Visitor Oyster Card London

Depends on the number of people travelling together. Let’s say that you are a family of four including two children aged 13 and 4:

• The little one travels for free
• The teenager needs a Visitor Oyster. Upon arrival check on the staffed tube terminal to apply the Youth Discount.
• All Visitor Oyster card holders can use the Heathrow Express services as well as the Underground. For the Express trains you must purchase a card with at least £30 added credit as the railway service rate will apply.
• Express trains are convenient for a smoothest commute to Paddington.

• Your friend or relative must hold a Visitor Oyster card.
• For the smoothest experience when travelling from any airport to Central London, contact both train stations’ - start and end of your journey- accessibility scheme.
• You can check more details about London Transport accessibility in our Getting around London guide.

• Visitor Oyster cards deduct credit every time you make a journey. After you make several journeys in one day, you will reach a daily limit, and the rest of the journeys on that day will be free.
• Different journeys cost different amounts, depending on which zones you travel in and what time of day you travel. Daily limits (‘caps’) also vary according to these factors    
• Travelling at peak times is more expensive than travelling off-peak. 
• Peak times are Monday to Friday, 06:30 am - 09:30 am and 04:00 pm - 07:00 pm.  All other times are off-peak. 
• Travelling through more than one zone is more expensive.

• No, each person must have their own Visitor Oyster card, except children under 11 who travel free with a paying adult (up to 4 children per adult).

• You can use your Visitor Oyster card to travel to and from Heathrow Airport, London City Airport (using DLR) and Gatwick Airport.

• Visitor Oyster cards from us cost from £15 to £55.
• These prices include a £5 activation fee, and the rest is credit that is pre-loaded onto your card. So if you buy a card for £55, for example, your card will have £50 credit on it.

• A £20 card will cover a full day of travel from Heathrow Airport to central London by tube or the Elizabeth Line (doesn’t apply on the Heathrow Express).
• For a single journey on both the Gatwick Express or National Rail services, the recommended amount is a £25 Visitor Oyster card.
• A £10 Visitor Oyster card covers a full day of unlimited travel in central London within zones 1-2, as the travel price is currently capped at £8.10. A £25 card is ideal for 3 days’ travel in zones 1-2.
• A weekend in central London, plus return travel to Heathrow Airport, will likely suit a £40 card and a £50 card will likely cover the same but with return travel to Gatwick Airport.
• If you will be travelling frequently every day for 7 days or more, a £50 card is likely your best option. 

• If you run out of credit, you can top up your card at any station or at thousands of shops throughout London. You can also make one bus journey without any credit. The cost of the journey will be deducted when you next top up your Visitor Oyster card.

• There are three ways for you to obtain a refund on a Visitor Oyster card:

  • Underground station ticket machine

  • Refunds at Visitor Centres, including Heathrow Visitor Centre (Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 Tube station, from Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 4:30 pm)

  • Refunds by post

• For more details, consult our Help page.

• As per Transport for London’s terms and conditions, the £5 activation fee is a non-refundable fee required to purchase a Visitor Oyster card. The activation fee for a regular Oyster Card, however, is now £7 meaning you can save £2 when purchasing a Visitor Oyster Card.

• London Underground (the Tube) 
• London Overground
• Most National Rail services in London
• London buses
• South London trams
• Docklands Light Railway (DLR)
• Elizabeth Line
• IFS Cloud Cable Car
• Gatwick Express
• Heathrow Express
• Thames Clippers River Bus services