What is an Oyster card in London?
An Oyster card is a contactless smartcard used to pay for travel on London's public transport, including the Tube, buses, trams, the Overground, the Elizabeth line and many National Rail services within London.
Transport for London introduced the Oyster card in 2003. Users load money or travel passes onto the card and touch it on yellow card readers at stations and on buses.
Oyster fares are cheaper than buying single paper tickets. A daily cap limits how much a person pays in one day, no matter how many journeys they make.
Contactless payments
Today, many travelers use contactless bank cards or mobile phones instead of an Oyster card. These work in the same way and also have daily and weekly capping.
Visitors can buy an Oyster card at stations or a Visitor Oyster card before arriving. The card requires a refundable deposit or fee.
On the Tube and trains, passengers must touch in at the start and touch out at the end of their journey, or they may be charged a maximum fare. On buses, passengers only touch in once. Children under 11 travel free with an adult on most services.