard by suprise charges.

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Caps & travelcard prices.

Find the caps and price of travelcards relevant to you with this tool.

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London Travelcard

The London Travelcard is a transport pass which entitles you to unlimited travel on London’s public transport. You can use a travelcard to travel on the London Underground, overground, public buses, DLR (docklands light rail), TFL rail and other trains, as long as you travel within London’s travel zones.

It is designed for people who are planning on using London’s public transport a lot when visiting London or for people who commute into London on a daily basis. Still, a London Travelcard may sometimes not be the cheapest option even if does entitle you to unlimited travel.

London Travelcard: What do I need to know before I buy one?

When buying a London Travelcard there are three things that you need to know:

1. The duration of the card:

You can buy a travelcard for one day, 7 days, one month or annual.

2. The travel zones of London that will be using:

When you buy a travelcard you need to choose what travel zones you want use. If you are going to travel between zones 1 and 2, you will need a travelcard that is valid for these two zones, but if you are going to travel between zones 1 and 5 every day, you will need a travelcard that covers zones 1 to 5. This does not apply to travelling by bus, as any travelcard will allow you to travel on buses to and from any zone within London’s travel zones. So for example, if you have a travelcar for zones 1 and 2, you can still use a bus to get to zone 3 or zone 5 with that travelcard at no extra cost.

Most of London’s tourist attractions are located in zone 1, and only a few of the most popular attractions can be found outside zone 1, such as Camden Town Market which is in zone 2. Make sure you know what zone your hotel is in before you buy a travelcard.

3. Off-peak or Anytime

If you are buying a 1 day travelcard  (which we don’t normally recommend as an oyster card has a daily cap that is cheaper than a one day travelcard – see below) you will have to choose if you want it to travel anytime of the day, or just during off-peak times (Monday – Friday from 9.30 am; all day Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays).

This does not affect 1 day travelcards for zones 1 to 4, so if you are visiting London you probably don’t need to worry about this at all as you are unlikely to be travelling to zone 5, 6 or beyond.

Which Travelcard to buy if you are planning a trip to London

1 day travelcard.

The price of the 1 day London travelcard for zones 1, 1-2, 1-3 and 1-4 costs £15.20. We don’t normally recommend using the 1 day travelcard, as it is actually cheaper to use an oyster card, a visitor oyster card, or a contactless card as these payment methods have a daily cap. The daily cap applied to these zones are: £8.10 for travel within zones 1-2; £9.60 for zones 1-3 and £11.70 for zones 1-4. Once you have reached this daily cap you will be able to travel within the same travel zones for free. It is still necessary to tap in and tap out on the yellow reader with your oyster card, visitor oyster card or contactless card when using public transport.

Find out more about choosing between an oyster card, a travelcard or using contactless on London Transport here: Oyster card, Travelcard or Contactless .

7 day Travelcard

The 7 day travelcard for London travel zones 1-2 costs £40.70. When comparing oyster card/visitor oyster card/contactless fares to a 7 day travelcard, I would probably say that it is convenient to get a 7 day travelcard if you are going to be travelling around London for more than 6 days. If you are going to be in London less than 6 days then I would recommend using an oyster card (vistor oyster card or contactless if you are a UK resident).

Where to buy a London travelcard

Buying a London Travelcard at an underground station

It is possible to buy a London travelcard at any underground station in London, by either using a ticket machine at the ticket office or a manned desk in a the ticket office (if available). When you buy a 7 day, monthly or annual London travelcard at an underground station you will normally get an oyster card with the travelcard incorporated in it. So your oyster card will be pre-loaded with the travelcard you have chosen. This way you can also use this oyster card with pay as you go for any trips that are not included in the travelcard.

So, as an example, if you have a 7 day travelcard for zones 1 – 4 in your oyster card, you will be entitles to unlimited journeys within these  travel zones for 7 days, and you can use your oyster as you normally would, by touching in and touching out. But, if one day you need to go to zone 6, you will be able to use the same oyster with pay as you go balance. One example when this might happen, is if you arrive at Heathrow airport (zone 6) but you want to buy a 7 day travelcard for zones 1 – 4. It will be much cheaper to use they oyster card with pay as you go for the journey from Heathrow to central London and the journey from central London to Heathrow Airport on your last day and adding a 7 travelcard for zones 1 – 4, than using a 7 day travelcard for zones 1 – 6.

Buying a London Travelcard at a train station

It is possible to buy a London travelcard at any train station located inside London’s Travel Zones . When you buy a travelcard at a train station, you will normally get a paper travelcard and not an oyster card.

Stansted, Luton or Gatwick airports are all outside London’s Travel Zones so these stations won’t normally sell London travelcards.

Buy a London Travelcard online

One of the easiest ways to buy a London travelcard is by buying it online. The price is exactly the same as what it would cost you to buy it in London but you will pay a little extra for delivery.

Buy a London travelcard at Heathrow airport

London travelcard fares from 5th march 2023, travelcard for children.

Children under the age of 11 travel free within London travel zones. Children over 11 can also benefit from reduced fares; you can learn 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.

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Oyster Card Fares 2024 - London Bus, Tube & Daily Cap Prices

Oyster card charges for children, what is an oyster card.

An Oyster card is a credit card-sized piece of plastic. Other countries might call them a metro pass or travel smartcard. They come in four different types:

Oyster pay-as-you-go – The idea behind a pay-as-you-go card (or PAYG) is that you load it up with credit and the computer will deduct the correct fare every time you touch it against a reader. If you start running low on credit then you can simply top it up at a ticket machine . PAYG Oyster cards do not have expiry dates on, and your credit remains valid forever.

Visitor Oyster card – A Visitor Oyster Card is exactly the same as a normal pay-as-you-go card, but comes with a couple of extras that are primarily aimed at tourists. The most obvious difference is that it comes pre-loaded with credit to save you the hassle of having to load it on yourself. Check out our Visitor Oyster Card page for a full comparison of Visitor Oyster cards vs regular Oyster cards.

Oyster travelcard – Oyster travelcards work differently to pay-as-you-go cards because you don’t have to keep topping them up with credit. You simply choose your start date, and the zones you want it to cover, pay a one-off fee, and then you can make an unlimited number of journeys until it expires. Visit our London travelcard page for more details. [Note: it’s not possible to load a 1-day travelcard for the Train, Bus & Tram onto an Oyster card, and you can’t load any travelcards at all onto a Visitor Oyster card or contactless card , only the normal blue Oyster cards.]

Oyster travelcard + pay-as-you-go – It’s also possible to load some pay-as-you-credit straight onto an Oyster travelcard – but only the weekly and monthly ones.

This can actually be quite handy. Imagine that you’re travelling around zones 1-2 for a week, but you need to make a single journey into zone 6 for Heathrow airport . Buying a zone 1-6 weekly travelcard would be a waste of money just for a single trip, so you’re better off buying a travelcard for zones 1-2 and then loading on some extra pay-as-you-go credit on to cover it. The computer will recognise that your travelcard already covers zones 1-2 and deduct the difference from your credit.

What are the benefits of an Oyster card?

• Oyster is accepted all across the transport network: on the bus , London Underground , London Overground, DLR, TFL Rail, National Rail, Thames Clipper riverbus , and even the IFS Cloud Cable Car
• Oyster card prices for a single bus and tube journeys are always the lowest available (along with contactless), and the Oyster daily cap is always cheaper than buying a 1-day travelcard
• The Oyster daily cap means you can make an unlimited number of journeys without going above a set price
• Oyster pay-as-you-go credit can be used from zones 1 to 9, whereas travelcards are only valid in the zones you buy them for
• Oyster pay-as-you-go credit never expires, so if you have any left over at the end of your holiday you can use it on your next visit
• If you register your Oyster card and lose it then you haven’t lost all of your money – you can just put it onto a replacement card

What time is Peak and Off-Peak?

Peak – Peak fares apply to any tube journey that starts between 6:30 AM and 9.30 AM (Monday to Friday), and between 4.30 PM and 7 PM (Monday to Friday). It doesn’t matter what time your journey finishes.

Off-Peak – Weekends and public holidays are always 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.

What is the Oyster daily cap?

Daily price cap – The big advantage in using a pay-as-you-go Oyster card over a TFL travelcard is the Oyster daily cap . Think of it as a price ceiling – it’s the maximum daily charge that the computer will take from your credit per day (it actually runs from 04:30 AM to 04.29 AM the following day). It doesn’t matter how many buses or trains you ride during that period, the max per day will never rise above the daily limit – and Oyster card cap rates are always lower than the cost of 1-day travelcard .

If you want to pay the bus cap (which is the cheapest one) then you’ll have to stick with the buses all day. If you use a mixture of buses and trains (or just the trains on their own) then you’ll have to pay the train cap instead.

Weekly price cap – Oyster users can also benefit from a weekly cap. This caps the price at the same rate as a weekly travelcard. Unfortunately it only runs from Monday to Sunday, and not any other combination of days, so if you’re here from Wednesday to Tuesday, for example, then you’ll just get 7x daily caps instead.

Note: Journeys to Gatwick airport and on the Heathrow Express don’t count towards the TFL daily cap, and journeys on the IFS Cloud Cable Car and Thames Clipper don’t count either. The computer will simply deduct the relevant charge from your credit.

What is the Young Visitor Discount?

If your child is aged between 11 and 15 then you can take advantage of the Young Visitor Discount to get cheap child fares . This allows kids to get 50% off the adult Oyster fare for fourteen consecutive days. The discount does not apply to travelcards.

All you have to do is buy your child a normal London Oyster card (not a travelcard), load some pay-as-you-go-credit onto it, and then ask a member of the TFL staff to apply the Young Visitor Discount to it. You can do this at London Underground stations, TFL Rail stations, National Rail stations within London, or at a London Visitor Centre (except the one at Gatwick airport).

Note: Your child must be with you when you do it (up to a maximum of four children per adult), and the member of staff may ask for proof of age.

Your child can then use the card in exactly the same way that they would normally, tapping it down on the yellow Oyster readers on the buses and trains.

Once the fourteen consecutive days are over any credit left on the Oyster card will still be there, but it will revert back to charging adult fares again.

Do seniors get cheap Oyster fares?

There are no senior citizen concessions for foreign visitors, but if you have an OAP bus pass with a red rose symbol on it then you can already travel for free on any bus carrying the TFL symbol:

Unfortunately it doesn’t apply to trains as well, just the buses. If you want to travel on the tube and live in a London borough then you’ll have to apply for a 60+ Oyster card :

60+ London Oyster photocard – This entitles you to travel for free on London’s buses , trams, London Underground , London Overground, DLR and TFL Rail after 9 AM on weekdays and any time during the weekend . Most National Rail trains within London can be boarded after 9.30 AM on weekdays and any time during the weekend.

In order to get one you have to be living in a London borough and be aged 60 or over. You can apply online at tfl.gov.uk by supplying some ID and proof of address.

Note: As soon as you’re old enough to receive a woman’s state pension (regardless of whether you’re a man or a woman) then you have to switch over to a Freedom Pass which offers similar benefits, but is supplied by your local council instead.

Can two people use one Oyster card?

Two people are not allowed to share one Oyster card if they’re travelling together. Each person will need to be in possession of their own card.

But if they’re travelling at totally different times then two people can share one card provided that they each have it in their sole possession for the entire journey. But this rule only applies to pay-as-you-go Oyster cards. If their Oyster card has a travel card loaded onto it then it cannot be lent to anybody else.

Can you pay two fares with one Oyster card?

No. It is not possible to pay two fares with one Oyster card. Lots of tourists tap them 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 that you are entering the station, and the second time you tap down it will think that you are leaving the station.

At this point it all starts to get extremely confusing… if you tap down twice at the same station within 2 minutes then you will be charged for a ‘same station exit’, which is 1x maximum fare (from your station to the end of the line). This will automatically be refunded back onto your card if you begin a new tube journey within 45 minutes.

If you tap down twice at the same station within 2-30 minutes then you will be charged 1x minimum fare (from your station to the next one in the same fare zone). And if you tap down twice at the same station after 30 minutes then you will be charged 2x maximum fares (one for each tap).

Is Oyster the cheapest way to travel in London?

Oyster fares are the cheapest way to travel on London’s buses and trains (alongside contactless). But if you need to buy a brand-new Oyster card then you’ll also have to pay a £7 deposit on top – and you can’t get that money back. So contactless actually works out cheaper for first-timers.

The Oyster card cap is always cheaper than buying a day travelcard (but not if you have to pay the £7 deposit on top).

An Oyster card will also work out cheaper than buying a weekly travelcard, unless you’re planning on making three or more journeys on six days, or two or more journeys on seven days.

Where can you buy an Oyster card?

You can buy an Oyster card in four different ways:

From the TFL website – The easiest way is to buy an Oyster card online from the TFL website and have it delivered to you. This website is only suitable for people who live in the UK, though. If you want it delivered abroad then you will have to buy an Oyster card for visitors instead.

UK delivery typically takes between 2-4 days.

From a train station – The second way to get an Oyster smartcard is from a manned ticket window at a train station. TFL have removed all the manned ticket windows from the underground tube stations though, so if you want to speak to a human then you’ll have to visit a big National Rail station instead. (National Rail stations are the big overground hubs like Euston , Liverpool Street , London Bridge , King’s Cross , Marylebone , Paddington and Waterloo .)

From a Travel Information Centre – The third way is to buy one from a Visitor Centre at Euston station , King’s Cross station , Liverpool Street station , Paddington station , Piccadilly Circus station , Victoria station and Heathrow airport (there are actually two at Heathrow: one inside Terminals 2-3, and another one inside the Underground station).

From an Oyster Ticket Stop – You can also buy them from around 4,000 Oyster Ticket Stops all over London. These are basically just high-street shops (usually newsagents), which have a blue Oyster card symbol showing in the window.

Important – you have to pay a deposit of £7 the first time you buy an Oyster card, and you can’t use that money for fares. So if you decide that you want £20 credit then you will have pay a total of £20 + £7.

Where can you use Oyster in London?

Buses – You can use a London Oyster card on all TFL buses (but not sightseeing buses).

London Underground, London Overground, DLR, TFL Rail, National Rail – You can use Oyster cards on trains within Oyster zones 1-9, plus some stations outside the zones including Watford Junction (for Warner Bros Studios ) and Gatwick Airport.

Note: If you use it on the Gatwick and Heathrow Express then the fare won’t count towards the daily cap maximum charge. It will just deduct the fare from your credit.

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

IFS Cloud Cable Car & Thames Clipper – You can pay for a ticket on the cable car and Uber’s Thames Clipper by touching your card down on the gate, in exactly the same way that you do for the buses and trains.

But bear in mind neither of these will count towards the travel cap, it will just deduct the relevant fare from your credit.

How do you top-up an Oyster card?

By using the TFL app – The simplest way to top-up an Oyster card is through TFL’s official Oyster and contactless app . Once you’ve bought yourself a card and registered it with TFL you can top it up with your debit card or credit card . You can also use the app to look up your journey history. [Note: You might have to wait for thirty minutes before the money actually appears on your card, which is something to bear that in mind if you’re in a rush!]

Through the TFL website – Similarly, once you’ve registered your Oyster card on the TFL website you can log in and top-up online.

At a train station – Another easy way to top-up is by using one of the self-service ticket machines at a train station. Just tap the card on the big round yellow reader and select top-up on the machine . You can either pay by cash, debit or credit card. Note that some ticket machines are only set up to take credit cards and debit cards, and not cash, so make sure you check the signage before you press any buttons.

At an Oyster Ticket Stop – The fourth of adding some credit to your card is at an ‘Oyster Ticket Stop’. These are basically just high-street shops (usually newsagents), which have a blue Oyster card symbol showing in the window. Just hand them your card and tell them how much credit you want to add on.

Automatic top-up – If you can’t be bothered to keep topping it up yourself then you can also take advantage of the Oyster card’s ‘auto top-up’ feature, which will automatically draw another £10, £20 or £40 from your bank account every time your credit drops below £20. You can set this up at the TFL website .

Note: The minimum amount of money that you can add at an Oyster Ticket Stop is £1.50. The minimum amount that you can add online or at a ticket machine is £5. The maximum amount that the card can hold in total is £90.

How much credit do you need on an Oyster card?

The amount of credit that you need on your Oyster card will depend on how long you’re staying in London for, and where you’re planning to go, but here are some tips for visitors:

Unless you fly in from Heathrow (zone 6) , you will probably spend the majority of your holiday inside zone 1 (the touristy bit). You might also visit zone 2 is for places like Camden , Canary Wharf and Greenwich.

Our tube journey planner will tell you which zones you pass through for each station. For example, if you look at the journey from Heathrow airport to Paddington then you’ll see ‘This journey is in zones 1-6’ written in the fares box.

Once you know which zones you’ll be travelling through each day, look up the ‘daily cap’ for those zones on this page. That is the maximum daily charge that the computer will take from your card for that day. If you add up all the daily caps for all the days that you’re staying in London, then the total will be how much credit you need to load onto your Oyster card. Easy!

Bear in mind that you will also have to pay a £7 deposit the first time you buy your Oyster card. And you can’t use that £7 towards fares. So if you decide that you need £20 credit then you will have to pay a total of £27.

How long does an Oyster card last?

The credit on an Oyster card lasts forever. If you don’t use the money up during your first trip then you can carry on using it during your next one.

If you load a travelcard onto an Oyster card then it will have an expiry date. Once you go past the expiry date the travelcard will be useless, but don’t throw away the empty Oyster card because you can always load another travelcard or some pay-as-you-go credit onto it.

How do you get an Oyster refund?

There are two main ways to refund the credit on your Oyster card :

At a train station – You can claim back any unused credit at a self-service ticket machine in one of London’s train stations – but only up up to a maximum of £10. Just touch your Oyster pass against the yellow reader and select ‘Oyster Refund’, and follow the on-screen instructions.

Note: It is not possible to claim back the deposit if your card was bought after 4th September 2022. If your card was bought between the 23rd February 2020 and 3rd September 2022 then you would have paid a deposit of £5 instead, and that money would already have been converted into pay-as-you-go credit on your card, which you can refund in the normal way.

Claiming a refund online – If you need a refund of more than £10 then you will have to visit the TFL website . But this only works if you set up an online account beforehand. And it’s not possible to set up an account for a Visitor Oyster card – only normal Oyster cards.

Keeping the credit – If you can’t be bothered to get a refund then don’t throw the Oyster card away. The credit never expires, so you can carry on using it the next time you’re in town.

How do you use Oyster on a bus?

Using an Oyster card on a London bus is easy. All you have to do is touch it against the big round yellow reader inside the front door. Some styles of bus will also have an Oyster reader by the middle door and back door, but if you’re a newbie to London and want to play it safe then always board it by the front door, because every style of bus will have one there.

If the card registered correctly then you should hear a beep and see a little green light on the reader. If it didn’t work then try taking it out of your wallet and holding it flush with the reader.

The computer will automatically deduct the correct fare from your card, and the remaining credit will be shown on a small screen close to the reader – which is a handy way to check the balance on your card .

There is no need to touch down again when you leave the bus – you only have to do that for trains.

How do you use Oyster on a train?

Using an Oyster card on the train is easy. All you have to do is wave your Oyster card in front of the big round yellow reader at the front of the gate, and wait for the green light to appear. If it worked correctly then the correct fare will be deducted from your card and the gate will open automatically.

If the gate refuses to move then try getting your card out of your wallet and touching it flush against the reader. If that doesn’t work then you’re probably out of credit.

Some of the smaller train stations might not have any gates, and you’ll find the Oyster reader on the platform or by the platform stairs instead.

You also need to touch down again at the end of your journey because the computer needs to work out which zones you travelled through. If you forget to touch down then it won’t know where you went, and you’ll be whacked for the maximum fare on that line.

Note: Sometimes the train station staff will open the gates to speed the flow of people through the station at rush hour, but you must STILL tap down. If there’s a busy event on (like a music festival or a football cup final) then you might not be able to, and the computer might try and guess your destination by itself. But you should always try and tap down to be safe, otherwise you might be lumbered with that maximum fare.

What are pink Oyster readers for?

Fifteen stations have pink Oyster readers: Blackhorse Road , Canada Water , Clapham Junction , Gospel Oak , Gunners­bury , Highbury & Islington , Kensington Olympia , Rayners Lane , Richmond , Stratford , Surrey Quays , West Brompton , Whitechapel , Willesden Junction and Wimbledon .

The pink readers are there because some journeys are cheaper if you avoid travelling through zone 1. For example, if you want to travel from Epping (zone 6) to Richmond (zone 4), then you would normally go through zone 1. But if you don’t mind a slightly longer journey then you can change onto the London Overground at Stratford and bypass zone 1 completely.

Unfortunately the computer has no way of knowing you did this because you don’t have to pass through any barriers when changing trains at Stratford – so it will continue to charge you for zones 1-6 regardless. So what you have to do is prove that you got off at Stratford by touching down on the pink reader.

Pink readers can usually be found on the platforms, or at the entrance to the platform stairs.

Which is best: Oyster, contactless or travelcards?

If you’re a foreign visitor coming to London for just one day then you’re better off with a day travelcard . The Oyster daily cap might work out cheaper than buying a 1-day travelcard, but when you factor in the extra £7 deposit then it actually works out more expensive.

If you’re a foreign visitor coming to London for more than one day then the Oyster card cost becomes better value… unless you’re planning on making three or more journeys on six days, or two or more journeys on seven days, in which case a weekly travelcard is likely to be cheaper.

We always recommend that UK visitors pay with contactless , regardless of how many days they’re staying. That’s because the fares are exactly the same as Oyster, but you don’t have to pay a deposit to get one.

Note: If you’re a foreign visitor then Oyster is still preferable over contactless, because your bank might add on a transaction fee every time you use it overseas, which will likely apply to each individual ticket.

The verdict: Contactless is the best option for UK visitors. Oyster is the best option for foreign tourists staying more than one day, and a 1-day travelcard is the best option for foreign tourists staying for just one day.

Your comments and questions

Isabel I am visiting London next month. This will be my first visit and I need some advice about the best way to get train tickets outside London, for instance, to Winchester and Cambridge. If I get an Oyster card, can I use it for national railway service?

Staff You can use an Oyster card for National Rail trains, but only for zones 1-6 and some of the stations in zones 7-9. Winchester and Cambridge are both too far away, so you'll need to buy a separate ticket from a site like nationalrail.co.uk

Kim Hi, I am planning a trip for my husband's 50th birthday. We are arriving at London Euston. We are staying at the Doubletree Hilton Tower Bridge. I want to pre-purchase my Oyster travelcard, but am confused as to what zones we will need to cover? Any help and advice would be most welcome! Regards Kim

Staff Hi Kim. Euston and Tower Bridge are both in zone 1, but if you're planning to put a travelcard onto your Oyster card then you can't buy zone 1 on its own. You can only buy zones 1-2. But that's okay because that will cover you out to Greenwich as well. But the easiest thing to do is to not bother with a travelcard at all, and just load some credit onto your Oyster card. Then you can use it as a 'pay-as-you-go' card. The computer will deduct the correct fare whatever zone you're in.

Wendy I'm a newbie to using an Oyster card on the tube and am only an occasional visitor to London, so I have just topped up my PAYG card which I purchased a couple of years ago. Cool, eh? I am planning a visit tomorrow and my friend and I are travelling from Richmond to Wimbledon. I have checked the route planner and it tells me that I have to get the District line to Earl's Court, then change trains but get on the District line again to Wimbledon. My question concerning the Oyster card is this: having tapped the yellow 'thingy' to begin my journey, then passed the card to my friend to allow him entry, when we exit the train and get on the other train to Wimbledon, do we have to tap anything and if so, what and where? I am just conscious that I may be charged more than the off-peak fare, which it should be running for this journey. Thanks for your help, Wendy

Staff Hi Wendy, that isn't going to work unfortunately. You each need your own pass. If you try and share one Oyster card between the two of you then you could be done for fare evasion. I suppose it is common sense to think that if you tap the same card down twice then it will charge you twice, but it doesn't work like that. Only one fare will be registered. But you don't have to tap down again when changing trains at Earl's Court. You should be able to walk between the platforms without going through any barriers. You only have to tap down again once you leave the station at Wimbledon.

Faye How far around London can you travel on an Oyster card? eg: can you go from Finsbury Park to Oxford/ Brighton/ Stratford Upon Avon with a Visitors Oyster card?

Staff Hi Faye. Oyster only works for zones 1-6, plus most of the stations in zones 7-9 (but not all of them), so you definitely can't go as far as Brighton or Oxford. Here is a map which shows you all the stations covered by an Oyster card: tfl.gov.uk/​cdn/​static/cms/images/london-rail-and-tube-services-map.gif

John My wife and I are in London next weekend from Friday to Sunday arriving in to Euston and staying near Pimlico station. Is it a good idea to pre order an Oyster travelcard? We plan to do the usual sightseeing in Central London.

Staff Hi John. If you've got enough time beforehand then it makes sense to order one online, but it will be less hassle if each of you just use your contactless bank cards instead (assuming you both have UK bank cards). It's the same price as Oyster, works in exactly the same way, and you don't have to pay the £7 deposit.

Patrick Hi there. I am new to this site. Please advise on the following scenario. Before I leave Australia, if I buy the 2 or 3 day London Pass with Oyster Travelcard option, can I begin using the Oyster card for a few days before I activate the London Pass? I assume the travel credit will be used up before the London Pass begins, at which point I would re-charge the Oyster to cover the days of the London Pass. Can I then continue to use the Oyster card for the following 2 weeks that we will be in London?

Staff Hi Patrick. You can do that, sure - the London Pass and Oyster card are two completely separate cards. The Oyster card will come with some money pre-loaded onto it. The exact amount will depend on which London Pass you buy, but it should be enough to cover the daily cap for each day. You can keep using it until the money runs out, and then you can top it up again at a self-service ticket machine.

Jools Hi there, first time I will have bought an oyster card, can one card be used for a family of four

Staff Hi Jools, no. If you're travelling together then you will each need your own Oyster card or ticket. If you touch the same card on the gate four times then it won't charge you four fares. The computer will just think that one person is entering the station, then leaving the station, then entering again, then leaving again

Park Is there an admin charge to set up an Oyster card? I'm on route to London now and am presuming I can buy one at a station. I'll be using my contactless bank card myself but need one for my adult daughter

Staff Hi Park. You have to pay a £7 deposit for Oyster cards. She can't use that money to pay fares, though, so you'll have to add some more credit on top.

Kory I have two Oyster card on my account with different numbers can my friend use one of these at the same time I am using the other one, as we will be travelling together.

Staff Hi Kory. As long as it's a pay-as-you-go Oyster card then that's fine. But if it's an Oyster card with a travelcard on it, or you get some kind of discounted travel on it, then that wouldn't be allowed.

G Thomas If I pay the £7 deposit to buy an Oyster card how long will it last? ie. will I be able to use it next time I visit London or will it have time-expired?

Staff Hi G Thomas. If you put some pay-as-you-go credit on an Oyster card then that last forever, so you will be able to use that the next time you come. But if you put a travelcard on an Oyster card then that will obviously expire on the finish date. But you can still carry on using the Oyster card by putting a new travelcard on it, or some pay-as-you-go credit.

Debbie My husband and I will be visiting London tomorrow. Can we buy an Oyster card valid for a year and say put £15 credit on each, and am I to believe the total amount for that day travelling would be £7.20 off our cards then the balance can be used on another day within that year. We will travel from Victoria, to Oxford Circus to Knightsbridge and Kensington and back. What is the total lay out we would need to pay for each card? Kind regards Debbie

Staff Hi Debbie. Oyster cards don't have dates on. The unused credit on them lasts forever. The maximum you would pay for the stations you mentioned is the daily cap for zone 1 = currently £7.20. The prices normally go up after New Year, so I don't know what it will be next year. But remember that you have to pay a £7 deposit for each new card, and you can't use that money for fares, so if you want to load £15 credit on to each card then you'd have to pay 2x£22.

john Sweeney Where can purchase i an oyster card for adults before travelling to london on holidayand how much will it cost

Staff Hi John. If you're in the UK then you can buy them from the TFL website and have it delivered to your house - oyster.tfl.gov.uk/​oyster/​link/0005.do - if you're abroad then you'll have to buy a Visitor Oyster Card instead (which is basically the same thing) - visitorshop.tfl.gov.uk/​tfl/​london-visitor-oyster-card - It's all explained in the 'Buy an Oyster Card' section above. The cost is up to you - you can load as much credit on as you want, depending on how much you need for your holiday

Jupin kheni I have a regular travel from Edgware to Tottenham. So, which zone travel card applied for me?

Staff Hi Jupin. if you’re talking about Tottenham Hale station then the stations themselves are in zones 3 and 5, but if you look at a tube map the journey between them goes into zones 1 and 2 as well. So you’ll need zones 1-5

Jim Can a child travel free with an adult using a contactless card or does it need to be an Oyster? Thanks.

Staff Hi Jim. They have to be with a fare paying adult on the train, so a contactless card is fine (assuming that they are under 11, of course). On the bus they can travel on their own.

Melanie Hi, I need to take underground (leichester square to kings cross) then overground (kings cross to Kidbrooke) the a bus. I am trying to understand how much will be charged in my oysters card. I have also linked the Railcard 16-15 for discounts. Thank you

Staff Hi Melanie. It will be zone 1 and zones 1-3 (not including the bus, which you might also be able to pay on your Oyster card, depending on what bus it is) your railcard will get you 1/3 off the zones 1-3 fare if you're travelling during off-peak hours

Gerard If you use contactless instead of oyster do you still benefit from the price cap?

Staff Hi Gerard. You do, yes - londondrum.com/​transport/​contactless-cards.php

Lorraine We are visiting London for 3 days sun until Tues 4 adults 2 children age 9 and 11arriving at Paddington staying near tower is it worth getting oyster cards if so can we buy at Paddington station when we arrive

Staff Hi Lorraine, assuming you're from the UK the adults are better off just using their contactless bank cards because they have the same fares as Oyster, but you don't have to pay the extra £7 deposit on top for each new Oyster card. Oyster cards can be picked up from the Travel Information Centre at Paddington station. The 9 year old will travel for free, and if it was me I would just get the 11 year old three 1-day travelcards, but you could get them an Oyster card and have the 'Young Visitor Discount' applied to it. It's all explained here - londondrum.com/​transport/​child-train-fares.php

Antonio We are staying near Penge East Station and the quickest way to get to Central London is with the Southeastern to Victoria. Is that train included in the Oyster or Contactless daily cap?

Staff Hi Antonio. Yes, Penge East in zone 4, so you’ll be paying the price for zones 1-4

Narendra Patel No wounder with the prices as they are there are more cars on the road. Only people who use TFL are the ones who work in London. For a couple we are looking at £28+ which unless you are born with a silver spoon is very expensive. I can see TFL continue to make losses. More TFL prices are hiked more losses.

David I have a question about daily caps. The tables appear to provide charges and caps as if the trips are all in one category. However, what if I use the Oyster card three times for trips from Zone 1 to 2 during a single day and have just exceeded the daily cap of £7.70. Then I travel from Zone 1 to Zone 6 on the same day. Am I charged for that trip? Does the cap change? And if so, to what?

Staff Hi David. The system looks at all the zones you travelled through that day together. So in your example the maximum you’d pay is the daily cap for zones 1-6. If the total for all your individual journeys doesn't reach that cap then you'd pay for the individual journeys instead. if you only want to pay the daily cap for zones 1-2 then you’d have to use a completely different card for the zone 1-6 journey (maybe you have a contactless card)

Robert Schultz My plans are to visit London. I will arrive at Heathrow on Friday May 27th and depart London Monday May 30th. I have a Hop on Hop Off Big bus tour pass to see some of the major attractions. Im trying to figure out which Oyster Card I need to move around London to see other places. I will be out of the city on Sunday so I need a rail card that will move me around London for Friday, Saturday and then to the train station on Monday morning. I dont really understand the different zones. Do you have any suggestions on what card I need and where to buy it when I arrive at Heathrow Airport friday morning?

Staff Hi Robert. I would just get an Oyster card from the Visitor Information Centre at Heathrow. you have to pay a £7 deposit and then add as much credit as you want. you’ll need to cover the fare for zones 1-6 from heathrow into central london, and then enough to cover the ‘daily cap’ each day (which is the maximum amount you'll be charged each day). most people just need the daily cap for zone 1, which covers the central touristy bit of london. but if you’re planning on travelling around on that sightseeing bus one day, then maybe you can use that instead

John I am a retired Network rail worker with a privilage travel card,i wish to travel from Euston sq. to Aldgate on 03/07 and from Aldgate East to Wimbledon and back to Aldgate East on 04/07,on 05/07 from Aldgate to Euston sq. Can you tell me if I can purchase a reduced Oyster card for these travels in advance?

Staff Hi John. You really need to ask your old employer as we don't have any information about Network Rail staff discounts. There's an email address listed here that might help you: networkrail.co.uk/​mybenefits/​

Ondrej Hi, I have 3 Oyster Cards registered on the TFL Website. Can I use 1 for myself, 1 for my wife and 1 for a child with a discount (11-15 years)? Regard Ondrej

Staff Hi Ondrej. Normally if an Oyster card only has pay-as-you-go credit on it, then yes, it's fine. But if you've loaded a travelcard or any kind of discount on to it, then no... if it's registered under your name then only you will be able to use it. If a non-registered person is found with a card registered in someone else's name then technically TFL can confiscate it and even fine them.

Sam Hi can you use the oyster card at East of India train station

Staff Hi Sam, yes. You can use it at all of the DLR stations

Susie I will be arriving next week for the marathon and will be staying in the Bloomsbury area for 5 days. I have loaded an Oyster card with £20. I can use this visitor Oyster card any time of the day?. Not sure what zones I will be in. Do I need to load more oney to cover my stay?

Staff Hi Susie, you can use it any time of day, but £20 probably won’t be enough to cover 5 days… but it all depends on how many journeys you make. the maximum amount its possible to spend each day, regardless of how many journeys you make, is the ‘daily cap’ for the zones you travel through (shown in the table above). the minimum amount you'll spend is probably a zone 1 single fare there and back each day, which still adds up to more than 20 quid over 5 days. and bear in mind that there will be a train strike going on which might affect people getting to the london marathon

Raul We are traveling to London next month, two adults and two children (13 and 15) from tuesday to saturday. We will take train from Feltham to Victoria Station (zones 6 to 1) and back at the end of the day. Will the daily cap be 14.10 pounds? Can I take later other transport such as the metro, bus, during the day (zones 1, 2, 3) and the limit is still 14.10? Thank in advance!

Staff Hi Raul. Thats right. You can make as many journeys as you like and the maximum price you’ll get charged is £14,10 (assuming that all of your journeys are within zones 1-6, of course)

RAUL Thanks you for your answer. Then I can mix several public transports (tube, bus, train) and the daily cup will be 14.10 if I move between zones 1 to 6

Staff Thats right, yes

PEDRO We will be traveling to London next month for 3 days and we are going to get 2 Oyster cards for the adults and other 2 with Young visitor discount for our children (13 and 14). From what I have read they will pay the half of adult fare but, what is their daily cap for them? is it the same that for the adults? Many Thanks!

Staff Hi Pedro. Everything is half what the adult fare is. The adult daily caps are listed in the table at the top

PEDRO Thanks so, is the daily limit cap 7.05 pounds for them?

PEDRO Sorry, I mean zones 1 to 6

Staff Thats right yes

Russell I will be travelling to London for 4 days, arriving through Heathrow, and staying in St Pauls area. I will be travelling with 24 fifteen year old children. What is the best way to pay for our travel whilst in London (visiting the usual tourist sites).

Staff Hi Russell. I would look at the Group Day Travelcards, that would probably be the easiest. but bear in mind they only last for one day each, can only be used after 9:30 AM (or at any time during the weekend), and you all have to travel together - visitorshop.tfl.gov.uk/​en/​group-day-london-travelcard

Carol How do I get Senior discount on Oyster card if I have a Senior railcard

Staff Hi Carol. You just have to ask a member of the TFL staff inside a station (you can usually find one standing by the ticket barrier). If you have both the Oyster card and Railcard handy (or the digital card on your phone) then they can add it on - tfl.gov.uk/​fares/​free-and-discounted-travel/national-railcard-discount (they mention it at the bottom of the page)

W Shes How can I check the remaining time I have on a 7 day oyster?

Staff Hi. You can tap it down on a self-service ticket machine at the station and follow the on-screen instructions

Susanne Hi! We will be in London in June and stay 7 days. We will do 3 journeys between Heathrow zone 6 and Victoria zone 1 and move a lot inside zone 1 and 2. If I buy an Oyster card for 7 £I understand I can pay as I go in zones 1 to 6 with a daily cap of about 9.50 £. Now as we will travel every day, would it be cheaper to put a Travelcard for 7 days zones 1-2 on the Oyster card and use the pay as you go for the Heathrow trips to zone 6? (Knowing that on 2 of the 7 days we will only do 2x Heathrow .) Or can we use the travel card for zones 1-2 to Heathrow as well with a supplement?

Staff Hi Susanne. A weekly travelcard usually works out cheaper if you're doing two or more journeys on each of the seven days, or three or more on six of the days. But like you say, it would definitely be better to put a zone 1-2 travelcard onto an oyster card, and then add some extra pay-as-you-go credit onto the same oyster card to cover the remainder of those journeys into zone 6. (PS the daily cap for zones 1-6 is a bit higher - £14,90 at the moment)

P Ray Harrington I arrive LHR April 13 and go to Greenwich and west ferry. April 14 Greenwich to green part and back to Greenwich. April 16 Greenwich to amersham, April 22 amweaham to green park and return. All of peak. What cars and credit should I apply please?

Staff Hi. I would get yourself an oyster card and add enough credit to cover the ‘daily cap’ each day. heathrow to greenwich and westferry is zones 1-6. Greenwich to green park is zones 1-2. Greenwich to amersham is zones 2-9. Amersham to green park is zones 1-9. The prices are all shown in the table above.

Fran Rae I am visiting London this Saturday with grandsons aged 14 and 17 and will be using the tube. I can pay pay by contactless but how do I pay for them? Thanks FR

Staff Hi Fran. If it's just a day trip then you're best off buying single tickets at the machine, or an adult 1-day travelcard at the machine for them. It's not worth getting them Oyster cards because you have to pay a deposit which will wipe out the savings. And you can't buy child travelcards unless they already have their own Oyster photocard

Theo Lemm What is the minimum credit to use the National Rail from London to Swanley?

Staff Hi Theo. its zone 1-8, so the minimum is £4.70 (off-peak)

Theo Lemm Ok. But Swanley has no gates. So what happens if I check in with less than 4.70 credit?

Staff When suburban stations don't have gates, they usually put the yellow oyster card reader at the foot of the stairs, or on the platform itself. Is there not one there?

Theo Lemm Swanley is the final destination.

Staff There must be a yellow oyster reader somewhere, otherwise they wouldn't be able to take oyster and contactless fares. it's not unusual for there to be no gates at suburban stations. check the platform, the stairs and by the exit

Manuel Brito from Portugal Excellent article, very informative, thank you!

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London Transport Zones

London is divided into 1–9 zones*, but most of it fits into zones 1–6. Central London is zone 1, zone 2 is the ring around zone 1, zone 3 is the ring around 2 and so on.

*zones 7,8 and 9 cover a small area just outside North West London including Watford, Croxley Green, Rickmansworth, Amersham or Chalfont & Latimer.

It’s important to be aware of London’s transport zones and to find out what zone a station is in. Ticket prices for One Day, Weekly or Monthly Travelcards or the money deducted from a Pay as you go Oyster card or contactless card can vary considerably according to how many zones you travel through.

The zones do not apply to bus travel . You can travel by bus all over London (zones 1–6) with any Travelcard.

First time visitor to London? See our guide to London’s transport tickets

London zone map

You can see the zones on a tube map, coloured in either white or grey.

• View a standard PDF version of the tube map
• If you stay in a part of London that is not on the tube network, see the National Rail services map (pdf) to find the zone for your closest train station.

What London transport zones do I need?

Find the closest underground or train station to your accommodation. Then find the zone of the station you want to travel to. If you’re visiting London for sightseeing or to shop this will probably be zone 1.

When you know the zones you need to pay for, what you do depends on the type of ticket/pass you buy:

Weekly or monthly Travelcards

You buy a Travelcard that covers all the zones between where you stay and where you want to visit/your regular final destination. For example:

• if you stay in Shepherd’s Bush (zone 2) and plan to visit central London (zone 1), you need a zone 1-2 Travelcard.
• If you stay in Wimbledon (zone 3) and travel to/from central London, you need a zone 1-3 Travelcard.

Pay as you go Oyster card

If you use a Pay as you go Oyster card , top-up your card with enough money to either pay for a single journey for the zones you travel through or add enough money to cover the cost of the ‘daily cap’ if you want unlimited travel for the day.

Contactless

With a contactless card, you do not have to worry about the zones as the system will calculate the fare for you the next day. Remember to always touch in and out on the tube or local trains (with the same card!) to ensure you are charged the correct amount.

How to pay for transport outside your normal transport zone

There may be occasions when you need to travel outside the zones on your weekly or monthly Travelcard.

The procedure is slightly different if you have a Travelcard loaded on an Oyster card, or a paper Travelcard:

Travelcards on an Oyster card

If you already have a weekly Travelcard for certain zones and want to visit a place outside that zone, top-up your Oyster card with some Pay as you go money to cover the cost of travelling between the last zone on your Travelcard and the zone you want to visit.

For example, if you have a zone 1-2 weekly Travelcard and you want to visit Richmond in zone 4, you need to add extra money to your Oyster to cover the fare for zones 3 and 4.

See Oyster single fares to find a fare. You can add extra money to your Oyster card at a tube station ticket machine.

Paper Travelcards

If you have a paper version of the Travelcard, you need to buy an extension ticket from the underground station ticket machine.

Stations in two zones

Some stations are on the border of two zones. These stations have a white box around their name on the tube map. Tickets to these stations are slightly different.

For example:

• Earl’s Court tube station is in zone 1/2. If you stay in Earl’s Court and take the tube to any other station in zone 1 (central London), you pay the zone 1 single fare with a pay as you go Oyster or contactless card.
• If you travel from Earl’s Court to Heathrow (zone 6), the single fare is charged from zone 2 to zone 6, not from zone 1-6.
• ABBA Arena is in zone 2/3. From zone 1, you pay the zone 1-2 fare. If you are staying in outer London and are travelling to the stadium without travelling through central London (zone 1), you pay the the fare to zone 3.

How to save money on travel to central London from zones 2-6

A major benefit of the Travelcard is that it’s valid on the buses for the whole of London, regardless of the zones you buy.

If you stay in zones 2-6 and want to travel to zone 1 (central London) a good money-saving tip is to buy a weekly or monthly Travelcard excluding zone 1 , but including zone 2. You can then take the tube/train to the zone 2 station close to zone 1 and then use the bus to travel to and around zone 1.

This only works with a weekly or monthly Travelcard, but you will save a money.

• If you stay in zone 5, a zone 1-5 weekly Travelcard is  £73.00 .
• A zone 2-5 weekly Travelcard is £42.50 , saving you £30.50 a week
• A zone 1-5 monthly Travelcard is  £280.40
• A zone 2-5 monthly Travelcard is  £163.20 a saving of £111.70 a month

Popular places to visit outside central London (Zone 1)

Tourist attractions.

Chiswick House – zone 2 (Turnham Green) Cutty Sark – zone 2 Dulwich Picture Gallery – zone 2 Ham House – zone 4 Hampton Court Palace – zone 6 Kenwood House – zone 2 (Archway) Kew Gardens – zone 3 National Maritime Museum – zone 2 Osterley House – zone 4 RAF Museum Hendon – zone 4 William Morris Gallery – zone 3

Westfield London (Shepherd’s Bush/White City) – zone 2 Westfield Stratford – zone 2/3 Camden Market – zone 2

Sport and music venues

The O2 – zone 2/3 Twickenham Rugby Stadium – zone 5 Wembley Stadium – zone 4 Emirates Stadium – zone 2 ABBA Arena – zone 2/3 (See stations in two zones above)

Greenwich – zone 2 Richmond – zone 4 Wimbledon – zone 3

Related pages

• One Day & Weekly Travelcards including zone 1
• Weekly & monthly Travelcards excluding zone 1
• Oyster cards
• Contactless cards
• Bus tickets & passes

Last updated: 23 February 2024

Transport tickets & passes

• Guide to London's transport tickets
• One day & weekly Travelcards
• Zone 2–6 weekly Travelcards
• Bus tickets & passes
• Oyster card
• Oyster single tickets
• Oyster card refunds
• Child tickets & passes
• Local train tickets

Useful information

• Plan your journey
• London transport zones

Popular pages

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• Heathrow to London by underground

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NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

How much are TfL monthly travelcards going up by in 2023?

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Commute to work in London ? Use the Tube a lot? If so, you might want to purchase a monthly travelcard.

Transport for London (TfL) travelcards allow you to pay for a day, week or month of travel across the Tube, Overground, DLR, buses, trams, TfL Rail and National Rail services – plus, if you need them, the Emirates Air Line and the River Bus.

To use a travelcard you must first purchase an Oyster card (£7) and then you can purchase a travelcard and add it to your Oyster.

You can use also use Oyster for pay as you go, with fares capped per day and week just as they are when you use a contactless card or device (such as your phone). You can also add a national railcard to Oyster , saving up to 1/3 on off-peak pay as you go travel.

However, if you frequently use London public transport, you may find a monthly travelcard is the better option for you.

TfL fares are set to rise again in early March 2023 , so how much do monthly travelcards cost now?

And what will they cost later in the year?

On average, the price of an adult’s monthly travelcard will rise by 5.9% from March 5 onwards.

How much will monthly travelcards cost from March?

For monthly travelcards including travel to Central London, here’s what they currently cost, plus what the new price will be:

• Zone 1: £147.50, going up to £156.30 from March 5
• Zone 1 – 2: £147.50, going up to £156.30
• Zone 1 – 3: £173.60, going up to £184
• Zone 1 – 4: £212.00, going up to £224.70
• Zone 1 – 5: £252.30, going up to £267.30
• Zone 1 – 6: £270.00, going up to £285.70
• Zone 1 – 7: £293.80, going up to £311.10
• Zone 1 – 8: £346.80, going up to £367.20
• Zone 1 – 9: £384.80, going up to £407.50

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

If you don’t need to be in Zone 1, you can choose to either pay for just one zone, or for the zone range you actually require.

Usually, it’s cheaper to travel in one zone, or between two zones. Once you start needing to commute between three, four or more zones, the monthly travel card costs starts to tot up.

It’s also more cost effective to travel in areas located in Zone 2 and Zone 3 (£110.60, going up to £117.20) than it is to travel just in Zone 1 (£147.50, going up to £156.30).

For the full range of prices, plus daily and annual travel card costs, check out TfL’s adult fares chart or work out your new cost from March using this price checker .

As for youngsters, 11 to 15-year-olds can buy a monthly ZIP Oyster card, with fares starting from a much lower £73.80 (going up to £78.40) for travel in Zone 1 and Zone 2. 16 to 17-year-olds can also commute between the two for the same price.

Meanwhile, an apprentice or an adult student can pay £103 per month (going up to £109.10) for travelcard covering Zone 1 and Zone 2.

There’s also a JobCentre Plus monthly travelcard, which starts at £73.80 (going up to £78.40) per month.

MORE : Which London underground lines run the Night Tube?

MORE : How much will London Underground journeys cost with Tube fares set to rise in 2023?

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Cheap London Travel- Reduce The Cost Of Travel

At first glance, cheap London travel almost seems impossible. With a single tube journey paper ticket costing £4.90- the cost seems out of reach. BUT there are lots of ways that you can reduce the cost of travelling in London, whether you are a regular commuter or you are visiting the city.

First thing’s first- never buy the aforementioned paper ticket! That £4.90 tube journey will cost just £2.40 for a zone 1 single journey using an Oyster card or contactless payment.

Not only will using an Oyster card or contactless payment card mean that your journey is cheaper, but it will also make your journey quicker as you’ll avoid the lengthy queues at the ticket machines.

Page Contents

Cheap London Travel

Not even born and raised Londoners will know the best kept secrets about cheap London travel. The pricing system is pretty complex, so you have to do some digging to find out how to save money on travel in London, but the rewards are worth it! Luckily, this post lays out most of them for you…

Is it cheaper to use an Oyster card or contactless?

So we’ve established that you’ll want to use an Oyster card or contactless payment rather than a paper ticket. But is there a cost difference between Oyster and contactless?

Oyster Card Benefits

All told, an Oyster card can be cheaper than contactless payment as you are able to add a railcard to your Oyster card which saves you a third on off-peak travel. But if you don’t have a railcard? The prices are the same.

To add your railcard to your Oyster card, all you need to do is go to an underground station and ask the clerk to add it onto your Oyster for you- it only takes a minute or two.

If you’re a student living in London, you are likely to be eligible for the 18+ Student Oyster which offers some great discounts. With this card you can get 30% off the price of adult-rate Travelcards and Bus & Tram Pass season tickets. Check if you are eligible for the card on the TFL Website .

Contactless Benefits

If you use contactless payment for your journey (whether that’s a payment card or Apple Pay), you do benefit from Monday-Sunday capping, which you don’t get with an Oyster card.

The cap for journeys made Mon-Sun in zones 1-2 is £34.10 with a contactless card – whereas seven daily caps on an Oyster card come to £47.60.

You might also enjoy: What Is The Average Cost Of Living In London?

Where can I get an Oyster card?

If you’re visiting London, you can get an Oyster card at any tube station with a ticket office. An Oyster card will cost you £5, which acts as a deposit. You can get the £5 refunded to you when you return the Oyster card after your visit.

Do kids travel for free on the tube?

Kids under the age of 11 can travel for free on the bus, tram, DLR, overground and tube when accompanied by an adult. How’s that for some cheap London travel?

For kids aged 11-15, apply for a Zip Oyster card which will allow free travel on buses and trams, and a children’s rate on other services.

If you are visiting London with children who don’t have an 11-15 Zip Oyster photocard, they can get discounted travel for up to 14 days with the Young Visitor discount. This can be applied to any standard Oyster card and offers a 50% discount on adult fares.

For children aged 16-17, there is another Zip Oyster available which again offers free travel on buses and trams, and a 50% discount on adult fares.

How much does commuting in London cost?

The average London commuter spends around £122 a month on travelling to work. And if you commute into London for work? The average cost is around £305 a month.

This accounts for a huge portion for many Londoners’ monthly wage, so if there is a way to reduce the cost of travel in London, it’s well worth doing.

You might also enjoy: How To Live On A Budget In London

Cheapest way to commute in London

The cheapest way to commute in London is of course on foot, but that isn’t always possible. If you’re working in central London it’s unlikely that you are going to find an affordable flat nearby.

However, it’s worth considering moving closer to work if it means that your commuting costs might go down. Check out my guide on how to find an affordable apartment in London , which goes into more detail about how moving closer to work can sometimes pay off.

Take the bus

The next cheapest way to commute is probably going to be by bike, followed closely by the bus. Bus fares in London are generally cheaper than the tube, and also benefit from the Hopper Fare . The Hopper Fare means that any second bus or tram journey made within one hour of the start of your first journey will be free, if you’re using an Oyster card or contactless payment.

Buy a season ticket

If there’s no way round it, and you have to commute by train or tube, you will make large savings if you buy an annual season ticket.

The problem with a season ticket, is that the upfront cost is large- often thousands of pounds. However, there are a couple of ways around this cost.

Check if your employer offers an interest-free season ticket loan. This works on the basis that your employer will pay for the upfront cost of your season ticket, and then deduct the repayments from your monthly salary in 10 or 12 instalments.

This means that you get the cost saving benefit of a season ticket, but you pay for it monthly instead.

You might also enjoy: The Cheapest Place To Park In Central London

How can I make my commute cheaper?

Travel off-peak.

If you’re able to work flexible hours, you could save money on your commute by avoiding travel during peak times. Off-peak travel could cost up to 50% less than peak travel.

Peak time is between 6.30am and 9.30am or between 4pm and 7pm. However it is important to note that these peak times can vary slightly depending on the mode of travel and route you take. Compare prices using the TFL Fare Finder .

Remember, if you travel off-peak and use a railcard, you could save a further 30% off your journey. This would considerably reduce the cost of your commute.

Avoid zone 1

If you are able to avoid zone 1 when commuting, this could make your journey cheaper. There are a number of pink Oyster card readers, and when you tap this with your card, it will recognise that you have not gone through zone 1 to get to your destination.

For a list of stations with pink Oyster card readers, head to the TFL website .

Get organised

If you want to buy a season ticket, make sure that you buy it before the prices go up for the year ahead. Usually rail prices increase yearly in early January, so make sure that you get organised and buy your season ticket BEFORE the prices increase.

Reassess your route

Use apps like Citymapper to check if there is a different way to commute to the office. Perhaps you could take a couple of buses instead of the tube? Or maybe you could spend more time walking and combine this with a train journey?

For lots of people there will be several different modes of transport that you’ll be able to take to get into work- work out which one is the cheapest, and go from there.

Travelling in London is only going to get more expensive as the prices go up each year, but these alternative ideas are likely to help reduce your commuting costs and save you some money.

Here are some key things to remember, whether you’re a visitor or a commuter looking for cheap London travel:

• Never buy a paper ticket
• Add your rail card to your Oyster card (if you have one)
• Avoid travelling to zone 1 by tube
• Switch the tube for the bus to make a saving

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