Oyster card what is it

You are not required to do so for weekly seasons or Pay As You Go but if your card is lost or stolen, registering will prevent its use by someone else and can protect any pre-pay value on the card. There is also an independent guide to Oyster, Oyster-Rail which includes examples of when to use Oyster. Want to know the latest information from London TravelWatch and be part of a growing online community of transport users? If so why not join our digital community?

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Only one person can travel with an Oyster card at any time. If 2 people are travelling together they need 2 Oyster cards. However another person can use your Oyster card when you are not travelling. No photo is required for an Oyster and your name is not stamped on the card. You can register the Oyster card if you want but that is entirely voluntary. For concessions, principally child fares, a separate Oyster Photo ID card is required see bottom of the page.

For short term visitors of less than 2 weeks, there is a facility called the Young Persons Discount that enables child fares for a short period without photo ID - see bottom of page. The most convenient place to buy Oyster cards for visitors are Underground stations, including Heathrow Airport. You can pay cash or credit card.

However there are no longer manned ticket offices at Underground and DLR stations, you have to buy from a ticket machine. If you prefer a human to serve you there are also many Oyster Ticket Stops all over London in neighbourhood stores, newsagents etc. If you feel nervous purchasing a public transport pass from a ticket machine after entering a strange country you can buy Visitor Oyster cards from Visit Britain see link below and have them delivered to your home address internationally.

See section above for differences between the Oysters bought in London and Visitor Oysters. The fare deducted is far cheaper than if you purchased tickets individually. You then top up the Oyster card with further amounts as required. A key point is that there is a daily price cap see section further down the page where however much you travel in a day your total outlay never goes above this price cap. You can buy Travelcards and electronically load them onto your Oyster but not 1 day Travelcards and you cannot load any Travelcard onto a Visitors Oyster card.

This gives you a fixed cost for unlimited travel for a set time period 7 days, 1 month or one year. If you travel less than 5 days in any 7 then the Oyster Pay as You Go option will almost certainly be cheaper. This way of combining Oyster cards and Travelcards is covered in more detail on our London Travelcard page.

To gain access to the trains of all types, and again to exit a station you have to pass through automatic barriers. There is always one wide ticket barrier for wheelchairs, pushchair's and people with large suitcases. You swipe the Oyster Card over a bright yellow pad, the barrier will check validity and then open the barrier.

This process is repeated at the destination and the fare is calculated and deducted from your Oyster. On buses you swipe the Oyster over the same yellow pad. That's it, you don't swipe again on exit. The London public transport system is divided up into zones that radiate from the centre. Nearly all the main hotel districts and the main sights of London are in Zone 1. For the vast majority of visitors you will only travel in the two most central zones 1 and 2, though many may make an odd trip to places like Heathrow Airport or the Harry Potter Film Studios in the outer zones.

Some stations like Turnham Green are in two zones, you use whichever zone for these stations is most beneficial in working out your fare. The fare you pay is set by which zones your departure and destination stations are in.

Your journey starts when you go through the ticket barrier of the station entrance you depart from and finishes when you pass through the ticket barrier at the exit of your destination. You cannot break a journey on a single fare - once you go though the exit barrier of a station that is journey completed. At London Underground and DLR interchange stations you do not normally go through a ticket barrier to switch train and your fare is calculated as one journey, the exit barrier at your ultimate destination being the end point of your journey.

At major railway stations like Victoria and Euston, where you may interchange between a commuter train and the London Underground, you will normally have to go through ticket barriers to make the interchange.

At these stations you are given a short time period minutes to make the interchange - have a coffee or take a longer break and you will be charged for 2 separate journeys. London's red buses do not have zones. With Oyster, a flat fee per bus journey is charged wherever and whenever you ride. Price caps are the maximum you will pay in a day, a price ceiling.

No matter how many individual trips you make in any 24 hour period between 4. This price cap spreads across all modes of transport, so if you mix bus, underground and DLR in one day the same price cap applies. All other travel is off-peak. Also the 7 day cap for contactless payment cards between Monday to Sunday - not available on Oyster. Peak: approx half of adult cap.

Every time you make a journey on London's public transport your Oyster card is charged a fare. Once you reach the daily cap see above in a day no more fares are deducted from your Oyster card. Children travel free if under 11 year old or are between 11 and 15 years with an Oyster Photocard. On services operated by the railways such as Gatwick trains for example, only children under 5 travel free, child rate fares are available with the appropriate age Oyster Zip card.

This in scope is the same as a 1 day off-peak Travelcard for zones and providing unlimited travel on all services after 9. The pricing is particularly attractive if you have kids in the group and those staying in one of the outer zones, however if you are staying in the centre of London zones 1 to 3 it will be cheaper to purchase individual Oyster cards. There are no seniors fares for visitors. Travel discounts and concessions are available, including kids who travel free in London.

Check the TfL sit for more about adult discounts and concessions or student and child discounts and concessions. London's public transport network is divided up into nine travel zones. Zone 1 is in Central London and zones 6 to 9 are on the outskirts of the city. Visitor Oyster cards and Oyster cards can also be used on the London Overground network, which is make up of six orbital lines mainly operating in London's outskirts.

Travel ticket prices vary depending on the transport service you use, the zone s you travel in, the day you travel and the time you travel. Peak travel is between am to 9. Travel is more expensive during these hours than it is during off-peak travel times all other times, including bank holidays. The cost of your journey will depend on how you travel, which day you travel, what time of day you travel and which zones you travel through.

Visitor Oyster card maximum daily cost for unlimited journeys for adults, after am Monday to Friday:. Day Travelcard paper ticket daily cost for unlimited journeys for adults, after am Monday to Friday:. Visit the TfL website for more information on fares. Still not sure which travel ticket you need to buy? Unclear on how to use your Visitor Oyster card? Buy Visitor Oyster. Follow the coronavirus guidance for London. COVID information. Whether you're making a one-off trip to London or you're a regular visitor, using an Oyster travel smartcard is the easiest way to travel around the city's public transport network.

Oyster cards are electronic smartcards that are used to pay for public transport in London. Visitor Oyster cards, Oyster cards and contactless payment cards are the cheapest way to travel in London.