TfL fares, zones, contactless & Oyster

London's fares look complicated, but the underlying logic is simple. This guide walks through how zones work, what contactless and Oyster actually do, when fares are cheaper, and how to avoid paying more than you need to.

The big idea: just tap

The simplest way to pay for any TfL journey is to tap a contactless bank card or a phone on the yellow reader at the gates when you enter, and tap the same card on the yellow reader when you leave. TfL works out the fare automatically. You can tap with:

• A contactless Visa, Mastercard or American Express card (debit or credit)
• Apple Pay on an iPhone or Apple Watch
• Google Pay or Samsung Pay on an Android phone or watch
• An Oyster card (London's reloadable transport card)

All of these are charged at the same fare. There is no discount for using Oyster over contactless — TfL deliberately keeps them at parity.

Zones

The TfL fare system divides London into concentric zones, numbered 1 to 9. Zone 1 is the very centre — the City and the West End. Zone 2 is the inner suburbs (Camden, Hackney, Brixton). Zones 3–6 are progressively outward. Zones 7–9 cover stretches beyond Greater London (Watford, Chesham, Amersham).

Your fare depends on:

• Which zones you start and end in
• Whether your journey is in peak or off-peak hours
• Which mode of transport you're using (bus fares are flat; rail fares are zonal)

Current single fares for Tube, DLR, London Overground and Elizabeth line (effective 1 March 2026 — always check tfl.gov.uk/fares for today's exact rates):

• Within Zone 1 only — £3.10 peak, £3.00 off-peak.
• Within a single zone, not Zone 1 (for example a Zone 2 to Zone 2 journey) — £2.30 peak, £2.20 off-peak.
• Zones 1–6, e.g. Heathrow on the Tube — Underground fares scale up by zone; an Elizabeth line journey from Zone 1 to Heathrow is £15.50.
• Cash single (Zones 1–6) — frozen at £7.00. Always more expensive than contactless or Oyster.
• Bus or tram — flat £1.75 per journey (frozen until at least 5 July 2026). The "Hopper" fare gives unlimited bus and tram journeys within 60 minutes of first touching in, for the same single £1.75.

The headline change in March 2026 was a ~6% increase on peak Tube fares, while daily caps, weekly caps and bus/tram fares were all frozen.

Peak and off-peak

Peak fares apply on Monday to Friday, 06:30–09:30 and 16:00–19:00 on Underground, Overground, Elizabeth line and DLR journeys touching Zone 1 (and on some longer journeys). All other times are off-peak. There is no peak surcharge on buses, on weekends, on bank holidays or on journeys entirely within Zones 2–6 that don't touch Zone 1.

Daily and weekly caps

The most important thing to know about contactless and Oyster: fares are capped. No matter how many journeys you make, you cannot be charged more than the cap for the day or the week.

Daily caps (frozen until at least January 2027) — same figure applies whether you travel at peak or off-peak:

• Zone 1 only — £8.90
• Zones 1–2 — £8.90
• Zones 1–3 — £10.50
• Zones 1–4 — £12.80
• Zones 1–5 — £15.30
• Zones 1–6 — £16.30
• Bus and tram only — £5.25

Weekly caps apply automatically Monday to Sunday on contactless (not on Oyster — Oyster users wanting weekly value need a 7-Day Travelcard loaded onto the card). Confirmed bus and tram weekly cap is £24.70. For Tube/rail weekly caps, see the current zonal Travelcard prices on tfl.gov.uk/fares as the cap matches the 7-day Travelcard price.

You don't have to do anything to activate the daily cap — it applies automatically to contactless and Oyster.

Contactless vs Oyster

The two systems are now functionally identical for most users. There are a few situations where one is better than the other:

• Use contactless if — you're a visitor from the UK, you don't want to top up balances, you don't want to carry an extra card. Contactless is also handy if you want your tap-in/tap-out data on your bank statement for expenses.
• Use Oyster if — you're a visitor from abroad and want to avoid foreign-card transaction fees, you're under 18 (a Zip Oyster gets you reduced fares), you're over 60 (a 60+ Oyster gets you free travel), or you want to keep travel and bank transactions separate.

Important: do not mix payment methods on a single journey. If you tap in with a card and out with your phone, TfL doesn't know they're you — and you'll be charged the maximum fare for both taps. Always use the same payment method on entry and exit.

Travelcards

Paper or Oyster Travelcards give you unlimited travel for a fixed period in chosen zones — useful if you know you'll make many journeys at peak and don't want to think about it. For most occasional users, contactless with the automatic daily/weekly cap is simpler and never worse than a Travelcard.

Heathrow Express, Cable Car and the Elizabeth line

A few exceptions to the standard fare system:

• Heathrow Express — a separate, premium service to/from Heathrow. Not part of the TfL fare structure. Tickets typically start at around £25.
• IFS Cloud Cable Car — operates on a separate ticket. The single fare is frozen at £7.00; the round-trip is £13.50. Standard contactless does not cover it.
• Elizabeth line — works on contactless and Oyster within the TfL zone area. The Zone 1 to Heathrow Elizabeth line fare is £15.50 (increased from £13.90 in March 2026). Reading, Iver, Langley, Burnham, Taplow, Maidenhead and some other outer Elizabeth line stations are outside the TfL zone system and are subject to mainline fares — you'll need a National Rail ticket or an extended-validity arrangement.

Concessions and free travel

• Children under 11 — free on the entire TfL network (Tube, bus, tram, DLR, Overground, Elizabeth line) when travelling with an adult. No card needed.
• Children 11–15 — free buses and trams, half-price Tube/rail with a Zip Oyster card.
• Students 16+ — discounts with an 18+ Student Oyster.
• Over 60s — free travel with a 60+ Oyster (for London residents) or the Freedom Pass (for older residents).
• Disabled persons — a range of concessions and free travel via the Disabled Persons Freedom Pass.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Tap in even when gates are open. Some stations have gates left open during quiet periods or events. You must still tap in and out to be charged correctly.
• Don't tap multiple cards. Keep your one chosen payment method separate from other cards in your wallet — a "card clash" between two contactless cards in the same wallet can charge the wrong one.
• Watch for Elizabeth line zone fares. If you're travelling to Reading, the fare jumps significantly. Check before you board.
• Don't pay for what you don't use. If you're spending one day in London, just use contactless. A Travelcard is rarely better value than the auto-cap.

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