Travel cashless in London with Oyster cards and travel Cards
When you look down at London from the London Eye or any high-rise building it will dawn
on you that the city has a life of its own. The organs that keep London alive and kicking are
the roads, the rails and the cars that look like veins and arteries pumping life it to it. London
being one of the most developed cities in the world sets precedents on the quality of services
that are yet to grace the cities of the developing world. The Oyster card is like
an ultimate evolution in payment methods on travel. London’s Oyster card is an innovation
that makes life much easier for commuters. If you are planning to travel to London, knowing
about the Qyster card and other cards can make your travel simpler.
How Do I Use Oyster, Visitor Oyster, Contactless and Travel cards?
All the above mentioned cards allow unlimited access to the transport network in London.
You can travel on a bus, tube train, tram, DLR, London over ground, TFL Rail, Emirates Air
Line, River Bus Services and most National Rail Services. Each card has unique options and
is suitable for particular travel needs.
Oyster cards are reusable and flexible.
Visitor Oyster cards makes travel easier for short term travelers.
Contact less is the next level technology that would eventually replace the cards and it lets
you access the travel services with your smart devices and removed the restriction
of acquiring a separate card.
Travel cards are the precursors of the Oyster card. They are to enable people who are yet to
move to oyster card travel without discomfort.
Yellow Card Reader
Contact less is the next level technology that would eventually replace the cards and it lets
you access the travel services with your smart devices and removed the restriction
of acquiring a separate card.
Travel cards are the precursors of the Oyster card. They are to enable people who are yet to
move to oyster card travel without discomfort.
Why Should I Buy a Visitor Oyster Card?
Hassle free
Visitor Oyster card lets you travel hassle free in London without having to worry about
counting money or paying the right change. It is easy to use visitor Oyster card, all you have
to do is load money in your card and place it on the reader.
Pay as you go credit
The pay as you go
The pay as you go credit option secures you a seat on your journey and you can travel
without having to worry about making a reservation in advance or being denied a seat. You
also pay only for what you use.
Daily cap on charges
There is a cap on daily charge so if you are visiting places moving around a lot using the tube
bus or any other service you pay lesser than what you pay without an Oyster card.
Economical
To encourage use of Oyster cards there is also a discount on the fares when you pay with an
Oyster card. Visitor Oyster card users are also eligible for special offers and discounts in
some of London’s best restaurants, shops, galleries and other places
Save and upgrade
Travelling in London is an expensive affair. Cut travelling cost by using Oyster cards travel
cards, London hotels special offers. You can put the money you save to good use by
booking yourself a nice room in hotels like London city suites by Montcalm.
Where Do I Buy a Visitor Oyster Card?
Buy online
You can order a visitor Oyster card online on the official website and get it delivered before
arrival at your home address or get it delivered to you on arrival. There is no option of buying
a visitor Oyster card after arriving in London. You have to buy it before entering London.
Offline option
If you were unable to get it online you can buy it from various locations in the UK and
overseas before arriving in London.
How Do I Add Credit to My Visitor Oyster Card?
When you run out of credit you can add more easily by using any of the three methods
1. Visitor centers.
2. Recognized local Oyster ticket shops in London
3. Visitor centers
The list of the recognized shops and the visitor centers are available on the official site.
Difference between Oyster and Travel cards
Pay on the go credit
Oyster cards offer pay as you go credit and travel cards don’t. Unused credits cannot be
reclaimed in a travel card whereas you can claim it on an Oyster card.
Daily cap
Oyster cards have a daily cap on charges. This makes it cheaper for people taking frequent
and long trips cut spending on travel. There are two types of travel cards single day and
seven-day card. There is no cap on daily charges on a seven-day travel card but a single day
travel card is a fixed charge for all travels on a single day.
7 day cap
Oyster card or the contact less card doesn’t have the seven-day cap on charges. The seven-
day travel card is a fixed price paid for all the travels made in a week. Travel cards are
expensive compared to the Oyster card for longer trips but if used wisely it can prove cheaper
for tourists visiting the popular attractions in London.
Concessions
There is a special cap on daily bus travels and children fare based on peak or off-peak hours
when Oyster card is used. No concessions are available on travel cards.
Reuse
Oyster cards are cheaper. You can buy and add long-term bus passes, train passes and travel
cards on to your reusable Oyster cards. Travel cards are temporary and not reusable.
Contact less and Oyster cards are efforts made to make London a smarter city. Smart cities
save time that is going in to unproductive activities and makes service delivery more efficient
and user friendly. The best way to predict the future is to design it. The better we are at
predicting and preparing for the future population growth and needs, the better are our
chances at thriving than just surviving. Smart cities are the need of the hour as they are the
centers of development.
Contact us at Oyster
By phone:
Call 0343 222 1234 (Charges may apply)
24 hours a day, 7 days a week:
- Help you plan a journey
- Report a noise complaint
- Report a safety or security concern
08:30-16:00 Monday to Friday:
09:00-17:00 Monday to Friday:
- London streets queries, complaints or suggestions
08:00-20:00 Monday to Friday:
- Contactless card journey or statement queries, complaints or suggestions
08:00-20:00 Monday to Sunday:
- Oyster card, Oyster photocard and paper ticket queries, complaints or suggestions
- Queries, complaints or suggestions about our other services (not including taxis & minicabs or road user charging)
