Oyster vs tap? (London)

Here is the official source of information for contactless and oyster cards. https://contactless.tfl.gov.uk/

We switched to a cc without fees for our last two trips to London, 2022 and 2023. It worked seamlessly. We each used a different card to tap in and out on busses and the tube.

You aren't missing anything that I see. I do the tap these days. Not a problem in several visits in the last few years.

Some people have indicated they are more comfortable sticking with Oyster in case the card is lost. Better to lose an Oyster than a CC. I can see the logic, but I am not concerned personally with this - maybe I should be, but I am satisfied with my system for contactless tapping. I find it easier than keeping current with the Oyster balance.

I'm not sure about your comment on a 7-day pass. The Oyster or the contactless can both be used on an individual day basis.

I vote with Mona....just go with the CC or phone tap. SO easy. And I agree with ORDtraveler on trying to keep up with the amount of money left on an Oyster.

I had money leftover on an old Oyster card so used that up first last spring then switched to a CC. Some people have mentioned being worried about having your CC out in the Tube, but I just tapped, went thru the turnstile, stepped aside and stowed it on end in my wallet so I could grab it easier to tap out with and was done.

There is at least one instance where you can CC tap but you can't use an Oyster. Going out to Windsor from Paddington on GWR you can tap in/out with a CC for the whole journey but it's beyond the boundaries of the Oyster so that is not of use there. (As I understand it!). There may be other outlying areas that need a CC tap over an Oyster.

I’m of the group that prefers to use Oyster Card. Reality is that you can use either and can pick the one that suits you best.

Oh, I see that the 7-day caps are the same for both travelcard and credit card taps.

As are the single-day caps.

That does simplify things! Thank you all.

If you have an Apple Watch, you can set up Express Transit Mode on it and use it to tap. You don't have to wake or unlock your watch and Transit Mode bypasses the need to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode, And, even better, you don't have to fumble for a phone, wallet, or credit card!

Oh, I see that the 7-day caps are the same for both travelcard and credit card taps.

There is one small difference. A 7-day travelcard (loaded on an Oyster) can start any day of the week. The weekly cap for pay-as-you-go (including credit cards) runs Monday to Sunday.

We used CC and Apple Pay exclusively on the tube and Elizabeth line to get to Heathrow, no need to mess around with Oyster if you’re a visitor. The system will automatically give you the best fare combo based on your usage, and most times will give you a better fare with cc vs Oyster.

Not mentioned, but unless you have an old Oyster card from a previous trip, just getting an Oyster incurs a 7 GBP non-refundable cost. Also a bit of a hassle, is that you need to load the Oyster with GBP, and while you can get that refunded, it is an extra task you need to do at the end of your time in London. The combination of these extra costs can make the Oyster a worse deal than just "tapping" with phone or card.

I returned recently from a 10-day stay in London and agree with not using the Oyster card. It's really not necessary, and tracking the balance, requesting a refund are extra things to do.

I used both a contactless credit card (one with no foreign exchange fees) and Apple Pay (with an underlying credit card that also has no foreign exchange fees) - both easy-peasy. As always, be careful with your phone and card in the tube, and also remember to use the same payment method when exiting.

"and also remember to use the same payment method when exiting."

And also make sure that you use the same payment method on any day to maximise the benefit of daily capping.