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 services between Paddington and the Airport; 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. Travelcards are only valid to/from Stratford International if marked Plus HS1.
The first table lists all the daily caps. All Railcards refers to those that can be added to Oyster: 16-25, 26-30, 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 | £7.20 | £7.20 | £3.60 | £1.50 | £3.60 | £3.60 | £7.20 | £4.75 | £4.75 |
| 1-3 | £8.50 | £8.50 | £4.25 | £1.50 | £4.25 | £4.25 | £8.50 | £5.60 | £5.60 |
| 1-4 | £10.40 | £10.40 | £5.20 | £1.50 | £5.20 | £5.20 | £10.40 | £6.85 | £6.85 |
| 1-5 | £12.30 | £12.30 | £6.15 | £1.50 | £6.15 | £6.15 | £12.30 | £8.10 | £8.10 |
| 1-6 | £13.20 | £13.20 | £6.60 | £1.50 | £6.60 | £6.60 | £13.20 | £8.70 | £8.70 |
| 1-7 | £14.50 | £13.30 | £7.25 | £1.50 | £7.25 | £6.65 | £14.50 | £9.50 | £8.80 |
| 1-8 | £17.00 | £13.30 | £8.50 | £1.50 | £8.50 | £6.65 | £17.00 | £11.20 | £8.80 |
| 1-9 | £18.80 | £13.30 | £9.40 | £1.50 | £9.40 | £6.65 | £18.80 | £12.40 | £8.80 |
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 | £13.50 | £6.75 | £13.50 | |||
| 1-6 | £19.10 | £13.50 | £9.55 | £6.75 | £19.10 | £8.90 |
| 1-9 | £24.20 | £14.30 | £12.10 | £7.10 | £24.20 | £9.40 |
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 | £36.10 | £138.70 | £1,444 | £18.10 | £69.50 | £724 | £25.20 | £96.80 | £1,008 |
| 1-3 | £42.40 | £162.90 | £1,696 | £21.20 | £81.40 | £848 | £29.60 | £113.70 | £1,184 |
| 1-4 | £51.90 | £199.30 | £2,076 | £26.00 | £99.90 | £1,040 | £36.20 | £139.00 | £1,448 |
| 1-5 | £61.70 | £237.00 | £2,468 | £30.90 | £118.70 | £1,236 | £43.10 | £165.50 | £1,724 |
| 1-6 | £66.00 | £253.50 | £2,640 | £33.00 | £126.80 | £1,320 | £46.10 | £177.10 | £1,844 |
| 1-7 | £71.80 | £275.80 | £2,872 | £35.90 | £137.90 | £1,436 | £50.10 | £192.40 | £2,004 |
| 1-8 | £84.80 | £325.70 | £3,392 | £42.40 | £162.90 | £1,696 | £59.20 | £227.40 | £2,368 |
| 1-9 | £94.10 | £361.40 | £3,764 | £47.10 | £180.90 | £1,884 | £65.70 | £252.30 | £2,628 |
| 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6 | £27.00 | £103.70 | £1,080 | £13.50 | £51.90 | £540 | £18.80 | £72.20 | £752 |
| 2-4, 3-5, 4-6 | £29.90 | £114.90 | £1,196 | £15.00 | £57.60 | £600 | £20.90 | £80.30 | £836 |
| 2-5, 3-6 | £35.90 | £137.90 | £1,436 | £18.00 | £69.20 | £720 | £25.00 | £96.00 | £1,000 |
| 2-6 | £45.10 | £173.20 | £1,804 | £22.60 | £86.80 | £904 | £31.50 | £121.00 | £1,260 |
| 2-7 | £46.90 | £180.10 | £1,876 | £23.50 | £90.30 | £940 | £32.70 | £125.60 | £1,308 |
| 2-9 +wj | £63.70 | £244.60 | £2,548 | £31.90 | £122.50 | £1,276 | £44.50 | £170.90 | £1,780 |
| 4-7 | £33.90 | £130.20 | £1,356 | £17.00 | £65.30 | £680 | £23.60 | £90.70 | £944 |
| 4-9 +wj | £57.10 | £219.30 | £2,284 | £28.60 | £109.90 | £1,144 | £39.90 | £153.30 | £1,596 |
* Annual seasons are not available on Jobcentre Oyster cards.
+wj Travelcard seasons for zones 2-9 and 4-9 also include Watford Junction.
Hello Mike. This coming late September/early October I will be beginning a full-time placement year as part of my university degree in Central London. I was wondering if it would be cheaper to get a travelcard or use PAYG for my commute from Zone 4 to Zone 1.
Hi Isaac,
I’ll need to know what your commute is going to be. Whether a travelcard is worthwhile depends on several factors, including which services you use and whether a bus is required at any point.
Hi Mike. Thanks for your response. I would be travelling from Raynes Park in Zone 4 to be working in and around the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. Hope that this helps! Many thanks, Isaac
Hi Isaac,
If your placement is mandatory as part of your degree course then you should be able to get a letter from your university which will enable you to get an 18+ Student Oystercard. If that is the case then a travelcard should be better value because you get a 30% discount.
If you can’t get an 18+ Student Oyster then it depends whether you walk from Waterloo or get the tube to Westminster. If you walk then a rail only season ticket from Raynes Park to Waterloo will be best; if you get the tube then a travelcard will be better.
Hi there
I am going to be travelling back into the office from Shenfield to St Pauls, twice a week. What is the cheapest way to do this and how much would it cost? Thanks, Nic
Hi Nicci,
It depends on the time of day that you travel. The relevant fares are as follows:
Anytime Day Travelcard is £31.40 and covers anything you might want to do, but probably overkill.
Off-peak Day Travelcard is £21.10 and can be used on the first train arriving at Liverpool Street after 1000.
Anytime Return is £24.70, including one return trip on the Underground/DLR.
Off-peak Return is £19.90, including Underground/DLR and valid arriving into Liverpool Street after 1000.
Oyster Peak Single is £12.80, when touch in is between 0630-0930 or 1600-1900.
Oyster Off-peak Single is £9.80, when touch in is at any other time.
So if you can start early then Oyster or contactless is your friend, likewise if you can avoid the evening peak on the way home.
Hi I am from Upminster and starting work soon in central London. It will take me from Zone 6 to Zone 1 for 5 days a week. It cost me 3.10 to go and 3.10 to return making it 6.20 a day.
What would you recommend for 5 days a week Zone 1-6 travel for work? Also are there any possible discounts to be had?
Hi Leon,
As Chris has said, the £3.10 fare is for off-peak travel. To get that fare you would need to avoid touching in at Upminster between 0630-0930 and avoid touching in for the journey home between 1600-1900. If you do travel between those times then the peak £5.10 single fare applies. Peak fares would not be reduced by any railcard discount. Unless you are also using a bus at either end of the journey then a weekly travelcard won’t save you any money.
If you’re sure you’ll avoid peaks (per the £3.10 fares quoted), then you should see the “Railcards and Discounts” page in case you have or can buy one that can be linked to your Oyster card for a 34% discount on off-peak fares.
You haven’t stated your end destination, but if you’re keen to save cash you should also consider whether you can avoid Zone 1. Ending your journey at Whitechapel or Shadwell for example would cost £1.50 each way off peak.
Hi, I willl be taking one bus to mile end station first, and then taking two trains to get to Holloway road station and using my student 18+ card. How much will this cost me for one day?
Hi Yasmin,
The 18+ Student card charges adult single fares, so assuming this is a return journey you will cap at £7.20 for a day. The weekly discounted zone 1-2 travelcard is £25.20 with an 18+ Student card, so is worthwhile if you travel 4 or more days a week.
Hi
I am an adult and need to travel from my home address which is in zone 3/4 (Norwood Junction) area to Epsom, Surrey. Can you please confirm that the above monthly travel card for £219.30 is the correct card I should apply for. Can you also confirm that I will be able to get off at a different station within zone 3/4, such as Thornton Heath etc. and that I can use the bus services too.
Hi Alex,
The £219.30 monthly travelcard covers zones 4-9 so it would be fine to use that from Norwood Junction to Epsom, but not from any zone 3 station. However, it is NOT the cheapest travelcard. What you probably need is an Epsom to zones 4-6 (or 3-6 if you really need zone 3) travelcard. This is not available on Oyster, but can be put on Southern’s smartcard called The Key, or you can get it on paper. There are two versions, one which allows travel via both Ewell East and West, and a cheaper version routed Southern only which cannot be used between Epsom and Ewell West. The monthly prices are:
Epsom to zones 3-6 Any Permitted: £185.10
Epsom to zones 3-6 Southern only: £173.60
Epsom to zones 4-6 Any Permitted: £154.00
Epsom to zones 4-6 Southern only: £141.70
All of these tickets are valid on any TfL bus, even those operating in zones 1-2. You can also use the trams as well.