London contactless transport: choose a card and keep using it
Prepare your payment before the station gate, then keep it consistent for the whole visit.
For a short London visit, contactless payment can make everyday travel simple: take the card or device you intend to use, tap at the correct readers, and let TfL calculate eligible fares. The choice that needs attention is the payment method itself. A bank card, the same card on a phone, and that card on a watch are separate methods for travel.
Choose one payment for each person
Decide before your first journey whether you will use a physical contactless bank card, a phone or a watch. Keep using that choice. If you enter with your phone, leave with your phone; a physical card linked to the same account will not complete that journey correctly.
Each traveller needs a separate accepted payment method. Give everyone a clear arrangement before joining the queue, particularly when one person manages the family’s cards. If children qualify for free or discounted travel, check TfL’s current age and ticket rules separately. This guide concerns adult pay as you go, so do not assume an adult bank-card tap applies the right child fare.
Check your card before arrival
TfL accepts many contactless cards issued outside the UK, but acceptance and overseas charges depend on the card issuer. Check those terms before travelling. If your card is unsuitable, an Oyster card offers another way to pay as you go, with credit added before travel.
Bring a backup for a rejected card or a lost device, while keeping your normal payment consistent. Charge a phone you plan to use at the gates and carry a battery pack if the day is long. Take a physical card out of your wallet before tapping: several cards presented together can cause card clash. A brief pause to choose the right card is easier than untangling an unexplained charge later.
Tap at both ends of rail journeys
On the Tube, DLR, London Overground, Elizabeth line and relevant National Rail journeys, touch in on a yellow reader at the start and touch out at the end. Open gates still require a tap. At a station without gates, look for a freestanding yellow reader rather than walking straight onto the platform.
Keep the payment ready until you have left the destination station. If a gate does not respond, ask staff instead of experimenting with another card halfway through the journey. On a route changing trains outside Zone 1, TfL may direct you to a pink reader to record that route. Follow the instructions for your interchange; pink readers serve a different purpose from entering and leaving.
Use one tap on the bus
London buses and trams normally require a tap at the start only. Do not tap out as you leave. Read TfL’s separate instructions if your tram journey involves Wimbledon, where the station arrangement creates an exception.
Choose a bus when its route suits the day, rather than because it appears simpler on the map. Compare the stop location and final walk with the rail option. For a compact sightseeing day, group nearby places using the London neighbourhood plan. A walk between two close stops can be more pleasant than returning to a station for every movement.
Understand the cap before budgeting
Daily and Monday-to-Sunday caps limit eligible pay-as-you-go spending according to your travel. Use the same card or device throughout so its journeys can be counted together. A weekly cap follows that fixed calendar week; it does not begin on the day you arrive.
Use TfL’s current capping page for the zones you expect to use. Going farther out can change the relevant cap. A cap also does not remove the need to tap. For an arrival day, compare the airport service separately with the Heathrow route guide rather than treating every train as the same fare product.
Check a journey that looks wrong
A missing tap can create an incomplete journey and a maximum fare, which does not count towards a cap. Note the stations and approximate travel time if a reader fails, then use TfL’s account and refund guidance to investigate. Keep enough detail to identify the journey without relying on memory after several days.
Check an unfamiliar fare with the single fare finder. Allow time for fares to settle before judging your final total. If rain changes the itinerary, choose a museum day with fewer journeys and retain the same payment habit.
A few useful answers
Can I enter with my phone and leave with the same bank card?
No. Use exactly the same card or device at both ends. TfL treats the phone, watch and physical card as separate payment methods.
Do I tap out when leaving a London bus?
No. Tap at the start of the bus journey only. Rail journeys require both an entry and an exit tap.
Does a weekly cap run for seven days from my arrival?
No. The weekly cap uses a fixed Monday-to-Sunday period. Check TfL for the current cap that matches your travel.
Sources & visitor information
Destination information checked on 4 October 2026. Use the linked venue or authority for current access and booking details.
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