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London Underground Tickets & Travelcards
The Travelcard is a transport pass for London that gives you unlimited travel in London within certain zones . The prices vary according to the number of zones you need to travel through. Central London is in zone 1.
Travelcards are valid for 1 day, 7 days, 1 month or 1 year.
The passes are valid for travel on all types of transport in London including:
- the Underground (the tube)
- the local suburban trains within London
- the Elizabeth Line (not west of West Drayton)
- the Docklands Light Railway (DLR)
- the London Overground
- the buses all over London. A Travelcard for any zone allows you to use the buses in all zones (zones 1-6)
The 3 Day Travelcard, weekend Travelcard, Zone 1-2 & 2-6 One Day Travelcards are no longer available.
Visiting London for 1-7 days? See our guide to London’s transport tickets & passes . The Travelcard may not be the best ticket for your stay.
Single Underground Tickets
Single paper tickets on the London underground are expensive if you buy them from a tube station ticket machine:
- £6.70 for one journey in zone 1 (central London) and between zone 1 and zones 2 to 6
- See single ticket prices for all zones .
One Day Travelcards: 2024 prices
Using a Pay as you go Oyster card or a contactless card are the cheapest ways to pay for travel if you’re in London for 1-5 days. The daily cap is £8.50 per day for zones 1-2
If you really don’t want to use an Oyster card or don’t have a contactless card, the One Day Travelcard is the next best money-saving pass.
The paper Off peak One Day Travelcard for zone 1-6 is £15.90. This is expensive, but still cheaper than paying the full cash fare for 3 underground trips in central London (3 x £6.70 = £20.10 ).
One Day Travelcard fares from 3 March 2024
Peak v anytime travelcards.
One Day Travelcard prices are different if you travel during peak or off-peak times:
Anytime Travelcard Valid for travel at anytime. Off-Peak Travelcard For travel after 9.30am Monday–Friday and all day Saturday, Sunday and public holidays.
Top Tip: An Off-Peak One Day Travelcard for zones 1–6 costs £10.40 with a Railcard .
Weekly Travelcards: 2024 prices
If you stay in London for 6–7 days and use the underground, trains, and buses every day, the weekly Travelcard is the most cost-effective travel pass.
The one-week pass including central London (zones 1-2) is £42.70.
- It can start on any day of the week
- It’s valid for travel at anytime; there is no peak or off-peak rate.
Most places sell weekly Travelcards loaded onto a plastic Oyster card. There’s a £7 fee for the Oyster card.
Your fare on an Oyster card will automatically cap at the weekly Travelcard fare (this is already available on contactless cards). The cap starts on Monday and ends Sunday, so it mainly benefits Londoners or those working in London.
Weekly Travelcard fares from 3 March 2024
- See weekly Travelcards prices for all other zones (2, 3, 4, 5 and 6)
Monthly Travelcards: 2024 prices
For longer stays in London, monthly Travelcards are available. You won’t save much compared to buying 4 x weekly Travelcards – but you’ll save time renewing it. Like the weekly Travelcard, it can start on any day of the week and is valid for travel at any time. See monthly Travelcard prices for all other zones (2, 3, 4, 5 and 6)
Monthly Travelcards from 3 March 2024
Where to buy travelcards.
One day, weekly and monthly Travelcards are available from:
Underground stations
Travelcards are available from all underground station ticket machines (there are no longer any underground tickets offices). The busier stations in central London have staff to help you use the machines.
Local shops and newsagents
Travelcards are also available from Oyster ticket stops . These are newsagents and local shops licensed to sell London transport tickets and Oyster cards. One Day Travelcards are not available from Oyster ticket stops.
London train stations
One Day Travelcards are available from all London train station ticket offices and ticket macines. Paper weekly and monthly Travelcards are no longer available from train stations . They are available to buy, but they are loaded onto an Oyster card and may only be available from ticket machines, not ticket offices.
London Transport Visitor Centres
TfL Visitor Centres at Victoria train station, Kings Cross/St Pancras International station, Heathrow Terminal 2 & 3 tube staion, Liverpool St station & Piccadilly Circus tube station.
How to use a Travelcard
On the underground.
If you have a paper One Day Travelcard or single ticket from a ticket machine, insert the card into the slot on the front of the ticket barrier. The barrier opens when you take the ticket from behind the yellow reader, on the top.
If you have a paper One Day Travelcard, just show it to the driver when boarding the bus.
See How to use an Oyster card if you have a weekly Travelcard on an Oyster card.
Top Tip: Do you want a cheaper way to travel around central London? If you only travel by bus , it costs £5.25 per day or £24.70 per week.
Related pages
- Guide to London’s transport tickets
- Weekly and monthly Travelcards for zones 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6
- Oyster card
- How to use a contactless card to pay for transport
- Bus tickets & passes
- London Transport zones
Last updated: 22 February 2024
Transport tickets & passes
- Guide to London's transport tickets
- One day & weekly Travelcards
- Zone 2–6 weekly Travelcards
- Bus tickets & passes
- Oyster single tickets
- Oyster card refunds
- Contactless cards
- Child tickets & passes
- Local train tickets
Useful information
- Plan your journey
- London transport zones
Popular pages
- Left luggage offices
- Congestion Charge
- 2 for 1 discounts at London attractions
- Oyster cards
- Top free museums & galleries
- Cheap eating tips
- Heathrow to London by underground
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London Travelcard
The London Travelcard is a transport pass which entitles you to unlimited travel on London’s public transport. You can use a travelcard to travel on the London Underground, overground, public buses, DLR (docklands light rail), TFL rail and other trains, as long as you travel within London’s travel zones.
It is designed for people who are planning on using London’s public transport a lot when visiting London or for people who commute into London on a daily basis. Still, a London Travelcard may sometimes not be the cheapest option even if does entitle you to unlimited travel.
London Travelcard: What do I need to know before I buy one?
When buying a London Travelcard there are three things that you need to know:
1. The duration of the card:
You can buy a travelcard for one day, 7 days, one month or annual.
2. The travel zones of London that will be using:
When you buy a travelcard you need to choose what travel zones you want use. If you are going to travel between zones 1 and 2, you will need a travelcard that is valid for these two zones, but if you are going to travel between zones 1 and 5 every day, you will need a travelcard that covers zones 1 to 5. This does not apply to travelling by bus, as any travelcard will allow you to travel on buses to and from any zone within London’s travel zones. So for example, if you have a travelcar for zones 1 and 2, you can still use a bus to get to zone 3 or zone 5 with that travelcard at no extra cost.
Most of London’s tourist attractions are located in zone 1, and only a few of the most popular attractions can be found outside zone 1, such as Camden Town Market which is in zone 2. Make sure you know what zone your hotel is in before you buy a travelcard.
3. Off-peak or Anytime
If you are buying a 1 day travelcard (which we don’t normally recommend as an oyster card has a daily cap that is cheaper than a one day travelcard – see below) you will have to choose if you want it to travel anytime of the day, or just during off-peak times (Monday – Friday from 9.30 am; all day Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays).
This does not affect 1 day travelcards for zones 1 to 4, so if you are visiting London you probably don’t need to worry about this at all as you are unlikely to be travelling to zone 5, 6 or beyond.
Which Travelcard to buy if you are planning a trip to London
1 day travelcard.
The price of the 1 day London travelcard for zones 1, 1-2, 1-3 and 1-4 costs £15.20. We don’t normally recommend using the 1 day travelcard, as it is actually cheaper to use an oyster card, a visitor oyster card, or a contactless card as these payment methods have a daily cap. The daily cap applied to these zones are: £8.10 for travel within zones 1-2; £9.60 for zones 1-3 and £11.70 for zones 1-4. Once you have reached this daily cap you will be able to travel within the same travel zones for free. It is still necessary to tap in and tap out on the yellow reader with your oyster card, visitor oyster card or contactless card when using public transport.
Find out more about choosing between an oyster card, a travelcard or using contactless on London Transport here: Oyster card, Travelcard or Contactless .
7 day Travelcard
The 7 day travelcard for London travel zones 1-2 costs £40.70. When comparing oyster card/visitor oyster card/contactless fares to a 7 day travelcard, I would probably say that it is convenient to get a 7 day travelcard if you are going to be travelling around London for more than 6 days. If you are going to be in London less than 6 days then I would recommend using an oyster card (vistor oyster card or contactless if you are a UK resident).
Where to buy a London travelcard
Buying a London Travelcard at an underground station
It is possible to buy a London travelcard at any underground station in London, by either using a ticket machine at the ticket office or a manned desk in a the ticket office (if available). When you buy a 7 day, monthly or annual London travelcard at an underground station you will normally get an oyster card with the travelcard incorporated in it. So your oyster card will be pre-loaded with the travelcard you have chosen. This way you can also use this oyster card with pay as you go for any trips that are not included in the travelcard.
So, as an example, if you have a 7 day travelcard for zones 1 – 4 in your oyster card, you will be entitles to unlimited journeys within these travel zones for 7 days, and you can use your oyster as you normally would, by touching in and touching out. But, if one day you need to go to zone 6, you will be able to use the same oyster with pay as you go balance. One example when this might happen, is if you arrive at Heathrow airport (zone 6) but you want to buy a 7 day travelcard for zones 1 – 4. It will be much cheaper to use they oyster card with pay as you go for the journey from Heathrow to central London and the journey from central London to Heathrow Airport on your last day and adding a 7 travelcard for zones 1 – 4, than using a 7 day travelcard for zones 1 – 6.
Buying a London Travelcard at a train station
It is possible to buy a London travelcard at any train station located inside London’s Travel Zones . When you buy a travelcard at a train station, you will normally get a paper travelcard and not an oyster card.
Stansted, Luton or Gatwick airports are all outside London’s Travel Zones so these stations won’t normally sell London travelcards.
Buy a London Travelcard online
One of the easiest ways to buy a London travelcard is by buying it online. The price is exactly the same as what it would cost you to buy it in London but you will pay a little extra for delivery.
Buy a London travelcard at Heathrow airport
London travelcard fares from 5th march 2023, travelcard for children.
Children under the age of 11 travel free within London travel zones. Children over 11 can also benefit from reduced fares; you can learn more about this in our article: Travelling in London with kids .
Find out more
For more information, visit London’s official transport website: Transport For London
Related Posts
London underground, london travel zones, travelling in london with kids, contactless payment on london transport.
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A Travelcard (in the zones it's valid for) gives you unlimited travel at any time on bus, Tube, Tram, DLR, London Overground, Elizabeth line and National Rail services in London. You can use it on all buses, and if valid in zones 3, 4, 5 or 6, on all trams. Travelcards can start on any day.
Day Travelcards are paper tickets that can be used at the gates at Tube, DLR, London Overground, TfL Rail and National Rail stations, or shown to the driver on buses and tram services. Travelcards are not valid on river bus services, but Uber Boat by Thames Clippers and most river tour companies offer a 1/3 discount when you show a valid ...
London Day Travelcard. A paper ticket valid 24 hours that allows you unlimited travel on all London public transport services. Enjoy unlimited travel on London's public transport, including Tube, buses, Overground and National Rail services. Your card is ready to use as soon you arrive in London. Travelcards will be delivered to your home address.
Weekly Travelcards: 2024 prices. If you stay in London for 6–7 days and use the underground, trains, and buses every day, the weekly Travelcard is the most cost-effective travel pass. The one-week pass including central London (zones 1-2) is £42.70. It’s valid for travel at anytime; there is no peak or off-peak rate.
Travelcard. Tube, DLR, Tfl Rail, London Overground and Elizabeth Line. Bus Any service within Greater London regardless of the zone(s) the Travelcard covers. Trams If your Travelcard includes Zone 3, 4, 5 or 6. National Rail services in London Excluding Heathrow Connect services between Hayes & Harlington and Heathrow. Heathrow Express, Gatwick ...
The London Travelcard is a transport pass which entitles you to unlimited travel on London’s public transport. You can use a travelcard to travel on the London Underground, overground, public buses, DLR (docklands light rail), TFL rail and other trains, as long as you travel within London’s travel zones.