Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Facebook Instagram
    Plantrip London – Things to do in London
    ATTRACTIONS MUSICALS
    • Visit London
      1. Things to do in London
      2. Transport in London
      3. Accommodation
      4. Save Money
      5. Where to Eat
      6. Discover London
      7. Events in London
      8. Best Day Trips from London
      Featured

      Top 15 London Markets

      Recent

      Top 15 London Markets

      Best Musicals in London in 2022

      Changing of the Guard in London

    • Attractions
      1. Top Attractions
      2. Top Musicals
      3. London Markets
      4. London Museums
      5. Changing of the Guard
      6. Harry Potter Studios
      7. Sightseeing Bus Tour
      8. Sightseeing Passes
      9. Tours in London
      Featured

      Top London attractions: The Must-Sees!

      Recent

      Visiting the Crown Jewels at Tower of London

      The View from The Shard: Floor 72

      London Eye

    • Plan your trip
      1. London Walking Itineraries
      2. Plan London Trip
      3. Maps of London
      4. View All

      London Pass Itineraries

      London Itinerary 1: From Buckingham Palace to Covent Garden

      London Itinerary 2: Oxford Street, Hyde Park and Knightsbridge

      London Itinerary 3: St Paul´s Cathedral, Tower of London and Southbank

      London in One Day

      London in Two Days

      London in Three Days

      London in Four Days

      Map: London’s Airports

      Map: London Underground

      Map: London’s Top Markets

      Map: Shopping in London

      London in One Day

      London in Two Days

      London in Three Days

      London in Four Days

    • London with kids
    Plantrip London – Things to do in London
    Home»Transport in London»Oyster card or Travelcard in London: How to choose
    Transport in London Travelling in London

    Oyster card or Travelcard in London: How to choose

    Updated:25/03/20227 Mins Read
    Oyster card or Travelcard London
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email WhatsApp

    When planning a trip to London you might have to choose between oyster card or travelcard if you are going to be using London’s public transport system, as single tickets are simply not recommended as they work out a lot more expensive.

    Contents hide
    1 London Oyster card or Travelcard
    1.1 London Oyster Card: What is it
    1.2 London Travelcard
    2 How to choose between Oyster Card or Travelcard
    2.1 > Number of days
    2.2 > Travel zones
    3 Oyster Card Daily Capping: Something to keep in mind when choosing between Oyster Card or Travelcard
    3.1 2019 Fares Comparison: Daily Oyster Card Cap – 1 Day Travelcard – 7 Day Travelcard.
    3.2 What’s cheaper according to number of days and travel zones taking into account 2019 fares.
    3.3 What you should never do if you land at Heathrow Airport
    4 Transport passes for children in London
    5 Find out more

    However, choosing one or the other may seem a little complicated, so we are going to explain the main differences and hopefully help you make that decision.

    London Oyster card or Travelcard

    Both card are to be used by one person only, so remember that each person needs their own card and that they cannot be used for several people to pay for the same journey.

    London Oyster Card: What is it

    The London Oyster Card is a pay as you go plastic card, the size of a credit card. In order to get one you need to pay a £5 deposit, and you can top it up as many times you need and use it again and again. It’s valid for travel on the Underground, overground, DLR (docklands light rail), TFL rail, Emirates airline, and some trains. It’s also valid for travel within any of London’s Travel Zones, so you don’t need to choose what zones you will need it for when buying one. Every time you use it the fare will be calculated depending on the travel zones that you have travelled to and from, and the time of the day you have made the journey (peak / off-peak). You can also return the oyster card and get your £5 deposit back as well as any remaining balance after 48 hours of buying it.

    It is definitely 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 central 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 travel free.

    ⇒ Read More about London Oyster Card

    London Travelcard

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

    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 areas you have chosen.

    Generally speaking, a one day London travelcard is something I don’t normally recommend as the oyster card’s daily cap is cheaper than the one day travelcard. A 7 day travelcard is useful if you are going to use London’s public transport a lot (which doens’t need to be the case if you plan your trip well), if you are going to be travelling outside of zones 1 – 4 every day or if you go are going to spend more than 5 days in London.

    ⇒ Read more about the London Travelcard

    How to choose between Oyster Card or Travelcard

    In order to choose between oyster card or travelcard of London 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 day that you are going to be in London and the travel zones that you are going to travel to and from.

    > Number of days

    As a general rule, after comparing prices, I usually recommend a London Oyster Card if you are going to be in London less than 5 days. If you are staying in London more than 5 days then it’s probably worth getting a 7 day travelcard, but you will be able to see a price comparison chart in this article.

    > 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. But you also need to have in mind where your hotel is.

    ⇒ Read more about London Travel Zones

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

    I must mention that the oyster card has a daily cap, and once this daily cap has been reached for certain travel zones, you can travel 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 one day travelcard for 2018 costs £12.70. This is the price of the 1 day travel card for zone 1, zones 1-2, zones 1-3 and zones 1-4. The maximum daily cap when using an oyster in zones 1 and 2 of London is £6.80, £8.00 for zones 1-3 and £9.80 for zones 1-4. So, if you use an oyster card and travel in zones 1 and 2, once you have reached £6.80 you can travel free within zones 1 and 2.

    2019 Fares Comparison: Daily Oyster Card Cap – 1 Day Travelcard – 7 Day Travelcard.

    Travel Zones Daily Cap with Oyster Card 1 Day Travelcard 7 Day Travelcard
    1 – 2 £7.00 £13.10 £35.10
    1 – 3 £8.20 £13.10 £41.20
    1 – 4 £10.10 £13.10 £50.50
    1 – 5 £12.00 £18.60 peak / £13.10 off peak £60.00
    1 – 6 £12.80 £18.60 peak / £13.10 off peak £64.20
    Bus only (any zone) £4.50 £5.00 £21.20

    What’s cheaper according to number of days and travel zones taking into account 2019 fares.

    Zones 1 day 2 days 3 days 4 days 5 days 6 days 7 days
    1 – 2 Oyster Card Oyster Card Oyster Card Oyster Card Oyster Card 7 day Travelcard 7 day Travelcard
    1 – 3 Oyster Card Oyster Card Oyster Card Oyster Card Oyster Card 7 day Travelcard 7 day Travelcard
    1 – 4 Oyster Card Oyster Card Oyster Card Oyster Card Oyster Card or 7 Day Travelcard 7 day Travelcard 7 day Travelcard
    1 – 5 Oyster Card Oyster Card Oyster Card Oyster Card Oyster Card or 7 Day Travelcard 7 day Travelcard 7 day Travelcard
    1 – 6 Oyster Card Oyster Card Oyster Card Oyster Card Oyster Card 7 day Travelcard 7 day Travelcard 

    What you should never do if you land at Heathrow Airport

    If you arrive at Heathrow airport, and you are going to be in London for several days, we wouldn’t recommend that you buy a 7 day travelcard for zones 1 – 6 to use during your whole stay. I would recommend that you to buy an oyster card at Heathrow underground station, and add a zone 1-4 travelcard onto it (if you are going to be in London more than 5 days), but use it with pay as you go to get to central London on the first day and then again when you return to Heathrow airport. At Heathrow you will be able to return the oyster card at the ticket office and get your £5 deposit back plus any remaining pay as you go balance.

    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

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Email
    Previous ArticleLondon Travelcard
    Next Article London Travel Zones

    Related Posts

    Thames River Cruises in London

    London Airport Transfers

    Map: London Underground

    London Travel Zones

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    TOP THINGS TO DO…
    TOP LONDON MUSICALS
    SIGHTSEEING PASSES
    LONDON BUS TOURS
    HARRY POTTER IN LONDON
    LONDON ITINERARIES
    LONDON WITH KIDS
    WE RECOMMEND
    About Us
    Hello! plantriplondon.com is a travel blog about London where you are going to find the most important things that you need to know to plan a trip to London. Our blog includes info and advice about Things to do in London, Itineraries, Recommended Hotels in London, Places to visit in London with kids and more! If you have any questions, leave a comment and we will try to help you in less than 24 hours!

    THE LEGAL BIT
    Privacy policy and Use of cookies
    Recent Posts
    • Top 15 London Markets
    • 30 things to do in London with kids
    • Best Museums to visit in London with kids
    • Best Musicals in London in 2022
    • The Queen´s Platinum Jubilee Events in London
    • Changing of the Guard in London
    • Trooping The Colour
    MOST RECOMMENDED
    Harry Potter Studios in London

    Best Musicals in London

    Visit London with Kids

    Visit the London Eye

    Best Sightseeing Bus Tours in London

    Things to do in London

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.