London Travelcard v Oyster Card
Make an informed choice on the right London travel pass for you
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| Travelcards Or Oyster Card |
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| Local Buses |
| London Underground |
| Rail Services |
| River Services |
| Coach Services |
| Public Transport Maps |
| Transport Passes |
| Oyster |
| Travelcard |
| Oyster or Travelcard ? |
| Trips Outside London Rail Passes Only Available To Visitors |
| BritRail London Plus Pass |
| BritRail England & GB Rail Pass |
For the visitor to London, the question of which travel pass to purchase can be very confusing. As a general rule of thumb the Oyster Card is the benchmark to be beaten.
For aspects on how to use Travelcards and Oyster Cards, where to purchase and other items not covered on this page look at our detailed Travelcard and Oyster Card pages.
Most Londoners themselves will have an Oyster Card not a Travelcard for their transport needs.
For an adult traveling in London, the Oyster Card will always be cheaper or the same price as Travelcard for pure travel. However, for many short term visitors to London the Travelcard still may be the right product ...
Children under 18 - If you have children under 18 you may well need an Oyster Photo ID card in order to obtain child fares. The 1 day Travelcard is a way around this for those with children under 16.
(See our children's fares section).
No deposit - With Oyster Cards you have to pay a deposit and reclaim the deposit when you wish to surrender it. For people in town only a day or so this can be a hassle. Travelcards you just throw way when they expire, there are no deposits.
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| London Tour Options |
| Original London Tour Bus |
| Big Bus Hop On Bus |
| Open Top Red Bus Tour |
| Amphibious Duck Tour |
| Black Taxi Tour |
| Rock Tour |
| Airport Transfers |
| Heathrow |
| Gatwick |
| Stansted |
| Luton |
| Cruise Port Transfers |
| Southampton |
| Dover |
| Harwich |
| Day Trips From London |
| Coach Tours |
| Private Tours |
| Stonehenge |
| Bath |
| Windsor |
| Oxford |
| Stratford Upon Avon |
| Cotswolds |
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2 For 1 Attraction tickets - There is a very attractive promotion sponsored by the railways. Buy a Travelcard from a Central London mainline railway station ticket office only and you can use coupons enabling 2 for 1 admissions to many of the main attractions in London like the Tower of London and discounts on many others.
5 Or More Days Traveling In A Row? - As a general rule of thumb if you are traveling 5 or more days in London then a 7 day Travelcard is better value than a Pay As You Go Oyster Card.
Confusingly the 7 Day Travelcard normally comes loaded onto an Oyster Card. You can mix and match 7 Day Travelcards and Pay As You Go Oyster on the same physical card to suit your needs.
For instance its not worth buying a 7 day Travelcard for zones 1 to 6 just to cover a couple of journeys to and from Heathrow Airport. You are much better off purchasing a 7 day Travelcard for zones 1 and 2 only and using Oyster for the few journeys outside the central zones.
Groups Of 10 or More Traveling Together - If you have a group of 10 or more people and they are traveling around London together, there is a special group ticket that is priced very attractively. (see Travelcard price table below for current pricing).
You can only buy this group ticket on the day of travel.
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Scope of Travelcard v Oyster card
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London Rail Services Map |
Both the Travelcard and Oyster Card substantially cover the same public transport services detailed below.
The subtle differences are that there are some suburban railway lines whose ticketing systems are not compatible with Oyster.
On London's river scheduled river services you can obtain discounts using Oyster and Travelcard. At the moment different operators offer different benefits.
In overview both Oyster and Travelcard cover:
- The London Underground network.
- The London local bus network.
- The railway network in Greater London.
- Docklands Light Railway.
- discounts on many scheduled river services.
You cannot use Travelcard on the Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect trains out to Heathrow Airport
Luton , Stansted and Gatwick Airports are well outside the area covered by Travelcard and Oyster.
Transport 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.
| Public Transport Maps With Zones Marked | |
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The more zones you travel through the more you pay. For most visitors they only require a pass that covers Zone 1, the central area.
For Travelcard you have to choose which zones you want covered. The more zones you want covered the more Travelcard costs. It doesn't make financial sense to purchase extra zones for just one or two journeys over 7 days or more.
Oyster Card dynamically charges on a daily basis dependent on the number of zones you travel through that day. So if you travel from Heathrow (Zone 6) to Central London (Zone 1) one day and just travel within zone 1 the next, Oyster will adjust. With Travelcard you need to cover all zones that you want to travel through for the length of the Travelcard.
With Oyster Pay As You Go if you are taking day trips out of London you don't get charged for days where you do not use public transport.
Price Caps & Peak Travel Periods
On Oyster, price caps are the maximum you will pay in a day, 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. This price cap spreads across all modes of transport, so if you mix bus, underground and DLR in one day the same price cap applies. Each individual journey is charged to your Oyster Card until you reach the price cap for the day. If you don't reach the price cap you just pay to total fares you have clocked up.
Now the confusing bit. If you travel in the peak period then you trigger a 'peak' price cap, a higher price cap than if you didn't travel in this period on that day. The Oyster peak travel periods is Monday to Friday between 06:30 and 09:30 and 16:00 and 19:00.
The peak cap is triggered if you travel between 04:30 and 09:29 Monday to Friday. So if you travel on the Underground at say 18:00 on a Tuesday using an Oyster you will be deducted a peak fare but it will not trigger the higher peak price cap.
Travelcard is much simpler, the peak travel period is if you travel between 04:30 and 09:29 Monday to Friday.
For a 1 Day Travelcard only, if you want to travel during this time you need to purchase the 'Peak' period 1 day Travelcard product. Travelcards for 7 days or longer are valid at all times.
2 For 1 Offers With Travelcards Purchased From Railway Stations
If you purchase a Travelcard from a railway station, (not DLR or London Underground) you qualify for a wide range of 2 for 1 offers including many of the main tourist attractions in London. Offers include 2 for 1 admission to the Tower of London, London Eye, Madame Tussauds and St Paul's Cathedral for example.
Important: To take advantage of these offers you need to download vouchers from the web site (link below) and you need to purchase your Travelcard from a rail station ticket office (not London Underground or DLR railway) and receive a card Travelcard.
Pricing Oyster v Travelcard v Cash
From the Oyster v cash table below you can see right away how much cheaper it is to use Oyster.
Oyster Pay As You Go works like an electronic wallet. You top up the Oyster with an amount of your choice and every time you travel the system works out your individual fare for each journey and debits that amount from your Oyster.
There is a daily price cap which varies depending on the zones you travel through that day. The price cap is the maximum your card will be debited in a single day whatever number of journeys you take. The daily price cap is normally the same as the Travelcard fee for those zones.
With Travelcard you simply work out which zones you want covered and purchase the relevant Travelcard. This is a flat fee for unlimited travel during the calendar period selected.
There is a 1 day group ticket for groups of 10 or more traveling together which if you have such a group is probably the right product for you. It is only valid for one day and must be bought on the day of travel.
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| Oyster v Normal Fares - London Underground (from 2nd January 2012) | ||||||
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| Zones | Adult single fare |
Oyster Pre Pay Peak* | Oyster saving | Oyster Pre Pay off peak |
Oyster savings | |
| One Zone | 1 | £4.30 | £2.00 | £2.30 | £2.00 | £2.30 |
| 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 | £4.30 | £1.50 | £2.80 | £1.40 | £2.90 | |
| More than 1 zone |
1-2 | £4.30 | £2.70 | £1.60 | £2.00 | £2.30 |
| 1-4 | £5.30 | £3.60 | £1.70 | £2.60 | £2.70 | |
| 1-6 | £5.30 | £4.80 | £0.50 | £2.90 | £2.40 | |
| 2-6 | £5.30 | £2.60 | £2.70 | £1.40 | £3.90 | |
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Buses: £1.35 per journey on Oyster * Peak for fares = Mon-Fri 06:30-09:30 and from 16:00-19:00 For children (under 18) free or greatly reduced travel is often available, see our children's section below |
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| Oyster Price Caps - from 2nd January 2012 | ||||||
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| Price Caps | Zones | Oyster Pre Pay Peak* | Oyster Pre Pay off peak |
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| 1 to 2 | £8.40 | £7.00 | Special Buses Only Price Cap £4.20 (All Zones) |
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| 1 to 3 | £10.60 | £7.70 | ||||
| 1 to 4 | £10.60 | £7.70 | ||||
| 1 to 5 | £15.80 | £8.50 | ||||
| 1 to 6 | £15.80 | £8.50 | ||||
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| London Travelcard Prices (from 2 Jan 2012) | |||||
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| Zones | 1 Day | 1 Day (Off Peak) |
7 Days | 1 Month | 1 Year |
| 1-2 | £8.40 (£4.20) |
£7.00 (£3.20) |
£29.20 (£14.60) |
£112.20 (£56.10) |
£1168 |
| 1-4 | £10.60 (£5.30) |
£7.70 (£3.20) |
£41.80 (£20.90) |
£160.60 (£80.30) |
£1672 |
| 1-6 | £15.80 (£7.90) |
£8.50 (£3.20) |
£53.40 (£26.70) |
£205.10 (£102.60) |
£2136 |
| (£?.??) = Child under 18 years old reduced fare. (Free travel available, see child fares) | |||||
Group 1 Day Travelcards
Especially for groups of 10 or more fare-paying passengers traveling together.
This Travelcard only comes valid for zones 1 to 6.
Fare is £4.30 Adults and £1.60 Children under 18
You can only purchase this ticket on the day of travel
London Transport Children's Fares (Children Less than 18 Years Old)
Free Travel For Children On Buses & Underground And The Need For Photocards
Under-5s.
Children under five can travel free at any time on the Tube, DLR, buses and trams as long as they are accompanied by an adult with a valid ticket. Children in this category do not need Photocards.
Children 5-10.
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 traveling 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.
Unaccompanied children between 5 and 10 must have a valid Photocard.
Children 11-15.
Children aged 11 to 15 years must 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 get around the photocard requirement by purchasing a 1 day Travelcard for the child, (longer length Travelcards do require a photo card) or paying the cash fare.
Children 16-17.
All 16 to 17-year-olds can travel at child-rate on bus, Tube, tram, DLR and London Overground services with a 16+ Oyster photocard.
Obtaining a Photocard.
Visitors to London can order a Photocard in advance for their children and collect on arrival at a travel centre. (There is a Travel Centre at Heathrow Airport as well as in Central London).
Note you need to apply (online) at least 3 weeks prior to arrival.
Note: non-London residents have to pay a non-refundable £10 administration fee
Advance application for Child Photocard
Senior's Fares
There are no special Senior's fares on London's public transport.
If you have an English senior's bus pass then you can travel free on London's red buses free.
If you're a permanent resident in a London borough aged over 60, you can apply for a Freedom Pass for traveling around London. The Freedom Pass entitles you to free travel on London's public transport - Tube, buses, trains, Docklands Light Rail (DLR) and trams.
In addition to the freedom pass you can also buy a senior railcard (some local authorities offer these as an option instead of bus travel). This gives you 1/3 off travel after 09.30 on National Rail services. You can also get the card registered on an Oyster card which gives you 1/3 off all London off-peak single rail fares (inc tube and dlr) and the off-peak price caps. Note that in the evening peak you won't get a discount, but your travel will contribute to the off-peak cap.
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