London Travelcard

The London Travelcard is a transport pass which entitles you to unlimited travel on London’s public transport. You can use a travelcard to travel on the London Underground, overground, public buses, DLR (docklands light rail), the Elizabeth line and most National Rail trains, as long as you travel within London’s travel zones.

It is designed for people who plan to use London’s public transport frequently or who commute into London. Even with unlimited travel included, a Travelcard is not always the cheapest option, so compare it with Oyster or contactless pay-as-you-go caps.

London Travelcard: What do I need to know before I buy one?

3. Off-peak or Anytime

If you are buying a 1 day travelcard  (which we don’t normally recommend as an oyster card has a daily cap that is cheaper than a one day travelcard – see below) you will have to choose if you want it to travel anytime of the day, or just during off-peak times (Monday – Friday from 9.30 am; all day Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays).

This does not affect 1 day travelcards for zones 1 to 4, so if you are visiting London you probably don’t need to worry about this at all as you are unlikely to be travelling to zone 5, 6 or beyond.

Which Travelcard to buy if you are planning a trip to London

1 day Travelcard

The price of the 1 day London travelcard for zones 1, 1-2, 1-3 and 1-4 costs £16.60. We don’t normally recommend using the 1 day travelcard, as it is actually cheaper to use an oyster card, a visitor oyster card, or a contactless card as these payment methods have a daily cap. The daily cap applied to these zones are: £8.90 for travel within zones 1-2; £10.50 for zones 1-3 and £12.80 for zones 1-4. Once you have reached this daily cap you will be able to travel within the same travel zones for free. It is still necessary to tap in and tap out on the yellow reader with your oyster card, visitor oyster card or contactless card when using public transport.

Find out more about choosing between an oyster card, a travelcard or using contactless on London Transport here: Oyster card, Travelcard or Contactless.

7 day Travelcard

A 7 Day Travelcard for Zones 1–2 costs £44.70 in 2026 and covers seven consecutive days in those zones. Pay as you go on Oyster or contactless also has a £44.70 Zones 1–2 weekly cap, but that cap runs from Monday to Sunday. If your seven-day visit crosses two calendar weeks, a 7 Day Travelcard could work out differently; compare your actual travel days and zones. If you make fewer journeys, pay as you go may cost less. For both options, use one card or device per traveller and touch in and out where required.

Find out more about choosing between an oyster card, a travelcard or using contactless on London Transport here: Oyster card, Travelcard or Contactless.

Where to buy a London travelcard

A One Day Travelcard is issued as a paper ticket. Travelcards for 7 days or longer must be loaded onto an Oyster card or an eligible train-company smartcard. Where sold, Day Travelcards can be bought from station ticket machines or ticket offices. You can also buy an eligible London Day Travelcard online and have it delivered before you travel; check zones, dates, delivery time and charges.

Buying a London Travelcard at an underground station

You can buy a paper Day Travelcard from a Tube station ticket machine where this ticket is sold. A 7 Day, monthly or annual Travelcard is stored on an Oyster card rather than issued as an ordinary paper ticket. You can also add pay-as-you-go credit to the same Oyster card for journeys beyond the Travelcard’s zones.

For example, a 7 Day Travelcard for Zones 1–4 provides unlimited journeys in those zones for seven consecutive days. If you make an occasional journey into Zone 6, you can use pay-as-you-go credit on the same Oyster card for the part outside your Travelcard. This can be useful when Heathrow is your only Zone 6 journey: compare a Zones 1–4 Travelcard plus pay as you go for the airport with the price of a Zones 1–6 Travelcard.

Buying a London Travelcard at a train station

National Rail stations within London’s Travel Zones may sell paper Day Travelcards and rail tickets that include a Day Travelcard. Travelcards for 7 days or longer are stored on Oyster or an eligible train-company smartcard, so check what the station can issue before travelling there specifically to buy one.

Stansted, Luton or Gatwick airports are all outside London’s Travel Zones so these stations won’t normally sell London travelcards.

London Travelcard Fares from March 2026

Travelcard for children

Up to four children under 11 can travel free with one fare-paying adult on London buses, the Tube, DLR, London Overground, the Elizabeth line and some National Rail services. Children aged 11–15 need the appropriate child ticket or Oyster discount. See our detailed guide to travelling in London with kids before choosing a child Travelcard.

Find out more

For more information, visit London’s official transport website: Transport For London

Alberto & Amy

Hi, we are Alberto and Amy, the London locals behind PlanTrip London. We’ve lived in London since 2010 and have spent every year since exploring the city, from its famous landmarks to the markets, pubs, parks and hidden corners most visitors never find. Over the years we became the go-to trip planners for friends and family visiting London, so we created this site to share the same first-hand, tried-and-tested advice with you. Every itinerary, tip and recommendation here comes from our own experience with our two children, so you can plan a London trip that’s easier, better value and far more memorable.