This is a selection of the most common FAQs. For further information, please click on the grey box on the right hand side.
Should I get a London Travelcard or Oyster card?
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The Visitor Oyster Card is a contactless smartcard that carries credit which you can use to pay for journeys on all public transport on the Transport for London (TfL) network. It is valid in all travel zones and automatically calculates the cheapest total fare for all the journeys you make in a single day.
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The Travelcard is a paper London travel pass which is valid for either a single day or seven days, and is available for certain combinations of travel zones. It is also valid on all public transport on the TfL network.
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Whether you should get the Travelcard or Oyster card depends on how long you’re staying in London and how frequently you’ll be using public transport.
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If you are in London for a week and plan to use only the central London Travelcard zones on a daily basis then a 7 day Travelcard might be the most cost-effective option. If you plan to stay in London for a shorter time or want to travel to the outskirts of the city, the pay-as-you-go Oyster card cost might be cheaper.
How much does it cost to travel with an Oyster card?
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Visitor Oyster cards deduct credit every time you make a journey. After you make several journeys in one day, you will reach a daily limit, and the rest of the journeys on that day will be free.
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Different journeys cost different amounts, depending on which zones you travel in and what time of day you travel. Daily limits ('caps') also vary according to these factors
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Travelling in peak times is more expensive than travelling off-peak. See a chart of all the journey prices here
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Peak times are Monday to Friday, 6.30am - 9.30am and 4pm - 7pm. All other times are off-peak.
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Travelling through more zones is more expensive. To check which zones the areas you want to visit are in, see the full map of the London transport network
How does the zones system work in London?
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London's public transport network covers both the centre of London and the wider surrounding areas of Greater London. The network is split into 9 different zones, named Zone 1 to Zone 9.
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The centre of London, including most major attractions, is in Zones 1-2.
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Most suburban areas of London, and famous sights including Wembley Stadium and Wimbledon Tennis Club, are within Zones 1-4.
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Almost the whole of London, including Heathrow airport and London City airport, are in Zones 1-6.
Can families or groups all use the same Oyster card?
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No, each person must have their own Oyster Card, except under 11s who travel free with a paying adult.
What are the different Oyster card prices?
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Visitor Oyster cards from us cost from £15 to £55.
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This price includes a £5 activation fee, and the rest is credit that is pre-loaded onto your card. So if you buy a card for £55, for example, your card will have £50 credit on it.
How do I get an Oyster card? Can I buy an Oyster card online?
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Buy your Oyster card from the VisitBritain Shop and it will be mailed to you at your home address, fully activated and ready to use for when you arrive in London.
Can I travel with an Oyster card to Heathrow Airport?
- You can now use your Visitor Oyster card to pay for Heathrow Express or TfL Rail journeys simply by touching in and out using the card readers on newly installed ticket gates at London Paddington and Heathrow Airport.
- Adult pay as you go with a Visitor Oyster card on TfL Rail costs the same as a Peak or Off-Peak Single (£10.50 and £10.10 respectively)
- Travel on Heathrow Express costs the same as a Peak or Off-Peak Express Single (£25 and £22 respectively); please note that Heathrow Express fares are charged separately and do not count towards daily capping.
- Please note that paper Travelcards are not valid on Heathrow Express.
How long does the Tube from Heathrow to London take, or from London to Heathrow?
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The journey time between Heathrow Airport and central London is around 45 – 50 minutes.
Can I travel with an Oyster card to Gatwick Airport?
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You can use your Visitor Oyster card to/from Gatwick Airport.
- A single journey on Southern and Thameslink train services to London terminals costs £15.10 (peak times) and £8.30 (off-peak times).
- A single journey on the Gatwick Express train, the fastest way to travel from Gatwick to central London or from central London to Gatwick, costs £19.90 with your Visitor Oyster card.
- You can also buy standard Gatwick Express tickets from VisitBritain shop
Can I use it for travel to Stansted Airport?
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No, as Stansted Airport is not connected to the Transport for London network.
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The fastest way to travel from Stansted to London or from London to Stansted is the Stansted Express train. Stansted Express tickets are available from the VisitBritain Shop.
Is it valid for trains to Luton Airport?
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No, as Luton Airport is not connected to the Transport for London network.
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The fastest way to travel from Luton to London or from London to Luton is by train. Luton to London train tickets are available from the VisitBritain Shop.
What if I run out of credit on my Visitor Oyster card?
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If you run out of credit, you can top up your card at any station or at thousands of shops throughout London. You can also make one bus journey without any credit. The cost of the journey will be deducted when you next top up your Oyster card.
Can I get a refund on my leftover credit?
There are three ways for you to obtain a refund on a Visitor Oyster card:
Refunds at Tube station ticket machines
- You can get up to £10 refunded from your Visitor Oyster card at Tube station ticket machines.
- Touch your card on the yellow card reader on the ticket machine, select 'Oyster refund' and follow the on-screen instructions (available in different languages). You’ll be shown the amount of the refund due, which will be paid back in cash dispensed from the ticket machine.
- Your Visitor Oyster Card will be cancelled. This means that you won’t be able to use it for future travel. You can still use the card to take advantage of the special offers and discounts available with the card.
Refunds at Visitor Centres
You can take your Visitor Oyster card to all London Visitor Centres except Gatwick, to get a refund on any remaining credit. This will be paid in cash or refunded to your debit/credit card. Your Visitor Oyster Card will be returned to you, but cancelled. This means that you won’t be able to use it for future travel. You can still use the card to take advantage of the special offers and discounts available with the card.
Refunds by post
To get a refund by post, you can send your Visitor Oyster card with a letter explaining why you’re returning it to:
TfL Customer Services
14 Pier Walk
4th Floor
London SE10 0ES
United Kingdom
If you provide a phone number or email address, we will contact you to arrange a bank transfer, otherwise your credit will be refunded by cheque in GBP. Your card will not be returned to you.