Oyster Card
Planning a trip to London? Get a Visitor Oyster Card!
A Visitor Oyster card is a smartcard you can use to pay for travel on London’s public transport. It’s quick, easy and:
- Holds pay as you go credit, which is cheaper than buying a paper single ticket.
- Accepted on Transport for London Services.
- It offers daily capping, which allows you to travel as much as you like in a single day and limits the amount you pay.
- Is great for children aged 11 to 15. They can have a Young Visitor discount added to the card which allows them to travel a half adult rate. Find out more about travelling with children.
Remember to tap your card at the ticket barrier at the start and end of your journey to pay the correct fare!
How to get your Oyster Card
You can get an Oyster Card:
- Online with a contactless and Oyster account, if you live in the UK.
- At Oyster Ticket Stops in many newsagents in London.
- At all Tube, London Overground and most TfL Rail stations.
- Some DLR stations.
- At Visitor Centres.
Find out more about Visitor Oyster cards.
Travel around London with contactless
If you’re visiting London and have a contactless payment card, you may be able to use it to pay for travel. Look out for the contactless symbol on the front of your card.
A contactless payment card is a debit, credit, charge or pre-paid card which can be used to make secure payments: It’s quick and saves you time because you don’t need to put credit on a card.
You can also use Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay on all TFL services. Just tap and be on your way!
However, if you’re using an overseas bank, you may be charged a transaction fee. Therefore, it might be cheaper to get an Oyster Card instead. Find out more about contactless payment cards since some cards will not work.
If you don’t have a contactless payment card, you can pay for your travel with:
You can also put Travelcards on an Oyster card or buy other paper tickets to travel. If you’re going to be visiting London with children on a frequent basis, it may be worth applying for a Zip Oyster card for your child.
For further details see the TfL Site.