However, TfL has no plans phase the Oyster card out.
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However, there are no plans to stop offering an Oyster option, according to TfL's head of customer payments Mike Tuckett, who joined the ticketing team just after the contract to deliver the technology for the Oyster card was signed in 1998.
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.
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).
Advantages of ContactlessDoesn't need to be charged up: One of the main problems with Oyster is that it's a preload system, so you need to have credit on the card in order to use it. You can set it up to automatically reload itself, but if you're a visitor to London this extra hassle might not be worth it.
If you feel the need to have it attached to your person rather than in your pocket, then in stationer's such as WH Smith, Ryman etc you can buy an inexpensive lanyard with a plastic pouch. The Oyster card will fit inside the pouch and then there's no need to punch any holes.
60+ London Oyster photocardThis allows you to travel for free on most public transport in London. You can apply from two weeks before your 60th birthday.
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.
There is no price difference between the Oyster card and contactless card. 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).
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).
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.
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.