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London Oyster Card Smartcard
Smartcard Based London Public Transport Payment System


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Oyster cards are a high tech option 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.

Financial Savings
Using Oyster Card PrePay
A big incentive to get people to use Oyster Cards is a significant discount on fares on the PrePay scheme. These discounts are shown on our fares tables below.		 London Underground

Underground
Map

Central London
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(PDF)

Tourist Bus Map With Main Sights & Bus Routes
Underground (from 2nd January 2008) - 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 £1.50 £2.50 £1.50 £2.50
  2,3,4,5or6 £3.00 £1.00 £2.00 £1.00 £2.00
More than 1 zone 1-2 £4.00 £2.00 £2.00 £1.50 £2.50
  1-4 £4.00 £2.50 £1.50 £2.00 £2.00
  1-6 £4.00 £3.50 £0.50 £2.00 £2.00
  2-6 £3.00 £1.00 £2.00 £1.00 £2.00
* Peak = Mon-Fri 07:00-19:00
Free Tube travel is offered to all under 11-year-olds.
Price Caps
1-2
  
£6.30
  
£4.80
  
 
1-3
  
£7.50
  
£5.40
  
 
1-4
  
£8.90
  
£5.40
  
 
1-5
  
£11.30
  
£6.50
  
 
1-6
  
£13.30
  
£6.50
  
Price caps are the maximum you will pay in any 24 hour period for multiple trips between 04:30 and 04:30.
London Buses (from 2nd January 2008) - Oyster v Normal Fares
All times, all zones   £2.00 £0.90      
On buses there is a cap of £3. 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
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 Oystercard 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.

Can I Use Oyster Card On Overground Railways
If you have a Travelcard on your Oyster card you can use it on any National Rail service within the zones for which it is valid.
There are a small number of services where National Rail does accept pre-pay (pay as you go). These are the only journeys within the National Rail network where pre-pay is valid, and the charge levied is much higher than a similar distance on the London Underground.

By the National Rail Service we mean the normal trains that run overground, most of which are commuter lines. The London Underground is separate from this overground network. You can use Oyster Cards throughout the London Underground system. For visitors, about the the only main attraction in the zoned area where you would use these overground trains where there is no Underground substitute is the train line from Waterloo to Hampton Court.

Suitable For Visitors?
For visitors in London for relatively short periods the main practical reason that makes the Oyster Cards less attractive is what happens when you leave London and need to recover your deposit and any money still left on your PrePay account.
On handing in your Oyster Card, you will need to fill in a form with your home address. You will normally receive any money including your £3 deposit at this time, but at some ticket offices, especially if very busy the sum owing may be sent as a UK sterling cheque to your home address.

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 Oystercards if you are purchasing it for a 7 day Travelcard.

How To Get An Oyster Card
You can purchase an Oyster Card on-line, but the actual card is dispatched by mail arriving a couple of days later, so for many visitors this method is impractical. If you are from UK the web address is:
Oystercard Official Site

You can also purchase an Oyster card from Underground Stations by filling in a form and submitting to the ticket office.
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).

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 ( Oystercard 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.