Anyone with a contactless debit or credit card can use it to pay for travel in London. It's ideal if you don't have or want an Oyster card.
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You can use a contactless payment card to pay for travel on bus, Tube, tram, DLR, London Overground and most National Rail services in London. You will be charged an adult-rate Pay As You Go fare each time you make a journey.
We accept American Express, Discover®, MasterCard®, VISA, Universal Air Travel Plan, Diners Club, JCB or China Union Pay credit and debit cards at ticketing locations. Amtrak ticket agents accept only valid, unexpired cards.
Pay as you goYou 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.
Missed Tap Off CostIf you don't have a default set on your card and you forget to tap off at the end of your trip, you'll be charged the fare to the last stop on the train line or bus route and with your fare type and any applicable loyalty discounts applied.
You can use a Visitor Oyster card, Oyster card or contactless payment cards on all London Overground trains and most National Rail services that operate in Zones 1 to 9. For contactless payment cards issued outside of the UK, check with your bank to see whether transaction fees or other charges apply.
London Overground rail fares cost the same as Underground prices on Oyster, as the service also uses the TfL zone price range, making managing your travel costs much easier. Peak times on the Overground are also the same, with prices rising between 06:30 and 09:30 am, with a reduced cost thereafter.
London OvergroundIt's in the name. As Tube lines travel underground, for at least a portion of the line, these wouldn't count either. The Overground consists of different railway services that were taken over by TfL in the 2000's.
You may be able to complete your journey, but your card will then be temporarily stopped and you won't be able to use it to make any further journeys until the outstanding amount is paid to TfL. However, you should still be able to use your card with other retailers.
Debit cards from any major US bank will work in any standard European bank's ATM (ideally, use a debit card with a Visa or MasterCard logo). As for credit cards, Visa and MasterCard are universal, American Express is less common, and Discover is unknown in Europe. Check your cards' expiration dates.