Contactless Payments, Oyster card or Travelcard in London: How to choose

One of the questions friends and relatives ask us most often is how they should pay for public transport: contactless, Oyster or a Travelcard.

For most visitors, the important thing is not to overcomplicate it. Contactless and Oyster both use pay-as-you-go fares and daily capping, while a Travelcard can still make sense in some situations. In this guide we explain the differences in plain English and the option we would usually consider for different types of trip.

London Oyster card, Travelcard or Contactless payment

Each traveller needs their own Oyster card, contactless card or contactless device, including on buses. The main exception is that up to four children under 11 can travel free with a fare-paying adult on the Tube, DLR, London Overground, Elizabeth line and some National Rail services.

London Oyster Card: What is it

The London Oyster card is a reusable pay-as-you-go plastic card. A new card costs £10.50, after which you add credit as needed. It can be used on the Underground, London Overground, DLR, Elizabeth line, buses, trams and most National Rail services in London, as well as selected airport and river services. The fare depends on the zones travelled and whether the journey is at a peak or off-peak time.

It is the best option if you are visiting London and going to use London’s public transport a few times a day, for example, if you need to travel to get to central London from your hotel, then to get to a different place in London and then back to the hotel.

With an oyster card, you will pay for each journey you make, and there is a maximum daily cap. Once you have reached this daily cap, you will not get charged any more for extra journeys.

⇒ Read More about London Oyster Card

Contactless Payment on London Transport

Contactless is now one of the simplest ways for visitors to pay for London transport. It uses the same adult pay-as-you-go fares and daily and weekly caps as Oyster, and avoids the £10.50 Oyster card fee. Use the same physical card or device throughout: a phone and the physical card linked to it are treated as different payment methods for capping.

A few things to keep in mind if you are travelling to London from abroad are transaction fees and exchange rates. But in this case, you’ll find that nowadays, cards such as Revolut have made travelling much easier.

⇒ Read more about contactless payments on London Transport

London Travelcard

The London travelcard entitles you to unlimited travel for a set number of days within the London Travel Zones chosen.

This card that can be purchased for 1 day, 1 week, 1 month or 1 year, and with it, you have unlimited travel for the London transport zones you have chosen.

A one-day Travelcard usually costs more than the equivalent Oyster or contactless daily cap. A 7 Day Travelcard can still be useful when you need seven consecutive days across chosen zones and those days cross two Monday-to-Sunday pay-as-you-go cap periods. Compare your dates, zones and likely journeys rather than choosing solely by the length of the trip.

⇒ Read more about the London Travelcard

How to choose between Oyster Card, Contactless or Travelcard

To choose between an oyster card or travelcard to save as much money as possible when planning a trip to London, there are two things that we must take into account: The number of days that you are going to be in London and the travel zones that you are going to travel to and from:

Number of days

For most short visits, Oyster or contactless pay as you go is the simplest starting point. For a longer visit, remember that Oyster and contactless weekly caps run from Monday to Sunday, whereas a 7 Day Travelcard covers seven consecutive days from its start date. This calendar difference, together with the zones and number of journeys, determines which option is better value.

Travel zones

If you are buying a travelcard, you need to know what zones you’ll be using. London’s most popular attractions are mostly in zone 1. Some tourist attractions can be found in zone 2, such as Camden Town Market. You also need to consider which zone your hotel is in.

⇒ Read more about London Travel Zones

Oyster Card Daily Capping: Something to keep in mind when choosing between Oyster Card, Contactless or Travelcard

It is also worth remembering that Oyster and contactless have daily caps, and once this daily cap has been reached for certain travel zones, you can travel for free within the same travel zones. You still need to use your oyster card as you normally would, but you won’t be charged.

The cheapest adult one-day Travelcard costs £16.60. For comparison, the 2026 adult pay-as-you-go daily caps are £8.90 for Zones 1–2, £10.50 for Zones 1–3 and £12.80 for Zones 1–4. You must continue touching in and out as normal after reaching a cap.

2026 Fares Comparison: Daily Oyster Card Cap – 1 Day Travelcard – 7 Day Travelcard.

How your travel dates affect the choice

Oyster and contactless weekly caps are calculated from Monday to Sunday. A 7 Day Travelcard covers seven consecutive days from the day it starts. If your stay runs from Thursday to Wednesday, for example, your pay-as-you-go journeys fall into two separate weekly cap periods, so a 7 Day Travelcard may work out differently. If you travel less than expected, pay as you go can still cost less because you only pay for the journeys you make.

Arriving at Heathrow Airport

Do not buy a Zones 1–6 Travelcard automatically just because Heathrow is in Zone 6. You can use Oyster or contactless pay as you go for the airport journey, then use the ticket or cap that covers the zones you actually need in London. A Travelcard must include Zone 6 if you intend to use it for the Tube or Elizabeth line journey to or from Heathrow.

Transport passes for children in London

Children under the age of 11 travel free within London travel zones. Children over 11 can also benefit from reduced fares; you can find out more about this in our article: Travelling in London with kids.

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.