Oyster VS Travelcard

This is something I wish I had known the few times I visited London before moving to the UK: it did take me a while to understand it. At that time, this campaign didn't exist (I only started seeing these useful signs in the underground a few months ago). 

I'll even go further than what the sign is saying by advising people to buy an oyster card instead of a travelcard when they visit London, even just for a couple of days. And this advice is even more valid if you're staying in Central London and might prefer walking or taking the bus instead of the tube.

The Oyster Card either works as a season ticket (weekly/monthly/yearly) or on a pay as you go basis. With the pay as you go system, you top up the amount that you want and the journey price is deducted at the end of each travel (just "remember to touch in and out", another campaign everywhere in the tube).

The reason the oyster is as good if not better than the travel card, is the capping system: the amount you spend during a day is limited so you never end up spending more than what you would have spent if you had bought a travelcard. Furthermore, on a daily basis, it is actually cheaper than the travelcard: zone 1 daily cap is £6.60 whereas the travelcard for a day costs £12.30. The capping is the same if you take a 7 day travelcard or use pay as you go. 

Basically, if during a whole day, you travel for more than £6.60, you won’t be charged more (that’s what capping is about). However, if you travel for less than £6.60, the remaining money stays on the oyster card and you can use it for the next day’s travels or get it back when you bring your oyster back. 

So, let's say you top up your card with £15 for a 2 day stay in London. You only take the bus twice the 1st day: you oyster will be debited of £3 for the day. The second day, you travel a lot and your oyster is capped to £6.60. When you leave London the 2nd day, you will only have spent £9.60 instead of the 2 x £12.30 for the travelcard. 

The oyster card costs £5, but it's only a deposit. When you leave the city, you take it back to a TFL counter to get the £5 back and the money you haven’t spent on the card. 

All the above regarding the oyster also work for contactless card: the same system, minus the £5 deposit and having to top up! 

Last but not least, an interesting fact about the oyster is that you can have a small "overdraft" :) If you have less on your card that what one journey costs, you can still travel and you'll get a negative credit on your oyster. 

You can also buy an oyster card in the automatic machines, so get yours when you arrive in London!