OYSTER CARD AND NATIONAL RAIL
What is an Oyster card?
An Oyster card is a plastic credit card sized smart card which is issued by, or on behalf of, Transport for London (TfL). It can store up to £90 as "Pay as you Go" credit, and up to three Travelcard or London Bus & Tram Pass season tickets, or a combination of these. Travelcards are only available for travel within the London Fare Zones area.
Travelcard Season Tickets
Travelcard season tickets: These tickets can be purchased for seven days, or for any period from one month to one year. They are 'multi-modal', meaning they are valid on National Rail, London Underground, Docklands Light Railway and London Tramlink services within the zones for which the Travelcard is issued. Any Travelcard, regardless of the zone it is issued for, is valid on all bus services throughout the London Bus network.
See the London Connections Map for details of the Fare Zones.
Pay as you Go
Pay-as-you-go: Can be used for single journeys on all London Underground, Docklands Light Railway, London Bus services wholly within the London Fare Zones area. It can also be used on participating National Rail services within the London Fare Zones area. Details of these routes are summarised below and are also shown on the 'Oyster Pay As You Go on National Rail map'.
The PAYG balance is automatically debited with the cost of your journey for the zones in, or through which, you have travelled. PAYG fares are subject to a daily price cap for any number of journeys made within a 24 hour period ending at 04.29 the following morning. Any additional journeys made after you have reached this cap will not be charged provided you touch in and out every time. The value of the price cap is also dependant upon the time of day that you make your first journey, the zones travelled in or through and the mode of travel used.
A special discounted daily price cap applies for Oyster card holders who also have a valid Senior Railcard, Disabled Persons Railcard, 16-25 Railcard or a HM Forces Railcard and have registered their Railcard for the price cap discount. This can be done at any London Underground ticket office or at a National Rail ticket office that issues Oyster cards. This lower daily price cap applies if you start your first journey after 0930 on Mondays to Fridays or at any time weekends and public holidays.
Where can I get an Oyster card?
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At Oyster Online. Oyster card holders can purchase pay as you go credit and Travelcard seasons online.
- From any London Underground ticket office, and from most National Rail ticket offices on routes where you can use Oyster to pay as you go - see below.
National Rail ticket offices continue to issue the full range of rail-only tickets and Travelcards on traditional card ticket stock. Travelcards issued this way have exactly the same validity as their Oyster counterpart.
If you need help using your Oyster card, please ask staff at any Oyster issuing station or contact the Oyster helpline on 0845 330 9876 (open 0800-2000 daily) or for further information about Oyster visit the Oyster Card website.
How do I use an Oyster card – what do I do at the station?
When starting a journey using PAYG on National Rail, please note that at an entry charge of either £4 or £5 will be deducted from the balance on your card. This charge will be adjusted when you ‘touch out’ at the end of your journey so that you pay the correct advertised fare and qualify for the appropriate daily price cap.
All London Underground and many National Rail stations in the London area have Oyster card compatible ticket gates or validators.
You must ‘touch’ your Oyster card on the Oyster reader on the gates or validators at both the start and end of your journey. This is particularly important when using PAYG as it will ensure you pay the correct fare for the journey. Failure to ‘touch in’ or ‘touch out’ may mean that you pay more than the advertised fare and the daily price cap will not apply. You may also be subject to a Penalty Fare or be prosecuted.
If, during your journey, you change trains at any of the following National Rail stations:
Blackhorse Road, Gospel Oak, Gunnersbury, Highbury & Islington, Kensington Olympia, Stratford, Willesden Junction and West Brompton
you should touch your Oystercard on the pink card reader 
located on the stations platforms to ensure you pay the appropriate Oyster single fare. If you do not do so you may be charged a higher fare
Routes where pay as you go can be used on National Rail
- Between Upminster / Rainham (Essex) and Fenchurch Street (and at all intermediate stations)
- Between Amersham / West Ruislip and Marylebone / Paddington (and at all intermediate stations)
- Between Finsbury Park and Kings Cross/Moorgate
- Between West Hampstead Thameslink and Elephant & Castle / London Bridge (and at all intermediate stations)
- Between Greenford / West Drayton and London Paddington (and at intermediate stations
- Between Watford Junction and London Euston (and at all intermediate stations)
- Between Gospel Oak and Barking (and at all intermediate stations)
- Between Richmond and Stratford (and at all intermediate stations)
- Between Watford Junction and Euston (and at all intermediate stations)
- Between Willesden Junction and Clapham Junction (and at all intermediate stations)
- Between Liverpool Street and Seven Sisters/ Tottenham Hale / Walthamstow Central (and at all intermediate stations)
- Between Stratford and Barking (but NOT at Maryland or Forest Gate)
- Between Stratford and Liverpool Street
- Between Stratford and Seven Sisters / Tottenham Hale
- Between Watford Junction and Clapham Junction (and at intermediate stations)
- Between Elephant & Castle, London Blackfriars and City Thameslink
QUICK JOURNEY PLANNER
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