How much is a visitor Oyster card?

A Visitor Oyster card costs £5 for the card itself (non-refundable) plus postage, which you pre-load with your desired amount of credit (e.g., £10, £15, £20, or more) before it is mailed to you. It is designed for visitors, offering pay-as-you-go travel with daily caps on TfL services.

Is a visitor Oyster card cheaper than an Oyster card?

There's no real advantage to ordering the visitor oyster card over just buying the regular oyster card. It used to be slightly cheaper, but now they both have a £7 activation fee. For the visitor oyster card this money vanishes.

How much money to put on a visitor Oyster card?

A Visitor Oyster card costs £10 (plus postage) and is pre-loaded with pay as you go credit for you to spend on travel. You can choose how much credit to add to your card: £10, £15, £20, £25, £30, £35, £40 or £50. The credit on your card never expires - it stays there until you use it.

Can I buy a visitor Oyster card in person?

You can buy a Visitor Oyster card to pay as you go or a Travelcard (paper ticket) in advance, from: Visitor Shop. VisitBritain. Gatwick Airport - Information Centre, Gatwick Express ticket office, terminal desks and the Southern Railways ticket office.

Can two people use the same visitor Oyster card?

Can more than one person share a Visitor Oyster card when travelling together? No, adults cannot travel together on a single Visitor Oyster card.

How to pay for public transport in London (2025 UPDATE)

Is the visitor Oyster card better than contactless?

While contactless payment offers convenience, the Visitor Oyster card has several advantages, especially for tourists: Ideal for families with older children: Children aged 11-15 can receive a 50% Young Visitor discount on their fares with a Visitor Oyster card – a saving not available with contactless payment.

How long does it take to get a Visitors Oyster card?

All orders of Travelcards and Visitor Oyster cards are dispatched within 24 hours of being placed, Monday to Friday. Our fulfillment warehouse is closed at the weekends. Any order placed after 08:30 (GMT) on a Friday will be dispatched the following Monday (excluding public holidays).

How do I purchase a visitor Oyster card?

You don't need to touch out at the end of your journey on buses and trams. You can buy a Visitor Oyster card online before you arrive in London, or an Oyster card at TfL Visitor Centres, stations and Oyster ticket shops.

What is the 1 hour bus rule in London?

London's "1 hour rule" refers to the Hopper Fare, which allows unlimited bus and tram journeys for a single £1.75 fare within one hour of your first tap-in, using the same contactless or Oyster card. It means you can switch between buses and trams as much as you like, even linking with the Tube or DLR (though the main benefit is bus/tram hopping), without paying again, provided your subsequent taps are within 60 minutes of the initial touch. 

Can I use my bank card instead of Oyster?

Pay as you go with contactless

If your bank card shows the contactless payment symbol, you can use it to pay as you go. Always use the same device or contactless card to touch in and out to pay the right fare. For example, don't touch in with your iPhone and touch out with your Apple Watch or contactless card.

What are the disadvantages of the Oyster card?

Cons

• Initial Cost—The card has an upfront cost of £5, which might not be worth it if you're not travelling much.
• Limited Utility – If your month-long stay has you mostly walking to nearby destinations or your travel is limited to specific zones, an Oyster card might not offer much value.

How to get 30% off Oyster?

To get 30% off an Oyster card, you need an 18+ Student Oyster photocard, which requires you to be 18+, live in a London borough during term, and be a full-time student on a qualifying course, giving you 30% off adult Travelcards and Bus & Tram Passes; alternatively, add a Railcard to any Oyster for 1/3 off off-peak pay-as-you-go fares.

Do I need to tap when I get off a bus in London?

No, you only tap in (touch on) when boarding a London bus or tram; you do not need to tap off (touch out) when you get off, as it has a flat fare, and tapping off could actually cost you more money. For buses, you just tap your Oyster card or contactless card/device once on the yellow reader by the driver when you board.
 

How much to put on a visitor Oyster card?

How much pay as you go credit should I get on my Visitor Oyster card? For a 2 day trip, we recommend that you get £15 pay as you go travel credit on your Visitor Oyster card for unlimited travel in central London (zones 1 and 2).

Can I use Oyster to Gatwick?

Can I use Oyster or contactless payment card to travel to and from London Gatwick? You can use either an Oyster card or a contactless payment card to travel between London Gatwick and central London. However, please note that London Travelcards are not valid.

What documents do I need for an Oyster card?

Once you've enrolled with your school, college or university, you'll need:

• Active email address.
• Student enrolment ID from your school, college or university.
• London borough address.
• Digital photo which must be a . jpg, . bmp or . gif file and less than 6MB.
• A debit or credit card to pay the £21 administration fee.

How do I add money to my Visitor Oyster card?

If you need to add more value/credit to your Visitor Oyster card you can simply 'top up' at one of the machines in the stations, or by going to one of the Transport for London ticket desks. Any credit you don't use can be kept on your card for use at a later date.

Can you have your Oyster card on your phone?

No, you can't put a physical Oyster card directly into your phone's digital wallet (like Apple Wallet or Google Pay), but you can use your phone to pay for travel in London the same way by linking your contactless bank card or a digital version of it (like Apple Pay/Google Pay) to your phone and tapping it at readers; you can also use the official TfL Oyster and contactless app to manage digital Oyster/contactless payments and see journey history, but it links to your physical card or contactless bank card, not a digital Oyster card itself. 

How to use the tube in London as a tourist?

To use the London Tube as a tourist, pay with a contactless card or Visitor Oyster card by tapping in and out at gates (buses/trams only tap in). Use apps like Citymapper or Google Maps to plan routes, identify color-coded lines and directions (northbound, etc.), stand on the right on escalators, let people off first, and move to the middle of the carriage.