When not to use Oyster
Oyster is a very flexible, intelligent payment system that tries to ensure that you always only pay what you need to for the journeys you make in one day. Most of the time it works very well, but there are certain circumstances where a paper ticket (usually a day travelcard) is either cheaper or more appropriate. These are some of the times to consider leaving the Oyster at home:
- When exploring or roving around London. Oyster is designed for reasonably straightforward journeys, usually with a gap between each one. If you want to make lots of rail journeys one after the other, without doing something else between each one, especially if arriving at one station and leaving from another nearby, then a travelcard is probably a better bet. The reason is that many nearby stations are linked by out of station interchanges which will join your journeys together and cause you to exceed the maximum time allowed for a journey between two points because you went via somewhere a long way away. If you must use Oyster then consider touching into a bus between stations (and getting off straight away); that will break any OSI.
- When travelling as a family. An Oyster card is for individuals only, it cannot be linked with others to form a group. Therefore it is not possible to offer the discounts available with a Family and Friends Railcard when using Oyster. Most off peak and especially afternoon peak travel will be cheaper using the railcard and paper tickets. See also point 5 if travel includes zone 6.
- When travelling in a group. Off-peak day travelcards are available with large discounts if 10 or more people are travelling together.
- Afternoon Peak with Railcard. If you have a railcard attached to your Oyster card you will get discounted off-peak single fares and also a discounted off-peak cap. However, if you only plan to use trains in the afternoon peak and not enough to trigger the price cap, it may be cheaper to use your railcard and paper tickets instead. But remember that the cheaper zones 1-2 and 1-4 caps are fully discounted on Oyster with a railcard attached, while only the 1-6 and 1-9 paper travelcards can be discounted. A discounted 1-6 travelcard is still cheaper than a full price 1-2 or 1-4, but more expensive than the Oyster discounted equivalent.
- Afternoon Peak to/from zone 6. If you make a return journey where touch in for both legs is in the afternoon peak and you travel between zone 6 and another zone up to zone 2 then it may be cheaper to buy off-peak return tickets from the first station outside zone 6. For example, Dartford to Sidcup off-peak return is £3.80 compared to £2.00 oyster single each way from Crayford or Bexley to Sidcup. This doesn’t work for child tickets because the off-peak cap for children is only £1.40, but it does work with a family railcard. If travelling to zone 1 the travelcard becomes cheaper which is also the oyster cap.
There may be other instances where paper tickets are cheaper, but we haven’t found them yet! Remember that the ability to cap at the right rate for the zones used, or not to cap if you haven’t travelled enough, is the big advantage that Oyster has over day travelcards.
This page updated 19 January 2012.
61 Responses
I’m going London Bridge to Erith on a Sunday. I think it’s cheaper to get a ticket than use my Oyster. Do you know?
I would doubt it would be cheaper. Paper tickets cost £5.50 single, £10.80 return. Oyster PAYG is £3.20 each way. Even if you have a railcard which isn’t attached to your Oystercard the reduced paper tickets cost £3.65 single, £7.15 return.
If I am visiting London for a day and have no plan, but know I will be making a few short-ish journys, but spending perhaps 30 minutes at various points (sometimes longer). Maybe getting off at one station, then getting on at another maybe 1/4 of a mile away, would you say Oyster is worth it?
Hi Joey,
Yes, it probably is. What I would do is check the out of station interchanges page to see if any of the places where you might walk between stations are classed as an OSI. If any are then try to exceed the time allowed for the OSI if you want it to see two journeys. There are very few OSIs over 30 minutes anyway, usually going into a National Rail terminus where you have to wait on the concourse for your platform to be announced.
The sort of thing which will cause a problem is making lots of random journeys with very little gap between them and without touching out and in again between the journeys (basically roving around for the fun of it). As long as you touch out at the end of each journey and touch back in before starting the new one you will be fine.
Group travel. A group of 10 or more people can get Z1-6 off-peak day travelcards for £4 each.
Good point, thanks Thomas.
When starting your day’s journeys between 0000 and 0429 (and making a large enough number of them).
e.g. If you buy an off-peak paper one day travelcard dated for a Saturday, it is valid from 0000 on Saturday to 0429 on Sunday. The equivalent Oyster cap only applies from 0430 on Saturday to 0429 on Sunday, but is the same price.
I would like to know if I can combine a tram journey from Birkbeck to East Croydon with an overground rail journey to Gatwick airport, using my oyster card. Will this be price capped? I’m travelling on a week day at 8am. Thanks
Hi Carol,
Oyster only covers the route as far as Coulsdon South, so unfortunately you would not be able to use it for the rail journey. Also, tram journeys are treated like bus journeys on Oyster, so they cannot be combined with a train journey. The bus or tram fare will still count towards the cap though.
I want to travel with my wife and daughter on a weekday off peak from Watford Junc to Baker St and then to Charing Cross and return to Watford Junc. There will be gaps of over 30 mins. We both have Oyster card (not for child though) and also a family & friends travel card. Is paper or PAYG cheaper?
How do I attach my family & friends travel card to our Oyster cards? Thanks
Hi JN,
Unfortunately you cannot link a family and friends railcard to an Oyster card because the Oyster is only for a single person while the railcard is only valid with a group. It looks like paper tickets will be cheapest in this case. Two adults and one child off-peak day travelcards from Watford Junction cost £21.85 with the family railcard. Using Oyster, the adults cost £5 each, each way off-peak while a child paper off-peak day travelcard is £7.25 so a total of £27.25. However, if your child is under 11 then they can travel free on this route as long as they have a 5-10 Zip Oyster Card. The card costs £10 to get and is valid until the 11th birthday. See http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14554.aspx for further details.
Hi there
I’ve only recently discovered this site, and find it most interesting.
I have a specific question about child fares. I don’t live in London, but will be visiting later this month with my family, including a 7 year old. Now, you say above that children travel free with a 5-10 zip card, but according to the TFL site at http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14416.aspx (click on 5-10 tab) it says ree when with an adult (up to four children per adult) or when using a 5-10 Zip Oyster photocard . Specifically the OR in the middle of that sentence, which suggests to me they only need a zip if travelling alone. So as long as we stick to tube/bus/dlr, the child won’t need any sort of ticket (presumably gets carried through the ticket gates!)
It gets more complicated with National Rail, so for those days I think the best option is to buy paper travel cards using my network railcard (this will be weekend so the minimum fare will not apply)
Cheers
Alan
Yes, you are correct. Under 11s only need a zip Oyster card if travelling alone on TfL rail lines.
Hi, i’m coming to London as a visitor for 3 days doing the usual sights and shopping. I will probably be using the tube to get around quite alot each day, is it worth me getting an oyster card or a day travel card each day? If the journeys take 2/3 to catch up will i end up being out of credit on the last day then back within credit a few days later? hope this makes sense!!
Hi Joanne,
There is no delay recording journeys on your card, that is all instantaneous, as is adding more credit. An Oyster card is ideal for what you plan to do because I imagine there will be a reasonable gap between each tube journey. If you end up not making very many journeys on one day then you won’t get charged for a full travelcard with Oyster (ie 3 zone 1&2 tube journeys is £5.70 while the off-peak daily cap is £6.30). Remember not to start before 9.30am (M-F) or those journeys won’t count towards the off-peak cap.
The 2/3 day delay is for journeys to show up on the online journey history, although they are currently improving that so most journeys show up the next day now. However, you only get to see that if you’ve ordered top-up (or the actual Oyster card) online.
Hope that helps.
I got my Network card renewed yesterday and come across from LUL that it cannot be attached to my Oyster card as my last one.
I am living in Zone 5 and train is the main transportation for me to travel London centre. This means that I can’t get discount during off peak travel during weekday, and over weekend I have to buy day travel card instead of just day return fare pay via Oyster card.
There are few things I couldn’t get my head around. The LUL said Network card is not a photocard, the system cannot put it into the system. What about the card no then, can’t it be used? Other said Network card can’t be used on LUL system. How come Young Person Rail card is capable to do so, and how come Netowrk Card was working properly before and prior to my card expire, with all fares paid in accordance with the system?
I thought the main pupose of LUL to populate the Oyster card because it can reduces queuing issue and minimise paper ticket etc. The action of LUL about Network card now doesn’t seem in line with it original remit, and casuing a lot of inconvenience to people, in particular who is living outside of central London. My question, what is the point of extended the use of Oyster card to Zone 6 if this simply issue could not be achieved/resolved?
Hi Kevin,
If you managed to get your Network Card linked to your Oyster last time then you were extremely lucky. The problem with the Network Card is that there is a minimum fare Monday to Friday which is more than any off-peak Oyster fare, so it is useless on weekdays. The extra logic that would be needed to allow discounts at weekends only would put a strain on the time allowed to complete all the calculations when touching out. Therefore the Network Card has never been allowed to be linked to an Oyster Card.
The 16-25, Senior, Disabled, Forces and Gold Cards all have similar restrictions which more-or-less match the off-peak times for Oyster so they are allowed to be linked. National Rail (ATOC) are happy to allow the minor differences to exist.
Hi. Just found this great site.
I have a question about peak travel. I will be starting a new job soon and will be travelling from east croydon to Holborn. I am planning on getting the train to Farringdon, then tube to Holborn. Would it be cheaper to get a monthly rail card and pay for the tube journey with my oyster, or use the oyster for the whole journey?
Many thanks.
Hi Rico,
You may be able to get a season from Croydon to Zone 1 which would cover all your journey, or you might consider a travelcard for zones 5 to 1 which could be loaded on your Oyster. I wouldn’t recommend using Oyster PAYG for any part of regular commuting as season tickets will almost certainly be cheaper.
Slightly obscure scenario – a person with a disabled railcard loaded on their oyster card can get a paper off-peak travelcard for £3 for an accompanying adult.
http://www.disabledpersons-railcard.co.uk/buy-a-railcard/what-discounts-do-i-get#PAYG
I tried this at a National Rail station within the Oyster area and they said they could not do it, they could only give the accompanying person 1/3 off. Perhaps it has to be a LU station?
Hi Martin,
That is just wrong. Write to the customer relations department of the TOC who runs the station concerned and ask them why they couldn’t follow the published concession.
Brilliant resource Mike!
Right now I have been travelling around town a fair amount on buses today and already capped at 4.00.
I need to travel to Otford and back this evening. Return fare from Victoria £10.00 but is there any way I can use an oyster cap for the z1-6 portion of the journey? First stop is Bromley South, I believe.
To/from Victoria will cost me 1.90 each way, plus the 4.00 already spent means that any further z1-6 travel would cap me at £6.60. So paying in effect twice for a portion of the Victoria-Otford journey, be good to avoid it!
Thanks…
Hi Vik,
The zone 1-6 cap is £8. You can travel from Victoria as far as St Mary Cray within the zones, but for ease of not having to wait too long I suggest taking a fast train to Bromley South then buying the ticket to Otford from there.
Hope that helps
Thanks Mike. Yes I meant 8.00 for the cap!
If I touch in at VIC national rail and then don’t touch out ie am incomplete journey would that be a 4.40 penalty on top of the cap? Or does a max fare incomplete journey get included in the cap?
I like the idea of buying a Bromley S-Otford ticket but will u have to touch at BMS and hang around for the next train?
Yes, an incomplete journey does not count towards the cap, you will need to touch out at Bromley. The point being that there are fast trains to Bromley South so you can time it so you have enough time to buy the new ticket and not too much extra to wait. On the way back you’ll need to change again, but with the number of trains from Bromley South it shouldn’t be too long to wait.
If you must do Victoria to Otford in one go then you’ll need to buy a paper ticket for the whole journey.
Mike, thank you very much of your clarification.
I accepted the constrain of the Network Card. However, after all, isn’t it is just a set of formulae written in Java or VB within the programme that enable the constrains to be applied within an Oyster card?
This will not only to make the card holder (Oyster with Network Rail cards) life much easy, at the same time it is in fact paperless, in line with the purpose of Oyster card and would also help London to reduce its carbon footprint.
I actually agree with your arguements, Kevin. I wish the Network Card could be added to an Oyster card. I’m not technical enough to know how the programming works, but I do know that I have been told that there is a limit to the number of OSIs that can be programmed into the system. I’m guessing that that also relates to the time issue at touching. Maybe someone will come up with a better formula or algorithm at some stage and allow the use of Network cards at weekends.
Hello Mike,
I will be living near Clapham Junction for the next year and I will have to move probably on a daily basis to South Kensigton since I will be in Imperial College.
I am trying to find a combination that will get me fast to my destination as well as cheap. I was considering travelcards but I did not fully understand the concept. I think that using a Tube, DLR and overground travelcard I won’t be able to travel from Clapham Junction to Victoria since they are connected via Southern… And I don’t wanna end up buying a monthly travelcard for both Tube and National Rail…
A little bit of help would be greatly appreciated…
Hi George,
Cheapest way is to use Overground to West Brompton then District Line to South Kensington. As that is TfL only it costs £2.50 peak and £1.90 off-peak. Travelcards offer unlimited travel within zones on all modes of transport (bus, tram, rail [inc overground], tube, dlr). There isn’t a version which excludes other national rail anymore. 5 peak return trips is £25 whereas the zone 1-2 weekly travelcard is £27.60. If you’re going to want to make more than just 5 peak return trips then the travelcard is probably worth it.
Hope that helps.
This 27,60 pounds will only cover my Tube and overground travelling, right??
If I wanna use the southern train to Victoria and then the tube to South Kensington will I have to buy 2 travelcards or the Tube travelcard will be alright??
Thanks in advance Mike!
George,
There is no such thing as a Tube travelcard. A travelcard gives you unlimited travel within the zones purchased on tube, dlr, overground, national rail, bus (and tram if any of zones 3-6 is included). The £27.60 is for a zones 1-2 weekly travelcard and it is all you would need.
Hi there – great website! If you have the time I’d appreciate some advice please. Basically I use a Southern annual ticket from Purley to London Terminals. I also carry an Oyster PAYG for infrequent tube/bus/etc trips. The NR ticket is ~£1500.
I guess there’s no way I’m going to be able to ditch the paper ticket any time soon? Z1-6 travelcards look to be ~£500 more which is way more than I use currently on my PAYG.
Shame really because this year’s ticket seems more flimsy and loses its ink far quicker than previous years and touching is rather easier (especially for the sticky paper ticker reader at Purley!)
I guess the future isn’t quite here yet for NR users, and not likely to be any time soon if the blank look of the guy at Purley is anything to go by when I asked about loading an electronic season ticket onto my oyster…
Cheers,
Lane
Hi Lane,
Unfortunately you are correct. Oyster is designed for travelcards, not point-to-point seasons. If you only use it occasionally then I agree that a PAYG Oyster card is the best bet. Note that if your season ticket becomes faded or ceases to operate the barriers then you can get a free replacement at the station where you originally purchesed it.
I’m going to spend a few days in London next week, and was thinking of going, by train, from Gatwick (Gatwick Express?) to London Victoria, and from here to Epsom. I ask you what is the best (cheapest) alternative for a ticket. In the following two days, I’m thinking of visiting the most symbolic sights of London, so I thought about buying a travelcard (so I wouldn’t have to worry about the tickets). Do you advise me some ticket in particular?
Hi Hugo,
I wouldn’t advise the Gatwick Express if you are looking to save money. The Southern standard services only take 2-5 minutes longer and are cheaper. To further save money you can get a through ticket from Gatwick to Epsom not via London where you change at Clapham Junction.
For the following days I think a travlecard from Epsom to London zones 1-6 is probably the best option.
Thanks Mike – currently on my 5th paper season ticket since December! I’m sure they weren’t this flimsy in the past… Anyway, thanks for the info.
I’ve heard of worse than that. If the ticket needs to go through lots of barriers every day it can wear out in little more than a month. But if you can get away with showing it at a manual barrier most of the time then it can still last all year.
Hi again Mike,
Another question… Railcard holders pay full whack on Oyster PAYG between 4 and 7pm. Does this still apply if the daily price cap has already been hit? In other words, will my £5.30 cap for Z1-6 go up again, and if so, would I be better buying a paper travelcard when I arrive (I believe this would also be £5.30)?
After 0930, any travel counts towards the off-peak cap. If that is made using peak fares between 1600 and 1900 then it just means that the cap is reached quicker. If you’ve already capped then you’ll continue to travel for free unless you extend your zonal coverage, but even then it will still be the new reduced off-peak cap.
Hope this helps.
I currently use Oyster PAYG to travel to work from Honor Oak Park (Zone 3) to Charing Cross (Zone 1) around 4 – 5 days a week. Recently I have needed to travel to Egham on South West trains maybe once or twice a week. I have been buying a paper ticket from Waterloo (£7.90 single) as I’m usually travelling from Zone 1, but wondered whether there is a cheaper option for me? Would it be better to buy a weekly/monthly travel card on the oyster and then a ticket from Zone 3 to Egham? Is this possible? I’ve just found your site which is really helpful but have confused myself reading about the old OEPs?!
Your advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Hi Andy,
Firstly, everything about OEPs is dead, defunct, obsolete.
Egham is outside the travelcard zones, as you probably know, so you can’t use Oyster all the way. If you put a zone 1-3 travelcard on your Oyster then you can buy a boundary zone 3 to Egham ticket at Waterloo ticket office. They are £5.50 single, £6.80 off-peak return, £8.50 anytime return.
I know it will hardly break the bank but if you have a network railcard and travel to a national rail station inside zone 6 after 10am or on weekends it can work out cheaper on a paper ticket than PAYG, if you are making *only* the return journey.
South Acton – Twickenham is an example. In 2012 this will be approx 10% cheaper (35p).
Hiya, I have currently started a job in london and go to grays to the royal albert dlr, so I am using the National rail, Jubliee and also DLR. I have to get the train at 6 ish and finish at 4. I am confused on what would be cheaper… Oyster or a monthly ticket…? HELP! I have read many websites and still have no clue. I work monday to friday…
Hi Lou,
I must admit that I’m a little confused as well. The Oyster fare for your journey is £4.30 if touch in is between 0630-0930 or 1600-1900 and £3.60 at other times. These are the fares from Jan 2nd 2012. If you get a season ticket it would need to be on paper. I believe that you would need a Grays to London zones 3-6 ticket which is £46.10 for a week or £177.10 for a month. This means that the weekly ticket is never worthwhile, whereas the monthly ticket will just about be cheaper if you make two peak journeys a day 22 times in a month. But, if you can touch in before 0630 on the way in to work than you’ll be charged off-peak. Likewise, if there is any way you can touch in on the way home before 1600. So it looks like in your situation it will be cheaper to use Oyster PAYG.
Hope that helps.
i orded my oyster online how do i attach my railcard
Hi Jon,
Just take the railcard and your Oyster card to a tube station and ask at the ticket office. The large tube stations attached to NR terminals are probably the best options as they generally tend to know what they are doing. Check out my Railcard Discounts page for more information.
Hi Mike, thanks very much for the website. It’s a great resource.
My question is not strictly speaking about Oyster but thought I would give it a go anyway. I have recently bought an Annual Season Ticket (zones 1-5) and thinking of taking advantage of the Partner Card offer for my wife, primarily to purchase one-day travelcards at weekends. However, I note that the Partner Card or Network Railcard is not currently given as an option on TfL ticket machines. If we select the option for another railcard (e.g. a Gold Card) and purchased a discounted travelcard, would this travelcard be valid with the Partner Card? Or would we have to get the travelcard from the ticket office?
Many thanks, Steve
Hi Steve,
I have to say I’m not sure. There are some funny rules for buying discounted travelcards at tube stations. The best thing to do would be to ask at the ticket office next time you get one. As long as you only use it at weekends you aren’t defrauding anyone of revenue, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get into a conversation with someone who checks the tickets.
Can a ticket inspector see I have a senior railcard on my Oyster?
I ask because I travelled home at 4.15pm on National Rail having bought from a machine a single with railcard rather than use my PYG Oyster which for some bizarre reason is more expensive than a paper ticket for such an journey.
My actual railcard was at home along with my Freedom Pass which I had forgotten that day and I had only my Oyster card.
Hi Chris,
A ticket inspector can see that you have a national rail railcard and when it’s expiry date is. It doesn’t specify which card it is. You should not use the Oyster card without the relevant railcard unless you are sure that you will not receive any discount (basically buses, trams and peak train travel as long as the off-peak cap is not reached). The Oyster card would never be deemed to provide evidence of posessing a railcard.
Quick response. Thanks.
I guess if there is a next time I forget things I will just have to snarl and bear it!
It’s best to check you have your railcard before buying tickets from a machine. If you are stopped by an inspector you can be liable for a penalty fare as a discounted ticket without railcard is treated as no ticket at all.
Hi just wanted to know can I travel from Sidcup to dartford using my oyster because I got told it doesn’t work as far as dartford. Be great to get your response
Hi Danny,
At the moment the Oyster system does not extend as far as Dartford.
hi,
can i go to gatwick airport from central London by my oyster card or day travel card? or do i need to buy rail ticket at victoria or london bridge which is more expensive? many thanks.
Hi viet,
Gatwick Airport is outside the area covered by both Oyster and normal travelcards. There are a variety of different fares available depending on which station you leave from and anything that does not permit travel on the Gatwick Express will be charged far more reasonably. If you already have a travelcard then the cheapest way to get to the airport is to buy a ticket between East Croydon and Gatwick Airport. This can be done in London at a ticket office and allows you to use any direct train apart from the Express.
Hi,
I am going to London this Friday 17th Feb and will be arriving at Kings Cross Station (is the main one St Pancreas?) at around 2pm and then I will need to get to Greenwich Travelodge which I believe is very near the DLR Greenwich. At about 9:30pm I will need to get from DLR Greenwich to the O2 arena. At about 4:00am or maybe earlier I will then need to get back to Greenwich and then obviously back to Kings Cross in the afternoon. Is it worth buying an Oyster card for this? Help!?
Thanks
Hi Vanessa,
An Oyster card will be vastly cheaper for all your journeys except possibly the one at 4am. Neither the tube nor DLR operate between about 1am and 5am. I understand that Deptford Bridge DLR is the closest station to Greenwich Travelodge. The tube station called Kings Cross St Pancras is linked to both Kings Cross and St Pancras mainline stations. Take the Northern line from KXSP to Bank then the DLR from there to Deptford Bridge. For the O2 you need to change at Canary Wharf onto the Jubilee Line to North Greenwich. At 4am you’ll either need a taxi or the 108 bus to Blackheath and the 53 to Deptford Bridge. Both buses run all night and you can use Oyster on them.
Hope that helps.
Hello,
I have a oyster card with young persons attached to it. Just trying to get my head around one part of the regulations. Normally I only travel in zones 1-3, and have that sorted, however today I will travel from Earlsfield (zone 3) into zone one. After, however, I will travel on peak time from Victoria to East Croydon (zone 5). Would it be cheaper for me to use my YP oyster or by the young persons 1-6 paper ticket at £5.60?
Thank you, James.
Hi James,
If you make both journeys it will cost the same. Although you will be charged a peak fare in the afternoon peak, the discounted off-peak cap will apply and curtail your charges at the £5.60 rate.
Hi Mike,
Thank you very much for your quick response.
James
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