In the past I would get an Oyster card and get my upfront fee of 5 pounds back when I turned in the card when I left. Now there is an option to tap one's credit card instead of buying an Oyster card. Is this a viable option? Has anyone done this? With the Oyster card I know that the amount is capped for a day of travel. And the conversion price is set once when I buy it. But with tapping my credit card several times over a day, does the cap work? Or is each journey charged (with maybe associated conversion fees). Obviously, I'm confused. I'd love some feedback from someone who has used their credit card for tube and bus rides.
Posted by
San Francisco area
1803 posts
Contactless credit cards work well. Just make sure to use one that has no foreign transaction fees. And use the same card throughout the day. One charge at the end of the day for all that day’s trips. Yes capped just like oyster.
Have used my iPhone too. Set up transit express with a credit card. Tap and go. No need to unlock your phone. I believe it will work with the Apple Watch too but have never tried it as I don’t have one.
Posted by
8 posts
how does the bus daily cap interact with the tube daily cap? Say you hit your tube daily cap then take a bus, are you charged? Separately, are national rail services within London part of the cap?
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
It's all a single cap which includes bus fares, tube fares, and national rail fares within London (apart from if you take the high speed train between St Pancras and Stratford (East London), which is possible by contactless but has a premium fare). The cap is higher if you start travelling before 0930 on Monday to Friday.