So first up let's talk about Oyster cards and contactless payment

If you plan to be in London for more than a day, or you plan to come back again soon and visit, you want to get an Oyster card. However before you part with any of your precious moolah, take a moment to check your bank card to see if it has this sign on it * 

 

If you do have the contactless sign, then you can use you bank card instead of having to buy an Oyster card to pay for all your travel between zones 1-9.

 

Using Contactless Bank cards/ Apple/Android Pay: The good thing about using either your contactless card, apple/android pay, or an Oyster card is that its a lot cheaper and will save you money compared to using a paper ticket. So, how it works, if you use a card to pay, and say travel 8/9 times on the tube, it will cap it to whatever it would be to buy a days travelcard (aka paper ticket), however if you only use the tube 1 or 2 times, it will only charge you for those two journeys, meaning that rather than spending say £12 for the days journey, you will only be charged say £4 or whatever the journey comes to. Click here for more details.

 

Using an Oyster card: Like contactless pay, using a prepaid Oyster card will also save you money. It's always a little cheaper rate than using a paper travelcard ticket. How it works is you go to a tube station or corner shop and pay a £5 deposit to get an Oyster card (you can get the deposit back by taking it to Victoria station and handing the card back, as well as any leftover money on it (up to £10) - check the website for all the conditions). You then add an amount of money onto the card. Like the contactless bank card system, if you use a card to pay, and say travel 8/9 times on the tube, it will cap it to whatever it would be to buy a days travelcard (aka paper ticket), however if you only use the tube 1 or 2 times, it will only charge you for those two journeys, meaning that rather than spending say £12 for the days journey, you will only be charged say £4 or whatever the journey comes to.

If you are using a prepaid Oyster card then the rest of the money will carry over to the next day, or the next time you use it. The balance won't expire for a few years and will be sat on the card waiting for you for next time you visit.

For more details click here. [*Make sure you check with your bank if you are not a UK resident on using your cards overseas].

​

You can use your Oyster card/ Contactless Bank cards/ Apple & Android Pay for the Train (Zones 1-9), Tube/Underground, TFL Buses (aka the red ones) on the Emirates Air line, and on some of the River services. Check out the TFL website for more info, and click here for more travel details.

​

Always remember to touch in and out at the start of every journey (apart from on the bus where you only touch in).Always use the same contactless payment card, oyster or android/apple pay for the entire day, don't switch between cards and devices or you will get charged more as they can't follow your days/weeks journey across separate cards/devices. A card or device is always cheaper than buying a paper ticket for London Transport. However if you are going to be going to some of the major tourist London spots, it may be worth getting a paper ticket from the train station so you can get 2-for-1 on some of the attractions, click here for more details.

​

Before you head on your way to using Public Transport, we have to talk about the Santander Cycles! If you don't have a small child with you, and you feel comfortable and confident on a bike, this is the best way to get around London. It's £2 for 24 hours access to the bike. In short, you then have to pay for every half hour you keep the bike, but here's the trick. You can cycle to most places in 30 mins, and so simply pick up the bile from one of the many many docking locations (all available to view on their handy app) cycle it for 30 mins to your next location and drop it at another docking station. You of course can hold onto the bike longer than 30 mins, but then you pay an extra £2 per 30 minutes.