Should I buy an Oyster card ahead of time?

If you plan to stay in London for a couple of days and make two to four journeys a day, or want to travel to the outskirts of the city, then a Visitor Oyster card* may be the cheapest option. It is delivered to your home by post before you arrive in London, saving you time when you arrive.



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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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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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How much pay as you go credit should I get on my Visitor Oyster card? For a 2 day trip, we recommend that you get £15 pay as you go travel credit on your Visitor Oyster card for unlimited travel in central London (zones 1 and 2).

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Unlike Standard Oyster cards, Visitor Oyster cards are disposable and cannot be topped up. Another difference between the two cards is that Visitor Oyster cards come with a daily price cap, which means that you will only pay a certain amount per day, regardless of how many journeys you make.

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Only one person can travel with an Oyster card at any time. If 2 people are travelling together they need 2 Oyster cards. However another person can use your Oyster card when you are not travelling.

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You can't buy a Visitor Oyster card in London. Go to the Visitor Shop website to buy your card before you leave home and it will be delivered to your home address.

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You don't need a visitor Oyster card bought in advance, just a regular one, and you can obtain one from the self-service kiosks at any Tube (London Underground, what other cities would call the metro or subway) station. There will be staff around to assist you; don't hesitate to ask for help.

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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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An Oyster Card will also save you money compared to using a Bus & Tram Pass to ride the buses and trams, which don't accept individual tickets or cash any longer. Oyster cards also have a capping system, which can save you even more money.

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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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For a standard Oyster card, the £7 deposit is added to your card as credit a year after activation, so you should definitely hold onto it for a future trip to London. The credit is added automatically when you take a journey between a year and eighteen months after buying the card.

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How to travel cheap in London
  • Get an Oyster card. ...
  • Go contactless. ...
  • Know where you're travelling to. ...
  • Avoid travelling during peak hours. ...
  • Take the bus for long distances. ...
  • Take advantage of the Hopper fare. ...
  • Rent a bike when it's sunny. ...
  • Walk wherever possible.


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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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If you only have pay as you go credit on your Oyster card, you can lend it to someone else. Two people can't use the same contactless or Oyster card for a journey. If you have a Travelcard, Bus & Tram Pass or discount added to your Oyster card, you can't lend it to someone else.

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60+ London Oyster photocard This allows you to travel for free on most public transport in London. You can apply from two weeks before your 60th birthday.

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You can use your Oyster card to pay as you go at any time without providing your personal information to TfL. You can also add weekly and monthly season tickets to your Oyster card without needing to register your card or create an online account.

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