This page details all the London wide caps and travelcards which apply to rail travel. These caps apply to all modes: National Rail, Underground, Overground, TfL Rail and DLR. The only rail services within zones 1-9 which are not covered are the Heathrow Express/Connect services between Hayes & Harlington and the Airport [which do not accept Oyster, contactless or travelcards] and Southeastern high-speed between St Pancras International and Stratford International [where Oyster and contactless can be used, but fares charged are additional to any caps and travelcards are only valid if marked Plus HS1].
The first table lists all the daily caps. Where an off-peak figure is coloured red this is the value for part-time workers or regular off-peak travellers. The daily figure can be found in the column to the left. Anyone exceeding the red figure on 2 or more days in one week, 4 or more days in two weeks or 8 or more days in four weeks will be eligible for an automatic refund down to the red figure. These are processed in the week after the Monday to Sunday week that the eligible charges were made and should be collectable on Oyster or credited to the contactless card by the Friday.
All Railcards refers to those that can be added to Oyster: 16-25, Senior, Forces, Disabled and Annual Gold cards. Most refers to the same list apart from Disabled.
| Adult/Apprentice/ Student 18+ |
5-10/11-15 | 16+/Jobcentre Plus | Most Railcards |
Disabled Railcard |
All Railcards |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zones | Anytime | Off-peak | Anytime | Off-peak | Anytime | Off-peak | Anytime | Anytime | Off-peak |
| 1-2 | £6.40 | £6.40 | £3.20 | £1.50 | £3.20 | £3.20 | £6.40 | £4.25 | £4.25 |
| 1-3 | £7.50 | £7.50 | £3.75 | £1.50 | £3.75 | £3.75 | £7.50 | £4.95 | £4.95 |
| 1-4 | £9.20 | £8.00* | £4.60 | £1.50 | £4.60 | £4.00* | £9.20 | £6.10 | £5.30* |
| 1-5 | £10.90 | £8.80* | £5.45 | £1.50 | £5.45 | £4.40* | £10.90 | £7.20 | £5.90* |
| 1-6 | £11.70 | £8.80* | £5.85 | £1.50 | £5.85 | £4.40* | £11.70 | £7.75 | £5.90* |
| 1-9 | £20.00 | £11.80 | £10.00 | £1.50 | £10.00 | £5.90 | £20.00 | £13.20 | £7.80 |
*Figures in red are the effective caps for regular off-peak users after the automatic refunds have been allocated. The actual on-the-day caps are as shown in the column to the left of the red figure.
The second table lists all the paper travelcards. Note that there is no off-peak zone 1-4, use the zone 1-6 instead.
| All Adults | Children 5-15 | All Railcards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zones | Anytime | Off-peak | Anytime | Off-peak | Anytime | Off-peak |
| 1-4 | £12.00 | £6.00 | £12.00 | |||
| 1-6 | £17.00 | £12.00 | £8.50 | £6.00 | £17.00 | £7.90 |
| 1-9 | £21.50 | £12.80 | £10.70 | £6.40 | £21.50 | £8.45 |
The third table lists the different season ticket prices. There are no single zone travelcard seasons. If the required combination isn’t shown (eg 5-7) then the price is the same for a larger zonal coverage (in this case 4-7). If only zone 2 is required then choose 2-3, for only zone 6 it is 5-6. Adult and Child (5-15) travelcards can be bought on paper. 16+, Jobcentre, Apprentice and Student 18+ travelcards all require the appropriate Oyster photocard to be held.
| Adult | 5-10/11-15/16+/Jobcentre* | Apprentice/Student 18+ | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zones | Weekly | Monthly | Annual | Weekly | Monthly | Annual* | Weekly | Monthly | Annual |
| 1-2 | £32.10 | £123.30 | £1,284 | £16.10 | £61.90 | £644 | £22.40 | £86.10 | £896 |
| 1-3 | £37.70 | £144.80 | £1,508 | £18.90 | £72.60 | £756 | £26.30 | £101.00 | £1,052 |
| 1-4 | £46.10 | £177.10 | £1,844 | £23.10 | £88.90 | £924 | £32.20 | £123.70 | £1,288 |
| 1-5 | £54.70 | £210.10 | £2,188 | £27.40 | £105.30 | £1,096 | £38.20 | £146.70 | £1,528 |
| 1-6 | £58.60 | £225.10 | £2,344 | £29.30 | £112.60 | £1,172 | £41.00 | £157.50 | £1,640 |
| 1-7 | £63.60 | £244.30 | £2,544 | £31.80 | £122.20 | £1,272 | £44.50 | £170.90 | £1,780 |
| 1-8 | £75.20 | £288.80 | £3,008 | £37.60 | £144.40 | £1,504 | £52.60 | £202.00 | £2,104 |
| 1-9 | £83.40 | £320.30 | £3,336 | £41.70 | £160.20 | £1,668 | £58.30 | £223.90 | £2,332 |
| 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6 | £24.10 | £92.60 | £964 | £12.10 | £46.50 | £484 | £16.80 | £64.60 | £672 |
| 2-4, 3-5, 4-6 | £26.60 | £102.20 | £1,064 | £13.30 | £51.10 | £532 | £18.60 | £71.50 | £744 |
| 2-5, 3-6 | £31.90 | £122.50 | £1,276 | £16.00 | £61.50 | £640 | £22.30 | £85.70 | £892 |
| 2-6 | £40.10 | £154.00 | £1,604 | £20.10 | £77.20 | £804 | £28.00 | £107.60 | £1,120 |
| 2-7 | £41.60 | £159.80 | £1,664 | £20.80 | £79.90 | £832 | £29.10 | £111.80 | £1,164 |
| 2-9 | £56.60 | £217.40 | £2,264 | £28.30 | £108.70 | £1,132 | £39.60 | £152.10 | £1,584 |
| 4-7 | £30.10 | £115.60 | £1,204 | £15.10 | £58.00 | £604 | £21.00 | £80.70 | £840 |
| 4-9 | £50.60 | £194.40 | £2,024 | £25.30 | £97.20 | £1,012 | £35.40 | £136.00 | £1,416 |
* Annual seasons are not available on Jobcentre Oyster cards.
How much on Oyster card fare from dartford to London Bridge return and a weekly + monthly no tubes plz
Hi John,
Weekly and monthly rail only seasons can only be bought on paper and their prices haven’t changed. The peak PAYG single fare from Dartford to London Bridge is £7.00, so £14.00 return. If you can touch in outside the peak hours on either journey (0630-0930, 1600-1900) then that fare will be the £4.00 off-peak single.
I can confirm the Dartford oyster seems to be working ok with my Senior Railcard Discount Added
I touched in at 10.00 it took £3.45 gave back 80p at Waterloo East. Took 80p at Waterloo Main and gave me back 80p at Surbiton. From Surbiton I went to Chesham it took £3.45 at Surbiton. I came back from Amersham touching in at 15.15. It took £3.45 at Amersham and gave back £1.75 at Marylebone but took £5.80 at Marylebone Underground gave it back at Charing Cross underground took £5.80 at Charing Cross Station and gave me back £5.80 at Dartford. Why does it do this and what would happen if say the £5.80 took it temporary into a negative balance. The card only took £7.80 overall. Will the £7.80 cover all Z9 stations out to Watford High Street-Brentwood and Cheshunt.
Hi Len,
Whenever you touch in the system will deduct the maximum journey charge. This is refunded down to the actual fare when you touch out. If you touch back in after an interchange it takes back the refund so you again have paid the maximum journey charge. The amount increased after 1600 because peak fares were then in operation. The system will allow this deduction to take you to a negative balance as long as the balance always returns positive (or zero) on touch out.
Yes, £7.80 is the railcard discounted off-peak cap for zones 1-9.
Hello Mike, I am travelling from Rainham Essex to Tilbury town station in Thurrock, do i need a passport photo for a weekly ticket and will my ticket include buses or just simply rail. Rainham facilitates for Oyster card but I do not think Tilbury Town does. How does this affect my travel on buses?
Thanks
Dian
Hi Dian,
Yes, you do need a photo for a weekly paper season. Rainham to Tilbury is just rail. You’ll need to pay for buses separately.
Hiya
Need a bit of help
Got to travel (peak time) from East Croydon to Woolwich Arsenal to and from work, can you tell me the cheapest method (probably a monthly pass and how I go about obtaining- would I need a photocard.
Sorry for the questions…. new to all this!
Hi Carolyne,
A monthly ticket would probably be cheaper than daily PAYG. The saving will be if you can avoid zone 1. There are three ways, but all will take longer than using fast trains via London Bridge. Firstly change at New Cross Gate, Surrey Quays, New Cross and Lewisham, making sure you touch the pink reader at Surrey Quays. Secondly change at New Cross Gate, Canada Water and Canning Town, making sure you touch the pink reader at Canada Water. Thirdly change at New Cross Gate and Shadwell (and possibly Canning Town too), no pink reader required as Shadwell is two stations.
Can I get a 16-25 return ticket from canning town to holloway road for monday – friday or would I need to get a travel card?
Hi Jen,
The 16-25 railcard is a discount entitlement for off-peak fares and caps. It doesn’t affect travel at peak times.
Hi Mike,
I’m going to start commuting from Raynes Park to Watford Junction (including a bus to and from Raynes Park) – probably change at Clapham Junction.
Please can you help me figure out the cheapest method? Yearly/monthly? What is best? I am eligible for the 16-25 railcard.
Thank you so much!
Hi Kim,
Firstly, the 16-25 railcard won’t help with commuting unless you can travel outside of peak times*. As to the length of season, it depends on what you can afford. There are only three types: weekly which will save over daily fares; monthly which can be for any period between a month and about 10.5 months; and annual. A simple monthly costs 3.84 x the weekly cost. Each additional day adds 1/30th of the monthly cost. An annual costs 40 x a weekly.
* There may be a way of fiddling the costs because you are travelling against the peak flow between Willesden Junction and Watford Junction. If you can let me know your rough journey times (just arrival and departure at Watford Junction will be fine) I’ll see if anything works.
I am trying to work out whether to buy a National Rail or TfL season ticket for the following journey but the information on each of the NR and TfL websites is not good enough to help me make the decision.
My regular journey is from Denmark Hill to Whitechapel on London Overground. However, I would also like the flexibility to change onto the Underground at Whitechapel so that I can travel to Aldgate East. In addition, it would be good to have the flexibility to take the train from Denmark Hill to Blackfriars or Victoria and to then take the Underground. It would also be nice to have buses included.
I am thinking that I need a Travelcard for Zones 1 and 2 and this seems to be available from both NR and TfL. Is there any difference between the two?
Thank you.
Hi Nick,
Not in the price of the travelcard, no. The TfL version will be loaded onto an Oyster card which would make extension fares from zone 3 outwards very easy – just use the PAYG balance. The NR one will be on paper and you would either need to buy boundary zone 2 to destination tickets, or touch in within zone 2 to use PAYG. Unless you can use a station on the zone 2/3 boundary (eg Lewisham) this may cost more.
Thanks Mike.
It seems that a TfL zones 1-2 travelcard on my Oyster card is the way to go then.
Just to confirm, will I definitely be able to use that travelcard on NR routes from Denmark Hill to Blackfriars and Victoria? I only ask because the TfL site differentiates between “TfL rail” services and “National Rail” services with Elephant & Castle being the dividing point.
Many thanks.
Yes Nick,
Travelcards are valid on all rail routes within their zones (except Hayes & Harlington to Heathrow and St Pancras International to Stratford International).
Hi
I would like to know how much it would cost me for an adult monthly travelcard from Whitton to Brentwood? Could you help please.
Thanks
Amr
Hi Amr,
You’d need the zone 1-9 travelcard if travelling via zone 1, or the zone 2-9 travelcard if avoiding zone 1 via Stratford to Richmond or Stratford to Canada Water to Clapham Junction. The prices are in the third table above.
Hello, I am trying to figure out the most economic way of travelling from twickenham to Canary wharf 5 days a week.
I also consider the option of catching a train from richmond to canary wharf.
What is the best option? weekly ticket or single fares?
i will definetely be travelling in the peak time in the morning and in some occasions will be able to catch the off peak times in the evening.
thank you
Hi Marti,
The cheapest way to make that journey is to change at Clapham Junction onto London Overground and then Canada Water for the Jubilee line. That route avoids zone 1. If you make 10 peak journeys then a travelcard is just worth it. If two or more are off-peak then PAYG will be cheaper. If you have a contactless payment card then it will cap Monday-Sunday at the weekly rate if you reach that.
Hi I’m trying to establish the cost for using oyster for 1 day from Hertford east to London Liverpool street – St Pauls – bond street then back to Liverpool street to Hertford east
Would this fall in the daily cap of £20:00?
Many thanks
Hi Jonnie,
Assuming you are travelling to St Pauls first, then Bond Street, then back to Hertford, the peak fares are £9.70, £2.30, £9.70 with a daily cap of £24.30 (shouldn’t reach). Off peak it’s £7.60, £2.30, £7.60 with a daily cap of £17.30. The £20 daily cap is only for zones 1-9 which does not include Broxbourne or beyond.
Hi Mike,
I have just got a new job and am confused as to what is my cheapest option to get around. I buy a monthly Southeastern train ticket to get into town (Charing Cross/London Bridge/Cannon Street) but now I need to use the tube to get to Bank. Whats the cheapest way for me to add the tube journey on?
Hi Michelle,
Forget the tube – Cannon Street is 2-3 minutes walk from Bank, just along Walbook. See my OSI map.
Hi Mike,
I need to travel from Putney to London Bridge 5 days a week. I have the 18+ oyster. Can I get the Zone 1-2 monthly travelcard and take the South West train from Putney-Waterloo and Underground from Waterloo-London Bridge? If I add my YP Railcard to my oyster will the monthly travel card get cheaper?
Hi Larissa,
The 18+ Oyster card gives you 30% off the price of travelcard seasons and that also covers SWT, so yes you can use that for Putney to London Bridge. The railcard only discounts off-peak fares and caps so will not affect season prices.
Hi Mike,
I want to get a monthly travel card from Upney to Ealing Common. For me that means zone 4 to 4. However I’ve been advised that as I am passing through zones 1, 2 and 3 with the train I have to buy a zone 1 to 4 travel card which is considerably more expensive. Is this correct?
Hi Zak,
Yes you will need zones 1-4. You may be able to get by with zones 2-4 if you take a route that avoids zone 1 (via Startford, Gunnersbury and Turnham Green).
Hi Mike,
Really confused about Broxbourne being in Zone B or Zone 9.
I am looking to commute from Broxbourne into London Liverpool street and then change on to the central line to Tottenham court road. Would would the cheapest option be.
would an oyster 1 – 9 suffice or would it be oyster 1 – 9 + Brox. Hard to find what is correct and prices.
Thanks in advance
Hi Bepin,
Broxbourne is outside zone 9, sometimes referred to as zone B. There are no stations in zone 9 on that line. A travelcard season (on paper or Oyster) is valid for travel between Broxbourne and anywhere in zones 1-9 (or 2-9 if the cheaper option is purchased). The prices are £88.20/week for zones 1-9 and £69.20/week for zones 2-9.
Mike,
Many thanks for the prompt reply and giving those prices for zone 1-9.
I guess where my confusion comes from is that as you say Broxbourne is outside zone 9 (in Zone B) but yet a zone 1-9 oyster travelcard is still valid?
How can a zone 1 – 9 work if Broxbourne is further out than zone 9 (and in zone B)
Apologies if I am being slow
A zones 1-9 travelcard will not work at Broxbourne. However, a Broxbourne to zones 1-9 travelcard will work at other zone 9 stations like Amersham and Brentwood.
Hi Mike,
I need your help.
I have to travel from Clapham Junction to Broxbourne.
I red the previous post for the same question but I didn’t understand properly.
I didn’t understand if I have to do just the travel season to reach Broxbourne from zone 2-9 (the cheapest option) or I have to do the travel season from zone 2-9 + Broxbourne. If it is the last option how much it will be from zone 9 to Broxbourne?
Thanks in advance for your time.
I hope that I explained properly.
Domenica
Hi Domenica,
Broxbourne is outside the London zonal area. A travelcard enabling travel to and from Broxbourne is issued as Broxbourne to zones 1-9 or in your case Broxbourne to zones 2-9. If you have a zone 2-9 travelcard on your Oyster then you will need some PAYG balance to travel to/from Broxbourne. I don’t know exactly how much, but it won’t be more than the single fare to/from Cheshunt which is £2.80 peak or £1.70 off-peak.
I hope this helps, but feel free to ask again if it doesn’t.
Hi Mike,
Thanks so much for your answer.
Yesterday I saw that there is a season ticket from zone 2-9 + Broxbourne which cost £265.00 (monthly ticket).
Whit that season ticket can I take all the London transports (bus, tube, overground, train etc..)? That one is a separate ticket that I have to buy or I can add on my oyster card?
Thanks again.
Regards,
Domenica
Hi Domenica,
The ticket costs £265.80 and does cover all tubes, trains, dlr within the zones covered, plus TfL buses throughout London and trams around Croydon. It can be added to an Oyster card and indeed it really ought to be. That way you’ll only pay a zone 1 single fare if you decide to use rail in zone 1. The Oyster version is also valid to Watford Junction.
Hi Mike,
Ok that’s fine!
I think that one is the best and cheap option.
Thanks a lot for your time.
Regards,
Domenica