Can I use Oyster card to buy train tickets?

Oyster is a smartcard from Transport for London (TfL) which can hold Pay As You Go (PAYG) credit, Travelcards and Bus & Tram Pass season tickets. You can use Oyster on all of our trains for journeys that start and finish in the London Travelcard area.



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You can add money to an Oyster card or use contactless (card or device) straight away. You only pay for the journeys you make and it's cheaper than buying a paper single or return ticket (train companies may offer special deals on some journeys).

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Travelcards are a flat rate pass where you have unlimited rides for the time period purchased. Oyster / Contactless payment cards are charged on a per journey basis but has a daily maximum you can be charged.

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Cons: A £7 cost applies when you get a standard or visitor card. You'll need to top it up in advance of travel. You can't use an Oyster card at any station between Reading and Iver.

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If you have a Pay As You Go Oyster card, you can use it to travel on bus, Tube, tram, DLR, the IFS Cable Car, London Overground and National Rail services in London. You can also use it to travel on Thames Clippers River Bus services but these journeys do not count towards daily caps.

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It is significantly cheaper to travel in London using an Oyster card than it is to purchase individual tickets for each trip. The only reason you would want to just buy individual tickets is if you are only using public transportation once or twice during your stay.

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If you're visiting London for 3 days or less, the best option is to get the Oyster Card, as it's the most cost-effective system. For stays of over 4 days, we recommend getting the 7-day Travelcard, since it's cheaper than getting 7 x 24-hour travelcards.

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Pay as you go You don't have to work out the cost of your journey in advance. You can pay as you go using contactless (card or device), an Oyster card or a Visitor Oyster card. It also offers great value as pay as you go is cheaper than buying single tickets and you get daily and weekly capping.

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Peak fares - Monday to Friday (not on public holidays) between 06:30 and 09:30, and between 16:00 and 19:00. Off-peak fares - at all other times and if you travel from a station outside Zone 1 to a station in Zone 1 between 16:00 and 19:00, Monday to Friday.

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Any contactless payment card such as a debit card, credit card, or prepaid virtual card can be used to perform a contactless payment. The contactless payment is performed exactly the same way as with an Oyster card. Just tap the yellow card reader using a contactless card at the start and end of your journey.

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Never expires: You can stash your Oyster card for your next trip and, even if it is many years later, it will still work. All you need to do is top up when you're there and you're ready to go!

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However, if you plan on using public transport regularly in The London area, then an Oyster Card should be the better option for you. This is because you'll be eligible to get a Railcard (which can only be connected to Oyster cards, not contactless cards) and get consistent discounts off travel in the city.

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You can buy one using either cash or your credit/debit card. Although there are a few manned ticket offices in London, the likelihood is that you will buy an Oyster card from a ticket machine. You can also buy them in a few newsagents, which will clearly display a sign in their window.

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So no matter how many times you travel on public transport using your Oyster card in London's zones 1 and 2, you will never be charged more than £8.10 a day. As of September 2021, Oyster cards also have a weekly cap. This runs from Monday to Sunday, and means you will never pay more than the weekly cap for travel.

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