Accommodation Airports&Transfers London Transport What To Do Contact Us

London Oyster Card Smartcard
Smartcard Based London Public Transport Payment System


London Hotels &
Bed and Breakfasts
Hotel Types
Hostels
Bed & Breakfast
2/3 Star Budget Hotels
4 Star Hotels
Luxury Hotels
Apartments & Studios
Aparthotels
Travel Lodges
Room Types
Single Rooms
Family Rooms
Hotel Districts
Bayswater
Bloomsbury
Euston Station
Kensington
Kings X / St Pancras
Leicester Square
Liverpool Street
Oxford Street
Paddington Station
St Pancras
Victoria Station
Tower of London
Waterloo Station
West End


London
Public Transport
Buses
Underground
Railways
River
Transport Maps
Travel Passes
Travelcard
Oyster Cards
Oyster Card or Travelcard ?
Oyster cards were introduced in 2003 aimed at keeping London's public transport moving faster and more efficiently. The Oyster card is a permanent reusable electronic ticket which is topped up from time to time by its owner.
You can use Oyster Cards in two ways.
As 'PrePay' - you purchase say £10 to be loaded onto your card, everytime you make a journey the appropriate fare is deducted automatically from your original £10 on the card. You then top up the Oyster Card with further amounts as required.
The other alternative is to purchase season tickets, for the visitor the most popular being the 7 day Travelcard which has to be purchased on an Oyster Card.

Oyster Card is the cheap way of using public transport in London. Savings are shown in the table below. For many short term visitors, the alternative Travelcard may be more attractive.
See our Travelcard v Oyster Card Page		 London Underground

Underground
Map

Central London
Bus Map
(PDF)

Tourist Bus Map With Main Sights & Bus Routes
Underground (from 2nd January 2010) - Oyster v Normal Fares
  Zones Adult single fares Oyster
Pre Pay
(Peak)* 		Oyster savings Oyster
Pre Pay
(off peak)		 Oyster savings
One Zone 1 £4.00 £1.80 £2.20 £1.80 £2.20
  2,3,4,5or6 £3.50 £1.30 £2.20 £1.30 £2.20
More than 1 zone 1-2 £4.00 £2.30 £1.70 £1.80 £2.20
  1-4 £4.00 £3.10 £0.90 £2.40 £1.60
  1-6 £4.50 £4.20 £0.30 £2.40 £2.10
  2-6 £3.50 £2.20 £1.30 £1.30 £2.20
* Peak for fares = Mon-Fri 06:30-09:30 and from 16:00-19:00
For children (under 16) free travel is often available, see our children's section below
Price Caps
1-2
  
£7.20
  
£5.60
  
 
1-3
  
£8.60
  
£6.30
  
 
1-4
  
£10.00
  
£6.30
  
 
1-5
  
£12.60
  
£7.50
  
 
1-6
  
£14.80
  
£7.50
  
* Peak for price caps = Mon-Fri 04:30 - 09:30
Price caps are the maximum you will pay, a price ceiling. No matter how many individual trips you make in any 24 hour period between 04:30 and 04:30 you will not be charged more than the price cap amount.
The peak cap is triggered if you travel between 04:30 and 09:29 Monday to Friday.
Confusingly if you travel at a peak afternoon time say 17:00 on the Underground, you will be charged a peak fare for this, but unless you have travelled prior that day between 04:30 and 09:29 you will have only have an off peak cap in place.
London Buses Only (from 2nd January 2010) - Oyster v Normal Fares
All times+zones   £2.00 £1.20      
On buses there is a cap of £3.90. If you make multiple bus journeys between 04:30 and 04:30 the total amount charged to your card will never be more than £3.90.
Zones
The London public transport system is divided up into zones that radiate from the centre. Nearly all the hotels and the main sights are in Zone 1.
The fare you pay on PAYG Oyster Cards depends on which zones you pass through. The more zones you travel, the more you pay.
Most of the sights and hotels visitors will stay in are in Zone 1.
Heathrow is in Zone 6 though, other places outside Zone 1 frequently visited by visitors include Hampton Court, Greenwich and City Airport. Note Gatwick, Luton and Stansted airports are well outside the London public transport zones.
Rail & Underground Zonal Map

How To Use an Oyster Card
Use of the Oyster Card is simplicity itself.
On the Underground there is a yellow pad on top of each ticket barrier that allows entry into the station.
Just swipe the Oyster Card over the pad and the barrier will open. Most importantly you need to swipe it also at your destination, otherwise the most expensive fare is assumed.
On buses you will find the same yellow pads that need to be swiped.

Peak v Off Peak
Oyster Card - Peak rate fares will levied if you travel between 06:30 and 09:30 or from 16:00-19:00 Mondays to Fridays.
Peak daily caps are triggered by travel between 04:30 and 09:30 Monday to Friday
All travel at weekends and holidays are off peak.

Can I Use Oyster Card On Overground Railways
You can use Oyster Card on National Rail services within the London zones.
However, there are a number of rail services where National Rail have not installed the infrastructure to read Oyster Cards so you cannot use them. Travelcards that come on card and readable by humans are accepted on these lines however.
Oyster Rail Services Map

By the National Rail Service we mean the normal trains that run overground, most of which are commuter lines. The London Underground & DLR railway is separate from this overground network.

Tickets Available on Oyster
Prepay can be charged onto the card for various amounts of your choosing.
Oyster Cards are also used for purchasing long term Travelcard or similar season tickets of 7 days or more.
You do not pay the 3 GBP deposit on Oyster Cards if you are purchasing it for a 7 day Travelcard.

How To Get An Oyster Card
You can purchase an Oyster card from any Underground Station ticket office very quickly using a credit/debit card as well as cash. There are countless other outlets selling Oyster, commonly newsagents.
There is a £3 deposit on each card which is refundable when you return the card, (though the whole idea is that you continually top up the card from time to time).

You can also order your Oyster online and have it sent to your home address. There is of course an administration and shipping fee in addition to the cost of the Travelcard.
Online Travelcard Shop

Recharging Your Oyster Card
You can recharge your Oyster card at any touchscreen ticket machine found at Underground Stations. They accept cash, credit or debit card payments. Follow the step-by-step instructions on the screen.
You can recharge your card safely online ( Oyster Card Official Site )
or over the phone (0870 849 9999) with either a credit or debit card. The card is recharged the next time you use the card.

Suitable For Visitors?
On cost, Oyster Cards for most visitors on short stays work out slightly cheaper or the same than the alternative pass, the Travelcard.
However, its not as simple as that, especially if you have children. Travelcard also potentially comes with many more 2 for 1 offers to places like the Tower of London, just one offer will normally more than compensate for the small price differential between Oyster and Travelcard.
If you are staying 5 days or longer Travelcard can be cost advantageous.
Oyster also cannot be used on some suburban overground railway lines including the one to Hampton Court that Travelcard can and you also have to pay a deposit and tediously reclaim the deposit at the end of your stay with an Oyster.

For a full discussion of Travelcard v Oyster card, follow the banner link below.
Children (Under 16)
5-10 Years Old
Under-11s can travel free at any time on buses and trams without the need for a Photocard.
They can also travel free at any time on the Tube and DLR when they are travelling with an adult who has a valid ticket. Up to 4 children under 11 years old accompanied by a paying adult travel free on the London Underground. Under-11s travelling with an adult will not be issued with tickets but will be allowed to pass through the ticket gates at stations. Again no Photocard is required for children travelling with adults.
Unaccompanied children between 5 and 10 must have a valid Photocard.

11-15 Years Old
Children aged 11 to 15 years can get an 11-15 Oyster photocard to travel free on buses and trams and at child-rate on Tube, DLR and London Overground services.
you can avoid the whole photocard issue by simply purchasing a child Travelcard. There are children's Travelcards available where no photocard is required,
Example Children's (11-15 Years) Oyster Single Fares (from 2nd January 2010)
  Cash Oyster
Savings
Zone 1-4 £2.00 £0.65 £1.35
Zone 2-6 £1.70 £0.65 £1.05
Daily Price Cap (Off Peak)  
£1.00
  
Daily Price Cap Anytime Zone 1/2  
£3.60
  
Daily Price Cap Anytime Zone 1/6  
£7.40
  
Price caps are the maximum you will pay, a price ceiling. No matter how many individual trips you make in any 24 hour period between 04:30 and 04:30 you will not be charged more than the price cap amount.