Oyster card how does it work

For more information, visit the TfL website. Show your Visitor Oyster card at museums, theatres, restaurants, bars and more to receive exclusive discounts and complimentary food and drinks.

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? Report inappropriate content. Destination Expert for London. Re: Oystercard, how does it really work? Destination Expert for Thirassia, Fira. Ask a question. What would you do Christmas week?

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The Clermont, Victoria. 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. If you reside in London and are of pensionable age you can get a Freedom pass giving free travel. You can apply online or get a form from your local Post Office. Anybody with an English National Concessionary bus pass can use that on London's red buses too and travel free of charge. You have to ask a member of staff to load the concession onto a standard Oyster card note, not a Visitors Oyster card at an Underground Station after showing your Seniors Card.

If you have a railways Seniors Railcard you can also buy 1 day off-peak zone Travelcards at with the discount applied. A child is defined as under 16 years old, but in the last couple of years it has been possible to get child fares after jumping through a few hoops up to the age of If a child is between 11 and 15 years old you require an Oyster Photocard which has a fee see below.

This allows 11 to 15 year olds to travel at child fares on the Underground, DLR, Overground and some trains, free on the buses. If you are a short term visitor in London for up to 14 days with kids between you can take advantage of the Young Visitor Discount.

This means you can get half price fares on an Oyster Card on a temporary basis for your child without going through the hoops and expense of getting an Oyster ID card. You do need to read carefully the rules of this scheme though. Children under five can travel free at any time on the Tube, DLR, buses and trams as long as they are accompanied by an adult with a valid ticket. You do not need a ticket for free travel.

They can also travel free at any time on the Tube, DLR , Overground and any TfL train service when they are travelling with an adult who has a valid ticket.

Up to 4 children under 11 years old accompanied by a paying adult travel free. Travel on the national railways which operate suburban commuter trains in London only have free travel for those under 5. In the last year or so many train routes in London have switched from the railways to TfL Rail. Confusingly a few national railways routes where both rail and TfL rail operate on the same tracks children under 11 can travel free on the railways trains - this includes the popular route for visitors between Euston and Watford Junction for Harry Potter Studio Tour.

You do not need a ticket for free travel, just the ID Card. If you are a short-term visitor to London you can get child fares on a special child Oyster card that expires after 14 days.

There are restrictions. For full details of this scheme click through on the Child Fares banner, below. You can buy 7 day child Travelcards at railway stations not Underground or Overground with a railway ticket office. The railways will issue a railways photocard free of charge if you bring along a passport size photo of your child. Monday—Friday 6. If you travel into central London zone 1 from an outer zone, there is no afternoon peak rate. This is the maximum amount deducted from your card for travel in one day.

From Monday 27 September , your Oyster card will automatically cap at the weekly Travelcard fare this is already available on a contactless cards. The cap starts on Monday and ends Sunday, so it mainly benefits Londoners or those working in London. For visitors, the best option is to add the cost of the daily cap to your card x the number of full days in London.

Add a little extra to cover any single journeys at the start or end of your trip if necessary. For example, to and from Heathrow airport. If there is money on your Oyster card at the end of your trip, you can get it back or keep it on your card for your next visit it never expires. Oyster cards are available from the following places. At most places, You can top up your card as well.