Oyster card or not?

You can now just tap with your bank card or your phone. Under normal circumstances, no big deal. But I preferred having the Oyster card to avoid exposing my bank card or phone in a crowded, sometimes chaotic environment like that. I’ll eat an unspent pound or two for the peace of mind of keeping the important stuff stowed away.

During a 6-day London stay last December, my husband and I each used our own credit cards to tap in and out. It was so easy. There's no need to buy an Oyster card, especially for such a short visit.

Yes, for anyone who does not have a credit card. Otherwise, use your credit card.

Each Oyster Card costs £7, non-refundable. Something to bear in mind. If you can use a contactless card, it's more economical.

Using an Oyster card is as personal a preference as how you like your eggs cooked.

I have an Oyster card I've used on the past three trips and I'll use it again this summer. Both ways work, it's what you feel most comfortable using.

Happy Travels!

I'm somewhat confused now. An above reply says that a £7 oyster card deposit is nonrefundable, but just today I've been reading online that oyster card deposits are £5 and are indeed refundable when you return the card (it can be returned at the same type of machine you buy it from). I would really appreciate hearing if anyone has actually returned an oyster card and received the deposit back.

Thank you, Susan J

I got my info straight from the TFL website: https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/how-to-pay-and-where-to-buy-tickets-and-oyster/buying-tickets-and-oyster . Also confirmed in my Rick Steves London guidebook.

Looks like it used to be refundable but no longer.

Years ago the Oystercard did cost £5 deposit and that was refundable. But quite a while ago the deposit both went up to £7 and became non-refundable. It is now regarded as out of date technology as it has been overtaken by the simple use of contactless methods. But as you have seen above some people still like to use them despite the extra cost and the faff of topping-up.

I would be wary of trusting any other information from wherever you got the out of date information.

This is always a big point of discussion. Personally, I see no reason to get an oyster card if you have your own form of contactless payment (card or Apple Pay). I haven't used an oyster card in over a decade at this point. The system does weekly capping so you will never be charged more than the cost of a weekly pass in a one week period. I know some people are worried they might drop their card. I don't know if I've ever seen that happen, and I think it's unlikely someone would be quick enough to grab and steal it before you can pick it back up (more likely a helpful stranger would pick it up and hand it to you). However, everyone should do what they feel most comfortable with.

When we went in January, I was so worried about always having to get my phone out. We 3. Bought oyster cards. Put 30 euros each. Thankfully a bit was used to get to our hotel. But we ended up using Uber and walking way more than we thought. (I do think the stations in London are harder to see than Paris). Anyway, we only used the tube twice so now have money in it.

I’d just use your phone.

Personally I use a credit card, the same way I do for the MRT here at home. But peace of mind is important, so if you feel more comfortable with an Oyster card go for it.

One reason to use an Oyster card is if you also have a disabled person Railcard. You can register it and receive discounted fares.

Or if you have a Senior Railcard, to get 1/3 off all off peak tube fares, and also off the daily cap.

Just remember to use the same credit card each time you tap if that is the way
you end up going. Otherwise, the system has no way of knowing who the user
is for the purpose of calculating the daily cap, assuming you use TFL that much.

If you’re tapping in and out, does everyone in my family need to tap in or out with a different card?

Yes, everyone needs their own card (or method of payment like Apple Pay) to tap in or out.

Whilst everyone in a group needs a separate physical method of payment, it can be cards or phones linked to the same account.

Oyster cards cost £7 to purchase and that is with no money loaded onto them. Just use a contactless debit/credit card to tap in and out of the tube just like the majority of people do. The system calculates your journeys and deducts the fee in the early hours of the morning, subject to the cap for the relevant zones in which you have travelled, around £8.50 for the central area.
The only reason for buying an Oyster card IMO is if you are eligible for some sort of discount, such as a younger visitor of have an elderly persons railcard, which can have its discount applied to the Oyster.

The only reason for buying an Oyster card IMO is if you are eligible for some sort of discount, such as a younger visitor of have an elderly persons railcard, which can have its discount applied to the Oyster.

I agree. I recently was in London for 10 nights, and had an Oyster card for myself and the Zip Oyster 11-15 photocards for my 2 grandkids, and they're kind of a pain to deal with. I would prefer just using a credit card, but because I get a discount, and the two kids got an even better discount (plus rode on buses for free), it made sense to get them.

However, it's a pain to top off, and I was lax about doing it, so would get stopped several times and have to run over and add more money. One time I lost my granddaughter at Victoria Station as she was behind the two of us, and her card ran out of money. Luckily she kept her head, found somebody to help her and we met up as I was frantically trying to explain what happened to one of the employees.

So unless you are there long enough to save a decent amount of money by using it, go with a credit card. Just make sure you use the same one each time.

We were just in London and used our Oyster card for 7 seven days. It easy to use for unlimited travel in zones 1 &2 and cost was $58.24 per card. We already had our Oyster card from a previous visit. Most of our adventures were by tube or bus. I think there are other options but this was best for us.

Like Cat further up the thread, it must be ten years since I used an Oyster. Ah... thinking about it, less than that as I had a time a few years ago my debit card expired and my new one was lost in the mail and I had to dig an old Oyster out. I have three or four of them in my kitchen drawer and one in my wallet with a few quid on it.

Personally, I don't think it's an absolute no-no if you want to use one. You can be a lot more casual about keeping it safe than a credit or debit card. Much less important if you do happen to lose it. The last time this came up, there were still almost two million unique Oyster Cards used on a random given day in 2024 when I looked up stats. That would imply that the number of journeys paid for may be double, if we assume most people are going somewhere and coming back same day. Still plenty of Londoners using them for whatever reason. You'd expect that will decline over time, but Oyster is most certainly not dead yet!

Mardee, I experienced being lost on the tube when I was visiting London with my dad aged about 12 or 13. He got on a train (can't remember where) and the doors closed before I got on. I was able to make my way back to our hotel in High Street Kensington, right down the Hammersmith end. He was frantic looking for me and called my mum at home in Scotland and she was frantic. I caught the next train and was casually sitting watching TV in the hotel room when he returned in floods of tears from searching for me :)

I agree. I recently was in London for 10 nights, and had an Oyster card for myself and the Zip Oyster 11-15 photocards for my 2 grandkids, and they're kind of a pain to deal with

For future reference it is not necessary to get a zip oyster photo card for kids 11 to 15 to get a discount. You can get a regular oyster card and ask a member of staff to add the young visitor discount to the card. The discount is good for two weeks.

I'd associate Zip as a method for local kids to travel to school on the bus for free, subsidised by taxpayer funds, rather than a discount method for visitors.

It's always good to have a contingency plan incase you get separated on the train/platform. With my family, the rule is that whoever is left behind stays exactly where they are and those on the train gets off at the first stop and gets the next train back. Only had to use it once.

Yes, briwire. My dad put exactly that contingency into place "after the horse had bolted" so to speak :)

btw I like your username. I assume your name is Brian and you're a hifi buff?

Mardee, I experienced being lost on the tube when I was visiting London with my dad aged about 12 or 13. He got on a train (can't remember where) and the doors closed before I got on. I was able to make my way back to our hotel in High Street Kensington, right down the Hammersmith end. He was frantic looking for me and called my mum at home in Scotland and she was frantic. I caught the next train and was casually sitting watching TV in the hotel room when he returned in floods of tears from searching for me :)

Ha ha, what a story! Your poor parents must have been frantic! And with regards to the Zip Oyster, it didn't say anything about that. I thought that was the best way for them, and they must have known I was American since I had to give them passport info and addresses and all that stuff.

Ha ha, what a story! Your poor parents must have been frantic!

I think it was a much bigger deal for them than me. I was already doing quite a lot around Hamilton and Glasgow unaccompanied by adults at that age so I managed just fine :) Like I said to briwire, we agreed a strategy afterwards and my dad kept a firm grip on me whenever boarding a train, just in case :)

with regards to the Zip Oyster, it didn't say anything about that. I thought that was the best way for them, and they must have known I was American since I had to give them passport info and addresses and all that stuff.

Yeah you're probably right. It's more my opinion than anything else it would seem. I'm just so used to seeing the little scallywags getting on the bus in the morning going to school using them. The existence of a parallel discount for young people in the form of the young visitor discount Oyster that Laura mentions would suggest as much to me too. The rigmarole of getting a photo and the thorough ID process also suggests to me it's something that one would expect to hang onto and use for an extended period of time. If it worked for you and your young companions, then all good.

The simpler but less generous Young Visitors discount was introduced because the regular Zip Oyster scheme has high upfront costs and bureaucracy to offset for a one off visit. It may still pay off though for intense users or trips into outer zones.

There is some info about the young visitor discount on the Zip Oyster card page but it is somewhat obscured. It states,

Young Visitor discount

If you don't live in London and you're visiting with children who don't have an 11-15 Zip Oyster photocard, they can get discounted travel for up to 14 days with the Young Visitor discount.

Add the Young Visitor discount to an Oyster card to get:

50% off adult-rate pay as you go fares and daily caps on bus, Tube, tram, DLR, London Overground, Elizabeth line and most National Rail services
The discount can be added to a standard Oyster card or Visitor Oyster card by a member of staff at:

Any Tube or London Overground station

Some Elizabeth line stations

Visitor Centres