Oyster vs contactless: which is cheaper for London transport

Contactless and Oyster share the same adult daily and weekly caps in London. TfL applies them whichever one you touch in with. The difference lies in the extras. A contactless bank card or phone saves you buying an Oyster card. An Oyster card, on the other hand, can have a National Railcard discount added to it.

How pay as you go works in London

Pay as you go charges you only for the journeys you make. There is no ticket to buy first. Touch in on the yellow card reader when you start a journey and touch out when you finish, and the right fare is charged. On buses and trams you only touch in.

According to TfL, pay as you go works out cheaper than a paper single or return, though train companies sometimes run special offers on particular routes. You can use it on:

• Buses
• The Tube
• Trams
• The DLR
• London Overground and most of the Elizabeth line
• The London Cable Car and Thames Clippers River Bus services
• Most National Rail services within Zones 1 to 9, plus some beyond Zone 9

Daily cap and weekly cap: what you will pay

In Zones 1 to 9, caps put a ceiling on what you pay however many journeys you make. A daily cap covers journeys that start from 4.30am until 4.29am the following morning. A weekly cap covers a fixed Monday to Sunday period and applies to adult pay as you go fares, whether you use contactless or Oyster.

These are the adult caps on the Tube and other rail services:

• Zone 1 only: £8.90 a day, £44.70 a week
• Zones 1 to 3: £10.50 a day, £52.50 a week
• Zones 1 to 4: £12.80 a day, £64.20 a week
• Zones 1 to 5: £15.30 a day, £76.40 a week
• Zones 1 to 6: £16.30 a day, £81.60 a week

If you only use buses and trams, an adult fare is £1.75. The daily cap is £5.25 and the weekly cap is £24.70.

Once you hit a cap, further trips inside those zones are free. A trip beyond them costs the difference, and your cap then rises to cover the wider area. You still need to touch in and out as normal. Travel that includes Zones 7 to 9 has separate peak and off-peak daily caps, and for Zones 1 to 7 the off-peak cap is cheaper.

TfL settles daily caps at 4.29am the next morning. Weekly caps are settled once Sunday’s travel day is over. Give it 48 hours before checking your journey history. On Oyster, any adjustment or refund is added to the card when you next touch in.

Using contactless or your phone

Any bank card with the contactless symbol can be used. Phones and watches work too, through these services:

• Apple Pay
• Google Pay
• Samsung Pay
• Garmin Pay
• Fitbit Pay
• bPay
• Barclaycard Contactless Mobile

Caps only work if you stick to one card or device. Use your phone for the morning trip and a bank card for the evening one, and those fares will not count towards the same daily cap. The same applies to a weekly cap split across different days.

Hold your phone clear of other cards at the reader to avoid card clash. Keep the battery charged, because a flat phone can leave you with a maximum fare or a penalty fare. Many cards issued outside the UK work, although your bank may add overseas charges. TfL says this can still come out cheaper than buying an Oyster card. To pay for a companion, touch them through on a separate card or device. Register your card in a contactless and Oyster account, since an unregistered card is not eligible for refunds.

Using an Oyster card

An Oyster card costs £10.50. For cards bought on or after 4 September 2022, that fee is not refundable. You can pick one up:

• At all Tube stations
• At most London Overground and Elizabeth line stations
• At Oyster Ticket Stops in newsagents
• At Visitor Centres
• Online, if you live in the UK

Top it up in the free TfL Go app or at ticket machines.

An Oyster card covers one person per journey. If it holds only pay as you go credit, you can lend it to someone else. Once a Travelcard or Bus & Tram Pass has been added, you cannot. The same goes for a card carrying a discount. Register the card if you want refunds, or a replacement if you lose it. Visitor Oyster cards cannot be registered. Oyster does not work at the Elizabeth line stations from Reading to Iver.

Railcard discounts need an Oyster card

Holders of a Senior, Veterans or HM Forces Railcard can link it to an Oyster card, and so can holders of the 16-25 and 26-30 Railcards. Each one takes a third off off-peak pay as you go fares.

A Disabled Persons Railcard added to an Oyster card gives a third off peak and off-peak fares alike. Ask staff at a Tube station or an Oyster Ticket Stop to add the discount, and bring your Railcard to show them. Some London Overground and Elizabeth line stations can do it too. After renewing your Railcard, you have to add the discount again.

When a 7 Day Travelcard is better value

TfL says the Monday to Sunday cap never costs more than a 7 Day Travelcard, and it usually works out better value, because you pay only for the days you travel. A 7 Day Travelcard always costs the same as five days of travel, used or not. The exception is a week that starts late, such as Thursday to Wednesday. There are too few days before Sunday to reach the weekly cap, so the Travelcard may come out cheaper. For several rail journeys in one day, or rail mixed with buses and trams, the daily cap beats a Zones 1 to 9 Day Travelcard.

Sources

Facts in this guide were checked against these official pages on 21 September 2026. Fares, times and rules can change, so check them before you travel.

• Pay as you go (tfl.gov.uk)
• Pay as you go (tfl.gov.uk)
• Fare capping (tfl.gov.uk)
• National Railcard discounts (tfl.gov.uk)
• Where to buy tickets and Oyster (tfl.gov.uk)