What is Oyster card good for?

Oyster cards You can pay as you go to travel on bus, Tube, tram, DLR, London Overground, most Elizabeth line, IFS Cloud Cable Car and Thames Clippers River Bus services. You can also travel on most National Rail services in London and some outside London. You can also add: Travelcard.



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It's more than 50% cheaper than buying a paper Travelcard or single tickets with cash. Oyster cards have a daily price cap – once you reach this limit, you won't pay for any additional journeys (excluding Thames Clippers River Bus where there is no capping).

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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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The cheapest ways to get around London include walking, getting an Oyster card, avoiding travel at peak hours, cycling, taking the bus for long-distance, cruising the Thames Clipper, and taking the Docklands Light Railway (DLR).

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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'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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About a quarter of contactless payments are now made using either Apple or Google Pay, a figure that is ticking up all the time. In contrast, only 5.7m of the tens of millions of Oyster cards in circulation are still active. And as for paper tickets, in the past month just 1.7% of passengers bought them.

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A card with a negative balance may only be reused once it is topped up. The Oyster card deposit has been there specifically to prevent customers having an incentive to discard cards with a negative balance.

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You can't use Oyster on the following rail services on any journey starting or finishing outside the Pay as you go area: East Midlands Trains, Grand Central, Hull Trains, Virgin Trains, or London North Eastern Railway services.

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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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Top 10 Cheapest places to live in London with the Best quality of life – 2023
  1. Barking and Dagenham. Ideal for local shopping. ...
  2. Bexley. Best for green spaces. ...
  3. Croydon. Best for easy access to the city centre. ...
  4. Sutton. Best for education. ...
  5. Newham. Best for young professionals. ...
  6. Havering. ...
  7. Greenwich. ...
  8. Hounslow.


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Book 12+ weeks ahead for the cheapest fares To ensure a bargain, the key is to start looking for tickets about 12 weeks before you want to travel. Network Rail must – usually – have the timetable set 12 weeks in advance. So train operators commonly release cheap advance tickets shortly after.

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Bus from London City Airport The bus is definitely the cheapest option, but might not be the most convenient from London City Airport depending on your destination. Cost: A ticket costs £1.50. Journeys cannot be paid in cash, you must have a contactless card or an Oyster card.

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