As a general rule a Travelcard is more expensive than an Oyster card or Contactless payment card. The exception is if you make 3 or more journeys for 6 days or more within a 7 day period. In this case a 7 day Travelcard works out cheaper than an Oyster or Contactless payment card.
If you stay in London for 6–7 days and use the underground, trains, and buses every day, the weekly Travelcard is the most cost-effective travel pass. The one-week pass including central London (zones 1-2) is £40.70. It's valid for travel at anytime; there is no peak or off-peak rate.
1. Get an Oyster card. As you move around London you will spot locals tapping something against a yellow card reader at the underground turnstiles, on buses, trams, and even on the Thames Clipper Uber boat. This is an Oyster card, and it is an incredible 50% cheaper than buying single tickets or a paper travelcard.
A Visitor Oyster card is a quick and easy way to pay for travel on public transport in London. Buy your card before you leave home and save money with special offers.
The Visitor Oyster Card is a contactless smartcard that carries credit which you can use to pay for journeys on all public transport on the Transport for London (TfL) network. It is valid in all travel zones and automatically calculates the cheapest total fare for all the journeys you make in a single day.
Having carefully considered an equality impact assessment, and stakeholder feedback, I confirmed on Wednesday 18 January 2023 that the temporary travel time restrictions on 60+ Oyster and Older Person's Freedom Passes would become permanent. No changes will apply to holders of the Disabled Persons Freedom Pass.
Within London, all London Underground, National Rail, London Overground, TfL Rail and Docklands Light Railway stations are assigned to six fare zones. Fare zone 1 covers the central area and fare zones 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 form concentric rings around it.
Is it cheaper to use Oyster or contactless? As both cards use the same Pay As You Go system and are compatible with the TfL Oyster & Contactless app, the costs are comparable. As a tourist in London, it can be worth getting an Oyster Card as part of the London Pass.
A Visitor Oyster card* is one of the cheapest ways to pay for single journeys on the bus, Tube, DLR, tram, Uber Boat by Thames Clippers river bus service, London Overground, TfL Rail and most National Rail services in London.
Buying your Weekly Season Ticket for the first time? Make sure you have a Photocard to use as proof of ID. If you don't have a Photocard, you can either request one free of charge from us by filling in this form or take a passport-sized photo to your local ticket office and they'll make you one for free.