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+ |
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 | £6.60 | £6.60 | £3.30 | £1.50 | £3.30 | £3.30 | £6.60 | £4.35 | £4.35 |
| 1-3 | £7.70 | £7.70 | £3.85 | £1.50 | £3.85 | £3.85 | £7.70 | £5.10 | £5.10 |
| 1-4 | £9.50 | £9.10* | £4.75 | £1.50 | £4.75 | £4.55* | £9.50 | £6.25 | £6.00* |
| 1-5 | £11.20 | £9.90* | £5.60 | £1.50 | £5.60 | £4.95* | £11.20 | £7.40 | £6.55* |
| 1-6 | £12.00 | £9.90* | £6.00 | £1.50 | £6.00 | £4.95* | £12.00 | £7.90 | £6.55* |
| 1-7 | £13.00 | £12.10 | £6.50 | £1.50 | £6.50 | £6.05 | £13.00 | £8.60 | £8.00 |
| 1-8 | £15.50 | £12.10 | £7.75 | £1.50 | £7.75 | £6.05 | £15.50 | £10.25 | £8.00 |
| 1-9 | £17.20 | £12.10 | £8.60 | £1.50 | £8.60 | £6.05 | £17.20 | £11.35 | £8.00 |
*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 | £12.30 | £6.10 | £12.30 | |||
| 1-6 | £17.50 | £12.30 | £8.70 | £6.10 | £17.50 | £8.10 |
| 1-9 | £22.10 | £13.10 | £11.00 | £6.50 | £22.10 | £8.60 |
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 | 11-15/16+/Jobcentre* | Apprentice/Student 18+ | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zones | Weekly | Monthly | Annual | Weekly | Monthly | Annual* | Weekly | Monthly | Annual |
| 1-2 | £33.00 | £126.80 | £1,320 | £16.50 | £63.40 | £660 | £23.00 | £88.40 | £920 |
| 1-3 | £38.70 | £148.70 | £1,548 | £19.40 | £74.50 | £776 | £27.00 | £103.70 | £1,080 |
| 1-4 | £47.30 | £181.70 | £1,892 | £23.70 | £91.10 | £948 | £33.00 | £126.80 | £1,320 |
| 1-5 | £56.20 | £215.90 | £2,248 | £28.10 | £108.00 | £1,124 | £39.30 | £151.00 | £1,572 |
| 1-6 | £60.20 | £231.20 | £2,408 | £30.10 | £115.60 | £1,204 | £42.10 | £161.70 | £1,684 |
| 1-7 | £65.40 | £251.20 | £2,616 | £32.70 | £125.60 | £1,308 | £45.70 | £175.50 | £1,828 |
| 1-8 | £77.30 | £296.90 | £3,092 | £38.70 | £148.70 | £1,548 | £54.10 | £207.80 | £2,164 |
| 1-9 | £85.70 | £329.10 | £3,428 | £42.90 | £164.80 | £1,716 | £59.90 | £230.10 | £2,396 |
| 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6 | £24.70 | £94.90 | £988 | £12.40 | £47.70 | £496 | £17.20 | £66.10 | £688 |
| 2-4, 3-5, 4-6 | £27.30 | £104.90 | £1,092 | £13.70 | £52.70 | £548 | £19.10 | £73.40 | £764 |
| 2-5, 3-6 | £32.80 | £126.00 | £1,312 | £16.40 | £63.00 | £656 | £22.90 | £88.00 | £916 |
| 2-6 | £41.20 | £158.30 | £1,648 | £20.60 | £79.20 | £824 | £28.80 | £110.60 | £1,152 |
| 2-7 | £42.70 | £164.00 | £1,708 | £21.40 | £82.20 | £856 | £29.80 | £114.50 | £1,192 |
| 2-9 +wj | £58.10 | £222.20 | £2,324 | £29.10 | £111.80 | £1,164 | £40.60 | £156.00 | £1,624 |
| 4-7 | £30.90 | £118.70 | £1,236 | £15.50 | £59.60 | £620 | £21.60 | £83.00 | £864 |
| 4-9 +wj | £52.00 | £199.70 | £2,080 | £26.00 | £99.90 | £1,040 | £36.30 | £139.40 | £1,452 |
* Annual seasons are not available on Jobcentre Oyster cards.
+wj Travelcard seasons for zones 2-9 and 4-9 also include Watford Junction.
I am moving to live in Clapham Junction and will be working in Canary Wharf (using Euston quite often) – would all travel (bus , train and tube) be covered with a monthly travelcard for zones 1-2 ? Thanks in advance Nat
Hi Natalie,
Yes, zones 1-2 covers everything you have mentioned.
Hi Mike,
I could not find the price of the Daily Oyster Caps (+Contactless for Adults) for travelling on the National Rail from Zone 2 to 4 (return journey – AM Peak time then PM Off Peak time), I also use the same Oyster card 4 times on the buses within Zone 1. Could you help please? Many thanks!
Hi Jane,
All daily caps include zone 1 so you need the zone 1-4 cap which is £9.50. You may not reach this depending on how close together your bus journeys are. NR2-4 is £2.90 peak, £2.30 off-peak. Buses are £1.50 each with a £4.50 cap, but if two journeys are made within an hour the second is free, so you may only pay £3.00.
Hello, my husband and I will visit London for two weeks, the end of March til the middle of April 2017. We will be staying in Lee. We will travel to central London each day. What is the most economical way for us to travel back and forth, and to also use the buses in Lee, and the underground in London? Thank you…!
Hi Margot,
Weekly travelcards for zones 1-3 on an Oyster card is likely to be the simplest way. You could also use contactless cards, but they only cap over Monday to Sunday weeks whereas a travelcard can run for any consecutive 7-day period. The advantage of contactless is that you don’t have to buy the travelcard up front and if you don’t end up using it all you’ll save a bit. But it won’t take long to make the travelcard worthwhile when it’s only zones 1-3.
Many thanks!
Thanks Mike much appreciated – would I buy this at tube station or can I pay by DD monthly ?
Hi Natalie,
You can buy it at a tube station, or at Oyster ticket stops or at some National Rail stations. You can also order it online at the TfL website. If you want to pay monthly by direct debit then you’ll need to look at commuter club or a similar scheme.
Arriving Heathrow April 14 , using Oyster cards , best way to get to London Peckham Hotel , 110 Peckhwm Rd ,Southwark , London
Hi Marian,
Unfortunately “best” is quite a subjective term. Do you mean quickest, cheapest, or easiest with luggage? Peckham Rye is the nearest station to the hotel but it’ll be quite a walk with suitcases, or a bus/taxi. The cheapest rail journey will be Piccadilly line to Earls Court, District line to West Brompton, then London Overground to Clapham Junction and again to Peckham Rye. This avoids zone 1. I think the quickest way will be Piccadilly line to Green Park, Jubilee line to London Bridge then Southern to Peckham Rye; but this is also the most expensive option. There are plenty of other alternatives but they all suffer from extra changes and/or a poor service to Peckham Rye of only every 30 minutes.
I hope that helps a bit.
what is the best travel card to buy as I need to travel from Eltham station to canary wharf Monday to Friday
Hi Darryl,
Zones 2-4 will cover that journey as long as you avoid zone 1.
Hiya.
I’m thinking about moving to Redhill and I work In Shoreditch.
How much will be the monthly travel cost?
Thanks
Dani
Hi Dani,
It looks like you need a Redhill to zones 1-6 travelcard which costs £338.70/month.
Hi. I go each weekday from forest hill to Moorgate (zone 3- zone 1). It looks like it is actually cheaper for me to do pay as you go/contactless than using a weekly or monthly travel card- is that correct? (Noting that I never travel into zone 1 at weekends)
Hi Ann,
Assuming you travel via Whitechapel then yes, PAYG is cheaper for a standard 10 journey a week commute.
Hi Mike,
I’m a bit confused about the automative refund payments when you repeatedly reach a Zone 1-4 or 1-6 daily cap:
1) The TFL website states the refund is applied when you “only travel at off-peak times”. Therefore, if you managed to reach the Zone 1-4 daily cap with multiple off-peak journeys, however you made one on peak journey within Zone 1-4; would it then charge you for the Zone 1-4 anytime daily cap (since all your journeys were not off peak) or would it refund you that day so that you would be charged the ‘off-peak’ Zone 1-4 daily cap with one peak journey charge added (assuming you meet the refund criteria at the end of the week)?
2) Does the refund also apply when you have bought a travelcard on the oyster (or when the contactless has automatically applied a weekly cap) – for example if you had a zone 6-7 travelcard but you made multiple off peak journeys within zone 1-4, would the anytime zone 1-4 daily cap be applied or the ‘off-peak’ daily cap (i.e. a refund)?
3) Similar to the above scenario, if you had a Zone 1-2 Travelcard applied, and made a peak journey within Zone 1-2, however then you had multiple off-peak journeys between Zone 1-4, enough to reach the Zone 1-4 daily cap – would the refund be applied?
Thank you so much for your help!
Hi Helen,
You like testing boundaries. The off-peak cap refunds for regular travellers in zones 4-6 apply to all travel after the start of the off-peak cap at 0930. It doesn’t matter if you travel between 1600-1900 as that still counts towards, and will be limited by, the off-peak cap. If you make a journey before 0930 on a day then it is unlikely that the travel after 0930 will be enough to trigger a refund, but if it was enough then you should still qualify.
For number (2) I really don’t know. Perhaps you could start to explain how you would get between zone 6 and zone 4?
For number (3) it would be the journeys in zones 3-4 which matter. Bear in mind that with a zone 1-2 travelcard you will only be charged extension fares for zones 3-4. If you made enough of them to exceed the zone 1-4 cap then you should be eligible for a refund, as long as all the other criteria are met.
That makes more sense to me now, thank you. I didn’t realise that travelling between 16:00 until 19:00 could contribute towards and be covered by the off peak cap, even though it is ‘peak’ times.
For number (2), say I had already bought a weekly travel card between 6-7, and at the beginning of the day started at zone 1 (say I slept over at a friends house), and then travelled between zone 1-4 for the rest of the day (so I never bridge the gap between 4-6). I would assume that I would be capped ‘off peak’ between zone 1-4 if all the criteria is met.
You’ve been a great help!
Hi Helen,
It would fulfil the criteria for one day, yes. You’d need two days minimum to qualify for a refund of course.
Hi Mike,
Sorry to ask you so many questions!
1) I just wanted to confirm that the automatic refund for off-peak travel also applies to Zones 1-5 (an equivalent refund of £1.30). The TFL website only mentions a refund of 40p between Zones 1-4 and a refund of £2.10 between Zones 1-6 (“You are eligible for a payment if your day’s travel means you reach a Zones 1-4 or Zones 1-6 daily cap”), however it never mentions the £1.30 refund if the ‘off peak’ Zones 1-5 daily cap criteria has been reached.
2) Also, if I were to buy a monthly travelcard, would it last 4 weeks, 31 days or work per calendar month (if it starts on 5th March would end on 4th April)?
Thanks again!
Hi Helen,
The off-peak cap refunds are based on the caps which applied in 2014. In that year they only capped at 1-2, 1-4 and 1-6. Thus if you cap at todays 1-5 rate you will have exceeded the notional off-peak cap for 1-6 based on 2014 figures and are entitled to the refund. It should be pointed out that the notional off-peak caps for zones 1-4 and 1-6 are rising faster than todays daily caps such that at some point in the future there will be no refunds.
Monthly travelcards last for a calendar month, so the number of days in the month in which they start.
Hi Mike,
Random question: do you know how the discounted travelcard seasons are calculated? For example on the tfl website, the apprentice oyster card gets 30% off travelcards. However for the Zones 1-3 monthly travelcard I would expect the cost to be (0.7 * 148.7 =) 104.09, but instead 103.7 is the charge. Similarly for 50% off Job centre travelcards, for zone 1-9 I would expect 164.55 but it is actually 164.8.
Thanks for your help as always!
Hi Helen,
I don’t know exactly, but I know some rough rules. Any monthly season ticket is 3.84x the weekly cost rounded to the nearest 10p. The annual is 40x the weekly cost. Therefore the apprentice weekly ticket is likely to be just under 70% of the relevant adult cost such that the monthly rounding doesn’t cause it to be more than 70% of the adult monthly cost.
Hi Mike,
I live in Brentwood and I need to travel to Bromley South Monday to Friday. Does a travel card 1-9 cover my journey? Thank you
Hi Kirsty,
Yes it does. You could also use a zone 2-9 travelcard if you avoid zone 1. See the Oyster fare finder for route details.
Hi!
I’m wondering if you could answer a question about daily/weekly capping for me.. If I travel between zone 1 and Bounds Green, that is marked as being both zone 3/4, will the applied cap be the one for zone 3 or 4?
Thanks!
Hi Linnea,
If you only travel to/from the south of Bounds Green then you will cap at 1-3.
Hi Mike,
I need to travel from Seven Sisters Station to Watford Junction, Mon-Fri, work 9-5, but can be a bit flexible there, e.g. 7-3. What is the best option please?
Much appreciated!
Hi Alana,
Assuming you mean cheapest when you say best you need to change at Highbury & Islington and Willesden Junction. If you can work from 7-3 then as long as you touch in at Seven Sisters before 0630 and touch in at Watford Junction before 1600 then both fares will be off-peak. You need to touch the pink readers at Highbury and Willesden.
If you need to travel in the peak then there’s a clever trick to reduce the fare a bit. Rather than touch pink at Willesden Junction, exit through the gates and enter again, touching both times. This will split the journey in two and enable you to pay off-peak for the Willesden to Watford leg because contra peak travel is charged off-peak between Euston and Watford Junction, but only that one line. The through peak fare is £4.70 while the split fares are £1.70 and £1.80 making £3.50. If the whole journey is off-peak then you must touch pink at Willesden to get the through off-peak fare of £2.90.
If best means speed then travel via Euston and use the faster London Midland trains to Watford Junction.
Hi there,
I just wondering what I am doing wrong . I bought a travel card zone 2-5 .
This is means I can touch in and out at any of these zones ,even if I change train in zone 1?
I just asking because yesterday I touched in at Neasden , touched out at Mile End , and I got charged .
How it’s works ?
Hi Greg,
Please take a look at the FAQ page, in particular, the first question.
Hello Mike,
I hope you are well.
I have a travelcard zone 2-4 and I go from Sutton Common to Camden Road, now I use the national rail then overground while en route to home and work. Now, if I get off at Kentish Town, I get charged £2.40 but if I get off at West Hampstead, I do not get charged at all. I have challenged TFL about this before but they keep telling me I have gone through Zone 1 and my dispute is I do not use TFL services as I use the national rail when travelling from Sutton Common to West Hampstead /or Kentish Town and there is nothing on their that stipulates this and also when I go to West Hampstead, which is the same zone as Kentish Town (Zone 2) I do not get charged.
Please advise if I can challenge them about this.
Hi Nicholas,
Firstly, I assume you mean Kentish Town West rather than Kentish Town. If you use Kentish Town then I’d say you must have gone through zone 1 on the Thameslink train.
The problem is the distance travelled on the Overground from Clapham Junction. They allow a zone 2-4 fare for stations up to Gospel Oak, but not from Kentish Town West and beyond. I think the suggestion is that you’d go the other way round (via Shoreditch) or via Farringdon, Kings Cross and Highbury & Islington. The decision on which fares to offer may rest with Thameslink or the Rail Delivery Group (formerly ATOC), rather than TfL.
As you use a travelcard there is a way around the issue. When you change trains at Clapham Junction, rather than going straight to the Overground platforms you should exit and re-enter at the gates under platform 1. This will split your journey into two and starting at Clapham Junction you can go all the way round to Highbury & Islington before they assume you’ve used zone 1.
It’s not ideal, but I think it’s the best you’ll get in the short term.
Hi Mike
I’m planning travel in UK for 8 days.After I read many suggestion I still not sure which is the best ways to travel around.
I have to travel from Heathrow airport to Queensway on the first day and back to Heathrow on the 8th day.My hotel is in Queensway area.
I will travel in zone 1-2 for a whole week so
– I should buy travelcard for 7 days right(Zone1-2) right?Start after my arrival on first day or I should start on 2nd day
– On the 2nd day I will travel to OXFORD this this I will use chillltern railway
– After all just put more 15 pounds for return to airport
Is there any better?
Thanks for helping.
Hi Phanu,
If you are only travelling from the Airport to the Hotel on day 1 and only travelling from the Hotel to the Airport on day 8 then it doesn’t make much difference. If either day will have more travel than the other then get the travelcard to cover that day. For Oxford you’ll need a boundary zone 2 to Oxford ticket so you don’t double pay for the first bit of the journey. You can get this ticket from Marylebone ticket office.
Finally, how are you travelling from/to Heathrow? If you use the Piccadilly line then you’ll need £2.80 peak or £1.50 off-peak when travelling in conjunction with the travelcard. If it’s PAYG the whole way then it’s £5.10 peak or £3.10 off-peak. If you use Heathrow Express or Connect from Paddington then you can’t use Oyster to/from the Airport.
Hi Mike,
Quick question: tfl states that “Off-peak fares apply at all other times and if you travel from a station outside Zone 1 to a station in Zone 1 between 16:00 and 19:00, Mondays to Fridays”.
What happens if you travel from a dual zone 1/2 (e.g. Earl’s Court) to a zone 1 station (e.g. Holborn) during those times – would it be an off peak fare or peak fare? Does this differ between oyster and contactless, or would they treat it in the same manner?
Sorry, following on from my previous question:
What would happen if you travel from zone 3 (e.g. Wimbledon Park) to Earl’s Court (zone 1/2) during those times – would it charge an OffPeak journey between zone 1-3 of £2.8, or would it charge a Peak journey between zone 2-3: £1.5?
Thank you!
Hi Helen,
If you start or end a journey at a dual-zoned station then the zone used depends on where you travel. Wimbledon Park to Earls Court is zones 2-3 which you can see confirmed on my Oyster fare finder. Thus it will charge £1.70 for a peak zone 2-3 journey. Earls Court to Holborn is zone 1 only and there is no difference between peak and off-peak anyway in zone 1 on LU unless you have a railcard discount. If you did have a discount it would be peak in the afternoon peak.
There is no difference between Oyster and Contactless in this respect.
Hi Mike,
What a great help this site is.
Im starting a new job in August and will be travelling from Bush Hill Park to Liverpool Street and back Mon-Fri. I would like to use bus, tube and train. Could you confirm what is the best and cheapest travel option for me. I believe just using trains will cost around £1650? Thanks in advance.
Hi Jane,
Bush Hill Park to Liverpool Street rail only season is £1636. You don’t actually need the tube for that journey. If you need to use a bus at either end of your commute then a zone 1-5 travelcard will be cheapest at £2248. If tubes and buses are just an occasional mode of transport then I’d use an Oyster for that and buy the rail only season for the commute.
Hi Mike,
I was just wondering, if I added a zones 1-3 7 day travel card to my Oyster, would I be able to travel along the Central line from Ealing Broadway (Z3) all the way to Leytonstone (Z3/4) going via zone 1 for free?
And if that is the case, would that mean that I would get totally unlimited free travel in zones 1-3 as long as the travel card was valid?
Thanks!!!
Hi Will,
Basically yes. The only thing you can’t use is the High-Speed service between St Pancras and Stratford.
Hi Mike
Thanks for the wonderful website you have here.
I am moving to Raynes park, need to travel to zone 1 Moorgate or Liverpool street. That’s zones 1 to 4, but I can even take a bus to zone 3 and take the train from there.
My current circumstances allow me to travel only three days a week.
Would it be better off if I buy for zone 1-3, even if occasionally I would still touch in from zone 4?
Thanks for your help!
Hi Elaine,
If you are usually only travelling 3 days a week then just use PAYG. The daily cap is 1/5 of the weekly travelcard price. If you use a contactless payment card it will even protect you if you end up travelling more often by capping you at the weekly rate between Monday and Sunday.
However, if you have a zone 1-3 travelcard on an Oyster then you’ll just need some PAYG credit if you want to touch in in zone 4 one day.
Hi Mike,
What would be the cheapest way to travel daily (excluding weekends) from Goodmayes to Liverpool street. I guess it will be Zone 4 to Zone 1.
Thanks
Rohit
Hi Rohit,
If you only need Goodmayes to Liverpool Street and no Underground or buses then a point-to-point season ticket will be cheaper than a travelcard.
Hi, my 18+ Oyster card will expire on August 31st. I wonder if I buy an annual travel card before it expires (say, on August 30th), will the travel card still be valid after the Oyster card expires (i.e. in September, October, etc.)? Many thanks!
Hi Adam,
No it won’t. You can only buy travelcards that are covered by the 18+ Student Oyster.
Hi, I’m wondering what is the best travel card or ticket for me to buy if I’ll be travelling from dartford to gravesend every day. Also I need to get a bus from gravesend train station to shorne, gravesend road. I’ll be doing this journey return every day too
Hi Dee,
I’m afraid this is going beyond my areas of expertise. A season ticket between Dartford and Gravesend will cover the train, but you’ll need to enquire of the bus company what arrangements they have.
Hi Mike,
Im moving to New Malden area (zone 4), and will need to commute from New Malden to Canary whard 3 days a week. the travel will mix of bus, rail and undergroud. Could you please adivice on the beat travel card or ticket for me?
Hi Jessica,
If you want to travel New Malden – Waterloo – Canary Wharf then you’ll need zones 1-4. If money is more important than time then you can travel New Malden – Clapham Junction – Canada Water – Canary Wharf and only need zones 2-4. Buses are covered whichever option you go for, even outside the zones on the travelcard.
Hi Mike, do the monthly or yearly caps (travelcards?) apply to contactless? I suppose I’m asking this to work out another question you might be able to answer easily- is the Oyster card ever going to be better than a contactless card if you’re a full-fare paying adult? Thanks
Hi Tim,
No. In the future you may be able to attach travelcards to a contactless card, but capping beyond a week won’t happen. And no, Oyster will never be better than contactless.
I’ve just uncovered a slight glitch (contactless payments). I recently had a day where I had to shuttle back and forth between the Isle of Dogs and Croydon. My travel involved DLR journeys to / from Croydon (all zone 2) and bus and tram journeys (but no other mode). This should have capped at £6.60 (as my non bus/tram journeys never went beyond zone 2) but actually capped at £7.70. I’ve spoken to tfl who admit that their system gets this wrong – awaiting confirmation from them that they have identified and fixed the glitch that caused this incorrect calculation.
Hi Island Dweller,
Can you expand on what you actually did that day? I might be able to identify what is causing the issue, and how likely it is that it can be fixed.
Hi Mike
I travel by tram from Elmers End to East Croydon then train from East Croydon to Gatwick vice versa 5 days a week during the day and evening, including some weekends, off peak and peak times (shift work at Gatwick). I think the zones are 4-6. Would it be cheaper to add a weekly travelcard on to Oyster card? Many thanks.
Hi Mike again
Sorry, I omitted to mention that I currently pay contactless. Many thanks.
Hi Jules,
No it wouldn’t. Gatwick is actually well beyond zone 6. The single fares between East Croydon and Gatwick Airport are actually exceedingly good value and it sound like a proportion of your journeys are off-peak anyway. A season ticket will assume commuting at peak times all the time so won’t be worth it.
Hi
I am travelling by bus to East Croydon station then go from there to Syon Lane via Clapham Junction. It looks as if I’ll need to be at Syon 4 days a week now, what’s the best thing to do? Stick with PAYG or get a monthly 2-5 travelcard?
Hi Sala,
Get a travelcard. It’s worthwhile as you mix trains and buses.
Hi Mike,
I will be traveling weekly between Richmond and Sutton, changing at Clapa Junction. Question: once I reach the weekly cap for zones 4-5 with that commute, are any subsequent standalone bus rides also free? Similarly, do bus rides on that trip count towards the weekly cap for zones 4-5?
Thank you for your help!
Hi James,
Buses do count towards whatever weekly cap you reach, so when you reach it they will be free just like any further train journeys.
BUT: Richmond to Sutton via Clapham Junction is a zone 2-5 journey as Clapham Junction is in zone 2. Therefore you won’t cap until you reach the zone 2-5 figure of £32.80.
Hi Mike,
I live in Earlsfield and need to do 3 day returns per week to Redhill at peak times. Do you know what would be the cheapest way of doing this?
Many thanks for your helpful website!
Katie
The cheapest way would be train from Earlsfield to Wimbledon then tram to East Croydon and train to Redhill from there. This would be £2.10 + £1.50 + £5.20 = £8.80. Travelling by train all the way would be £10.40 via Clapham Junction. Please do look at my Wimbledon page to ensure that you touch the right readers when changing there.
Hello Mike,
I currently live in Paddington, I use an 18+ oyster with a 16-25 Railcard. I go to uni at Euston Square on all weekdays and usually head out on weekends. I’ve worked out that travelling twice a day(inbound and outbound, even when both journeys are off-peak), a weekly will only be 60p more than 14 off-peak zone 1 journeys (ie twice a day, so not affected by caps) so I’m on weeklies at the moment which is definitely worth it, considering sometimes I have to attend early lectures at peak times, and there is no need to worry about overspending. Though just in case I dash off and leave London for whatever reason randomly for a week I didn’t buy a monthly.
However, I’m moving to Wembley Park in a month or so…I’m not actually quite sure what the best option is…a weekly? A monthly? Would a zone 2-4 travelcard be more worth it because I’ll just pay the zone 1 fare everyday and have a zone 1 cap? Or is that not very clever…Maybe even payg? But I like having a travel card so I don’t have to worry about the fare whenever I travel… I know the maths might work out a bit differently since I have discounted off-peak fares, off-peak caps and travelcards..
Btw TfL overpricing travelling is the reason we’re all here….I never actually felt the pain until my 16+ expired at the end of September:(
Your website is so good and I often visit just to look around and I learn something new everyday, this is my second time asking a question here so thank you very much for your help!!
Crispin
Hi Crispin,
Sorry for the delay replying. Unless the majority of your commute journeys are off peak then a travelcard for zones 1-4 will be the best option. A monthly is slightly cheaper than 4 weeklies, but you do have to use it most weekdays to make it worthwhile.
Hi,
I currently have a monthly travelcard for zone 2-4 but next week I would be travelling between zone 1 and 2 quite often, what would be my best option if I want to avoid pay as you go expense
Hi Amber,
Unless you will be travelling in zone 1 more than 5 days in the week then PAYG is likely to be the cheapest option. Each journey into zone 1 will be charged at £2.40 with a daily cap of £6.60. The weekly travelcard is £33.00. I’m not sure whether you can add overlapping travelcards (the zone 1 is actually zones 1 and 2) to the same Oyster.
Hi Mike,
Thank you for the info does the daily cap mean that once this limit is reached in a day I wont be charged anymore on that day?
Thanks once again
Absolutely, Amber.
Hi
What would be the cost for travel Monthly from Zone 6 to Canary wharf?
Thanks in advance
Hi Sunny,
You’ll need to say where in zone 6 you are travelling from.
hi mike,
just to clarify.
Lets say i stay in a hotel in zone 2, so by traveling back and forth from zone 2 to visit attractions in zone 1, the daily cap is at 6.60, and thats it? no extra charges moving from zone 1 to 2? ….got abit confused by the way things are worded in other websites hahah thank you.
Hi Nicole,
Quick answer, yes, that’s it.
Slightly longer answer, there is one minor exception which is the high speed line between Stratford and St Pancras. That line charges special fares and they don’t count towards the daily cap.
Hi
I need to travel from Sutton (Surrey) to Canary wharf, please suggest if I need to get zone 1 to zone 5 or zone 1 to zone 3.. please suggest.. thanks in advance
Regards
Sudhakar.M
Hi Sudhakar,
It depends how you go. Sutton is in zone 5, so you’ll need that unless you plan to get a bus to a lower zone. If you avoid zone 1 by changing at West Croydon and Canada Water then you’ll only need zones 2-5, otherwise it’ll be zones 1-5.
Hi mike I will be travelling to Oxford Circus from Walton on Thames every day at peak times could you tell me if I can get a weekly travel card to cover the whole journey. Many thanks
Hi Caroline,
Yes you can. The weekly Walton to zones 1-6 travelcard is £80. Note that there are also more expensive versions which give you flexibility to use Oxshott or Shepperton.
Many thanks for your help
Hi Mike
I need to travel from wembley to Hayes and Harrington.please suggest me a monthly travel card for bus and tube
Hi Nafeez,
That’s quite a cross country journey. You might be better off just using buses to be honest. If you do use trains then you’ll need at least zones 3-5. Depending on your journey you might need zones 2-5 or even 1-5.
Hi
I’m going to be doing a daily commute during the week from Clapham Junction to Canary Wharf. The fastest journey looks like it would use National rail to Waterloo and then Jubilee to Canary Wharf. Are you able to help with which travelcard would cover this?
Hi Scott,
Yes, zones 1-2 will cover that. If you can travel Clapham Junction to Canada Water then Canary Wharf you’ll be charged zone 2 singles each way which will be cheaper than a zone 2-3 travelcard.
Good Afternoon,
I may get a new job at Croydon and I am currently living in Canary wharf. Do you know what travel card I willl need please ? And how much it would be please ? Alslo, I have the oyster 18+ .
Kind Regards,
Hi Sandra,
Canary Wharf to Croydon is zones 2-5 as long as you don’t go into zone 1, so change at Canada Water. With an 18+ Student Oyster that is £23.70/week.
Hello I was wondering what would be the price of me travelling from east Croydon to Willesden Green or West Croydon to Willesden Green for a monthly travel card or does the cost cover my travel from any of the Croydon stations to Willesden Green?
Hi Rukky,
All the Croydon stations are in zone 5 so you either require a zone 1-5 travelcard (£223.50/month) or zone 2-5 (£130.20) if you are prepared to avoid zone 1 via Clapham Junction and Willesden Junction.
Hi
I’ve read through the information and I just want to check to make sure. I need to commute 5 days a week from Wood Green to Hampton Court Railway station via Vauxhall, then take a bus from Hampton Court to my final destination. Journeys both ways will be in peak times. Should I get the zone 1-6 travelcard to save the most money?
Hi Henry,
Yes, a zone 1-6 travelcard will be your best bet.
Hello I was wondering what would be the price of me travelling from east Croydon to Canary Wharf or West Croydon to Canary Wharf for a monthly travel card or does the cost cover my travel from any of the Croydon stations to Canary Wharf?
Hi Sk,
A zone 2-5 travelcard would cover either Croydon station to Canary Wharf avoiding zone 1. Note that if travelling from West Croydon you might be better off using PAYG unless you make several other journeys a month on top of your commute.
Hi Mike
If I was to travel from outside London (Ashford Surrey) to Brentford, would I be able to use the season ticket covering Ashford (Surrey) to Brentford (Or Zones 4-6) using London buses in Ashford to get to the station or whould this have to be seperate?
Hi Mikey,
If your season ticket is to zones 4-6 then yes it is valid on TfL-operated buses in Ashford. If it is just between Ashford and Brentford then it is only valid on the trains.
How much will it cost to take a 13 year old from Southgate station to Waterloo station. He doesn’t have an Oyster card.
Hi Malone,
The cash single fare is £2.90.