Is it better to pay by card or Oyster card?

A contactless visitor Oyster card is excellent for pay as you go travel as fares are capped. This means this may cost less than a physical ticket. However, a standard contactless card will offer the same benefits. However, the visitor Oyster card is perhaps best used by tourists from foreign countries.



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There is no price difference between the Oyster card and contactless card. What is this? Every time you travel on London's public transport, your contactless payment card is charged the same fare as your Oyster, including cap prices (the maximum amount you'll pay daily and weekly to travel throughout London).

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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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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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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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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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Great value. Pay as you go fares are cheaper than buying a paper single ticket or Day Travelcard. Your Visitor Oyster card offers daily capping. This means you can travel as much as you like in a single day and the amount you pay for your travel is limited (or capped).

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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.

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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.

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Partly because Oyster Cards are older, so some people simply prefer what they've been using longer. Partly because season tickets can be loaded onto Oyster Cards but can't be loaded onto contactless debit cards. Partly because if yo lose your Oyster Card you only lose what's on it and not your debit card (or phone).

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Oyster used to be the go-to way of paying for travel around London, but 66 million of the blue plastic cards haven't been used in at least a year. And while they languish forgotten in drawers, bags and wallets, Transport for London (TfL) has amassed a fortune in unclaimed balances and deposits - now worth almost £400m.

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Oyster fares and caps are the same whether you use a standard Oyster or a Visitor Oyster, a common misconception. Visitor Oyster cards you pay an activation fee (£5 in 2023) which is non-refundable. If you buy a standard Oyster card in London or online after 4 September 2022 you now have to pay £7 for the card.

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