Visitor Oyster Card is a contactless smartcard designed for visitors to London. It lets you pay as you go on the Underground, buses, trams, DLR, London Overground, Elizabeth line and certain National Rail services, as well as River Bus and the IFS Cloud Cable Car. Being able to pay with it does not mean all those services count towards the same daily spending cap.
What is the Visitor Oyster Card?
Visitor Oyster comes with prepaid credit that pays for your journeys as you travel. Its practical advantage is having it delivered before you leave home. You can buy Visitor Oyster before your trip and top it up later in London. If you prefer to buy a card on arrival, standard Oyster is sold at Underground stations and authorised shops. TfL states that Visitor Oyster itself is not sold in London: buy it online before travelling or from authorised outlets outside the city.
Advantages of the Visitor Oyster Card
- Buy in advance: order from the Visitor Shop for delivery before travelling. Check delivery times to your country and postage costs. In London, stations and authorised shops can top up your Visitor Oyster; the card sold there is standard Oyster.
- Easy to use: touch the yellow reader when entering and leaving the Underground and trains that accept it. On buses and trams, you generally only touch in when boarding; certain tram interchanges have specific instructions.
- Savings on journeys: pay as you go usually costs less than paper single tickets and offers spending caps for eligible journeys. Include the card’s cost and postage when assessing the total saving.
- Save time: avoid queuing for a card on arrival, as yours is ready to use.
- Visitor offers: it may give access to promotions at restaurants, shops or cultural venues. Check current offers and their conditions; this does not mean every attraction has a discount or admission is included.
- Tourist information: check TfL maps and resources alongside our guides to plan your visits. Check what documentation comes with your order; do not assume a printed guide is included with the card.
- Credit that does not expire: unused credit can be used on future visits to London.
How does the Visitor Oyster Card work?
- Buy the card: choose your initial credit and order Visitor Oyster before arrival, online or through an authorised seller outside London. Check that delivery fits your dates.
- Initial credit: cards are offered with prepaid amounts between £10 and £50. This credit is separate from the card’s cost and postage. You can add more at machines and authorised outlets in London.
- Use the card: use the same Visitor Oyster throughout your journey and touch in and out even when gates are open. Eligible journeys add up towards the relevant cap; incomplete journey charges do not count towards it.
- Top up the card: check your balance before starting a journey and add credit at authorised machines, Oyster Ticket Stops or Visitor Centres if needed. Do not wait for it to run out during your journey. Unused credit can be kept for another visit.
Prices and Discounts
As of 16 October 2026, Visitor Oyster costs £10.50 plus your chosen credit and postage. The £10.50 is non-refundable and cannot be used for travel. For example, ordering it with £20 credit costs £30.50 before postage; only £20 will be available for journeys. Check the seller’s price breakdown before paying.
- Underground and trains: there is no single price for every Zones 1–2 journey. Fares depend on stations, services, route and touch-in time. Check TfL’s official fare finder for your route.
- Transport discounts: a card bought for an adult does not automatically apply child discounts. For ages 11–15, see the Young Visitor discount below.
- Bus journey: the adult pay as you go bus fare is £1.75.
- Adult daily cap: in 2026, the cap for eligible Zones 1–2 journeys is £8.90. You do not necessarily pay this amount if you travel less, and it does not cover every service. River Bus, the cable car and Heathrow Express, for example, are charged separately from the zonal cap.
Who can buy a Visitor Oyster Card?
Visitor Oyster is sold mainly for adult visitors, but children can also use it under the relevant conditions and discounts. Each person who needs to pay must have their own card for the same journey.
On TfL services that allow it, an adult with a valid ticket can accompany up to four children aged 5–10 free of charge; under-11s also travel free on buses and trams. Do not apply that rule to every airport train or National Rail service. See our guide to travelling with children for your route.
If travelling with a child aged 11–15, ask TfL staff to add the Young Visitor discount to their card, with the child present. It gives half adult-rate pay as you go fares and daily caps on eligible services for up to 14 days. Buying the card does not activate the discount automatically.
What’s the difference between a standard Oyster Card and a Visitor Oyster Card?
- Cost: a new Visitor Oyster and a new standard Oyster each cost £10.50 for the card, according to the fares checked. With Visitor Oyster, add postage for home delivery and your chosen credit. A new card’s issue fee is not a refundable deposit; older Oyster cards have different conditions depending on purchase date.
- Travelcards and Railcards: standard Oyster can hold compatible passes and certain Railcard discounts. Visitor Oyster uses pay as you go credit and cannot hold Travelcards or Railcard discounts. This does not apply to Young Visitor: the child discount for ages 11–15 can be added.
- Unused credit refunds: these are not limited to forms and cheques. TfL’s current page says to apply by phone on 0343 222 1234 or by post, sending your card and contact details. Check the Visitor Oyster procedure. The seller also lists in-person assistance at certain Visitor Centres: confirm the location and opening hours before going. Recovering credit does not refund the £10.50 issue fee, and the card is cancelled when the refund is processed.
- Availability: Visitor Oyster can be ordered before leaving home. Standard Oyster is available on arrival in London; TfL’s online standard Oyster sales are for UK residents. If you are already in the city or delivery will not arrive in time, compare standard Oyster and contactless.
- Design: although it cannot be personalised, Visitor Oyster has a distinctive design that many visitors keep as a souvenir.
- Registration and loss: Visitor Oyster cannot be registered like standard Oyster. TfL does not refund the credit if it is lost or stolen. Avoid loading more credit than you are willing to carry without that protection.
Tips for using the Visitor Oyster Card
- Calculate credit from your journeys: two days reaching the adult Zones 1–2 cap amount to 2 × £8.90 = £17.80; four days, 4 × £8.90 = £35.60. So £15 or £30 does not guarantee coverage for those days. The calculation excludes airports outside those zones, boats, the cable car and special services; fewer journeys can cost less. The card’s price and postage are separate costs.
- Top up before you need it: check the balance before travelling. If using River Bus, remember you cannot top up Visitor Oyster at the pier.
- Check the route: acceptance on a network does not mean every station is covered. Oyster is not accepted between Reading and Iver on Elizabeth line or at Stansted Airport. For airports and special services, check the payment method and fare first; do not assume they count towards the central London cap.
Visitor Oyster may suit you if you want a card with credit delivered before travelling or need to activate Young Visitor for a child. If you are an adult without discounts and your bank supports contactless payments at charges you are happy with, compare contactless: it avoids buying and receiving another card. If you need a pass, check standard Oyster and Travelcard. Choose by total cost and route as well as the convenience of having a card ready.
Last updated: 16 October 2026
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