Contactless credit card versus oyster card

I may not have the very latest info, but from when i looked at it, using contactless is basically the same as an Oyster card in that the Daily Cap also applies, as well as a weekly cap if you are there that long.

Edit: Thought I should add, you will want to try it out, it is possible that your card will not be accepted, not all contactless cards from outside the UK are accepted. Verify also that you do not pay a Foreign Transaction Fee on your card, or each journey will cost you extra.

Edit 2: You can use Apple Pay on your phone I believe as well if that applies.

Hi Kay,
yes, the daily cap also applies to your credit card. You should check with the TFL website, if your type of credit card will be accepted without problems: https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/how-to-pay-and-where-to-buy-tickets-and-oyster/pay-as-you-go/contactless-and-mobile-pay-as-you-go?intcmp=55539
Please be aware: if your bank charges fees for transactions outside of your home country, this will also apply to every journey on the tube...

Not quite correct Dina. If you use a contactless card, the card is charged at the end of each day. If you have any usage charges on your card, it is not charged every time you use the card, just once per day.

And yes, caps apply for both Oyster and contactless cards.

And some non-UK cards do not work.
Details here: https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/how-to-pay-and-where-to-buy-tickets-and-oyster/pay-as-you-go/contactless-and-mobile-pay-as-you-go

Many contactless cards issued outside the UK can be used to pay as you go for travel (overseas transaction fees may apply):
- American Express (AMEX)
- MasterCard and Maestro (some cards issued in the USA, Canada and the Netherlands aren't accepted)
- Visa and V PAY (some cards issued outside the UK aren't accepted)
If you have a prepaid card, it may be accepted on our transport services. Check with your card issuer if you're not sure if your card is contactless or if it's rejected.

Try it on the tube first, if it doesn't work, you can just buy Oyster Card(s) there and then.

And note, you need one card per person. If you haven't got enough contactless cards, you mey need top buy an Oyster Card for one of you.

Thanks everyone! Chris: if I use a contactless card the card is charged at the end of each day. Does this mean there is no weekly cap as there appears to be with the oyster card? Is the oyster card charged with each trip rather than at the end of the day for the daily rate? Sorry, I'm sure the answers to these questions are obvious to many people but not to me! Thanks.

Payment by contactless cards does have a weekly cap, based on pattern of usage on a Monday-Sunday cycle, as well as daily..

Oyster PAYG does have weekly capping in addition to daily, but at present this is restricted only to bus and tram journeys, so this would not include tube or rail journeys.

Doug. Please check your details.

Yes, if you purchase individual Tube tickets with a credit card there is no cap and you pay full price for each ticket. But this is not how Transport for London is suggesting you use a CONTACTLESS credit card. You use it exactly like an Oyster and get the exact same discount as you will with an Oyster. It can only be used by one person same as an Oyster so you need to have individual (i.e. unique card number) contactless cards for each person in your group. And yes your iPhone/Android pay system works exactly like the contactless card does, just slower than either the Oyster or contactless does which means it takes a while longer to get through the gate which can cause a lot of huffing from those behind you in line if the station is busy.

"if I use a contactless card the card is charged at the end of each day. Does this mean there is no weekly cap as there appears to be with the oyster card?"

1) You've got it backwards. There is no weekly cap with the Oyster - just a daily cap. It's the contactless cards that have both daily and weekly caps.
2) With both Oyster and contactless, you are charged the appropriate amount at the end of each day, and the appropriate daily cap is applied (you won't be charged more once you've hit that amount each day). If you are using contactless and are using transit Monday through Sunday, the appropriate weekly cap is applied (you won't be charged more once you've hit that amount each week).
3) Note that the weekly cap with contactless is only Monday through Sunday. If your 7 consecutive days of travel fall on different days and you still want weekly rates, you have to pre-purchase a Travelcard, which can be either on paper or on an Oyster.

"Is the oyster card charged with each trip rather than at the end of the day for the daily rate?"

Again, it's charged per trip, but once you hit the cap, it's not charged any more.

Hypothetical example with round numbers to make it easier: Say you are taking rides that cost £2 each, and the daily cap for this kind of trip is £5. Your first trip that day is charged as £2; your second trip that is £2; your third trip that day is £1; and your subsequent trips that day are free. This is true on both Oyster and contactless card.

Let's say further that the weekly cap for this kind of trip is £27. On your first five days, you are charged £5 each day; on your sixth day, you are charged £2; and on your last day, you are not charged further, as you've hit the cap. This is only true on contactless card. To get this rate with Oyster, you have to have pre-purchased a 7 day Travelcard.

Kay

You might like to see the youtube video below, made by transport enthusiasts in London,

TFL Contactless back-office is a much newer system than Oyster and has a more intelligent capping program, so for some journeys contactless can be cheaper, just as they've tested in the video, you must use the same card all through the day.

You can check your journey history and fares on the ticket machines in underground stations and it's also useful to create an online Oyster account you can link contactless bank cards to this too, you can view a fully itemised journey history and fares, including buses, its good when you see a charge of £0.00 for a journey, that means you reached the cap.

The contactless card seen in the video appears to be American Express, that contactless issuer does get good feedback for reliable use on TfL transport and regular under £30 purchases in the uk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w95ULafeSY&app=desktop

I've used a contactless Capital One card on several recent trips to London. My account is set up to text and email me whenever a new charge appears. No charges would be made for using the tube or busses until around midnight when the final and only charge for the day would go through.

Use your credit card. Just as convenient as an Oyster card and one less card to have to carry.

EXCELLENT ADVICE! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I think I finally understand exactly how this works. You folks are the best! There is no other place, online or off that compares to this site when it comes to answering any question I might have regarding travel in Europe.
Harold: thank you for the particularly helpful examples. Dennis: thanks for the YouTube tip. Thanks to Dina and Emma for the TFL site. Very helpful. And thanks everyone for the additional advice about possible or transaction fees, using 1 of the "pay" services via my phone, the possibility that my contactless card may not work , etc.

I use the Oyster card. When I leave London, and say, 6 GBP are still on it, I save that for the next visit to London. That has worked so far. The Oyster card I currently have goes back to 2009, my first and only Oyster card. That card was still valid, working when I used it last in June 2018.