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Last updated:Today at 19:43
Train companies affected:Avanti West Coast, London Northwestern Railway

Pay As You Go with Contactless

Pay as you go with contactless is coming to 47 more National Rail stations across the South East from Sunday 22 September

Turn up, touch in, and go

Pay as you go with contactless is fast and flexible, perfect for travelling around the South East.

  • All you need to travel is your contactless card or device

  • No need for you to queue for a ticket, buy a ticket or top up before you travel

  • You can seamlessly switch between trains, Tube, London Buses and trams that accept pay as you go with contactless

  • You only pay for the journeys you make

  • You can benefit from daily and Monday to Sunday caps into and within London

  • We’ll work out the best adult fare for you

Pay as you go with contactless is another way to pay for your journey. You can still buy tickets instead if you prefer.

Additional pay as you go with contactless stations

Pay as you go with contactless was recently introduced to Denham, Denham Golf Club, Gerrards Cross, Seer Green & Jordans, Beaconsfield and High Wycombe, and will extend to 47 more stations on Sunday 22 September.

New stations from 22 September

  • Apsley

  • Ashford (Surrey)

  • Basildon

  • Bat & Ball

  • Benfleet

  • Berkhamsted

  • Bletchley

  • Bricket Wood

  • Chalkwell

  • Cheddington

  • Datchet

  • Dunton Green

  • East Tilbury

  • Egham

  • Eynsford

  • Garston

  • Hemel Hempstead

  • How Wood

  • Kempton Park

  • Kings Langley

  • Laindon

  • Leigh-on-Sea

  • Leighton Buzzard

  • Otford

  • Park Street

  • Pitsea

  • Sevenoaks

  • Shepperton

  • Shoeburyness

  • Shoreham (Kent)

  • Southend Central

  • Southend East

  • St Albans Abbey

  • Staines

  • Stanford-le-Hope

  • Sunbury

  • Sunnymeads

  • Thorpe Bay

  • Tilbury Town

  • Tring

  • Upper Halliford

  • Virginia Water

  • Watford North

  • West Horndon

  • Westcliff

  • Windsor & Eton Riverside

  • Wraysbury

View or download a map of the new stations (PDF, 60kb)

About pay as you go with contactless

You can use a contactless card or device to pay as you go on National Rail, London Underground, DLR, London Buses and London tram services within London and at an increasing number of stations across the South East.

Just touch your card or device on a card reader at the start of your journey and touch out with the same card or device at the end of your journey.

Find out where you can use pay as you go with contactless on the pay as you go with contactless map.

Travelling using pay as you go with contactless

When using pay as you go with contactless, remember to:

Always check pay as you go with contactless is available at your destination

Before you touch in at the start of your journey, make sure that pay as you go with contactless is available at your destination. If you do not touch out, this will show as an incomplete journey, and you will be charged a maximum fare of up to £29.

If you do not have a valid ticket for your whole journey, you may be liable to pay a full fare or Penalty Fare.

Always touch in and out

Touch in at the start of your journey and touch out at the end of your journey to pay the correct adult fare, even if the ticket gates are open.

If you don’t touch in and out on each journey you make, we won’t know where you have travelled, so we can’t charge the right fare. If this happens your journey will be incomplete, and you could be charged a maximum fare.

On a London bus or tram you only need to touch in.

Use the same card or device to touch in and out

Remember to touch out with the same card or device as you touched in with. If you use a different contactless card or device, we won’t be able to calculate the best fare for you.

For example, if you touch in with a physical card and touch out with a device, this will show as 2 incomplete journeys, meaning you’ll be charged the maximum fare for each journey.

Only touch 1 card or device on the reader

Keep your contactless cards and devices away from each other when touching in and out so that you only touch in or out with the one you wish to pay with.

If you touch more than 1 card or device on the contactless reader at a time, the reader won’t know which card or device to charge. This is called ‘card clash’ and will show as 2 incomplete journeys, meaning you’ll be charged a maximum fare for each journey.

Check you have enough battery on your device

If you are paying with a contactless mobile device, make sure you have enough battery to complete your journey. If you do not touch out because your device has run out of battery, this will show as an incomplete journey and you will be charged the maximum fare.

Show your contactless card or device for inspection

You will need to show your contactless card or device for inspection when asked to do so by a member of staff. Simply touch your card or device on the reader when asked.

Pay as you go with contactless pricing

When you use pay as you go with contactless, you’ll be charged the best adult fare for your journey on the day and time of your travel. For most people, this fare is the same as a ticket bought on the day. If you make multiple journeys into or within London, you could also benefit from daily and Monday to Sunday capping.

Pay as you go with contactless may not always be the cheapest way to pay for your journey. For example:

  • If you have a Railcard or are eligible for other discounts (like a Child discount), it may be cheaper to buy a ticket for your journey. Currently discounts cannot be applied to pay as you go with contactless

  • If you make the same journey regularly, buying a Season ticket (weekly, monthly, annual or Flexi Season) may be better value

  • In some cases, you may find a cheaper fare if you book your ticket in advance of your journey

Find out more about pay as you go with contactless fares(external link, opens in a new tab).

Find out if you could save with a Season ticket.

Contactless cards and devices

All major credit and debit cards are accepted by card readers.

If your UK-issued bank card shows the contactless payment symbol, you can use it to pay as you go at an adult rate. You can also pay as you go with contactless devices such as phones, watches, key fobs, stickers and wristbands that have been linked to a valid debit or credit card. Many contactless cards issued outside the UK can be used to pay as you go (overseas transaction fees may apply).

Find out more about contactless payment methods valid across the National Rail and Transport for London pay as you go with contactless area on the TfL website(external link, opens in a new tab).

Capping with contactless

Use the same contactless card or device for every journey, and you could benefit from daily and Monday to Sunday capping.

Capping limits how much you pay for all your journeys. When your pay as you go with contactless journeys into and within London add up to a certain amount in a day or week (Monday to Sunday), you won't be charged anymore.

A pay as you go with contactless daily cap is calculated over 24 hours, starting at 04:30 and ending at 04:29 the next day.

If you use the same contactless card or device to pay for all your journeys throughout the week, you will also be eligible for a Monday to Sunday cap. For maximum benefit, start using your contactless card or device on a Monday.

Your pay as you go with contactless fare is capped at either a peak rate, off-peak rate or a Monday to Sunday rate. Remember to continue to touch in and out for every journey you make.

Depending on how often you travel and where you’re travelling to, it may be better value to buy a Season ticket (weekly, monthly, annual or Flexi Season).

Please note, capping is not available for pay as you go with contactless journeys that don't include travel in London Zones 1 to 9.

Customer services for pay as you go with contactless

If you have any questions about your journey on National Rail services, please contact the train company you are travelling with.

If you need help with pay as you go with contactless payments, need to view your journey history, or want to apply for a refund on a pay as you go with contactless payment, please contact Transport for London (TfL) via:

More Information

Click on a section below to find out more.

FAQs

If your phone, watch or FitBit is contactless enabled and is linked to a valid debit or credit card, you can use it to pay as you go with contactless.

Use the Transport for London (TfL) single fare finder(external link, opens in a new tab) to find the cost of a pay as you go with contactless journey between any two stations on National Rail, Tube, DLR, London Overground and Elizabeth line services where pay as you go with contactless is currently accepted.

When you pay as you go with contactless you will either be charged a peak or off-peak fare. This is determined by whether you touch in with your contactless card or device within peak or off-peak hours. Your journeys will be added up at the end of the day and you’ll receive one charge.

Morning peak times apply 06:30 to 09:30, Monday to Friday. Evening peak times apply 16:00 to 19:00, Monday to Friday, when you are travelling from or via stations in the London Zones 1 to 9.

For pay as you go with contactless journeys outside London, please check peak times with the train company you’re travelling with.

Weekends and bank holidays are off-peak all day.

No, you cannot use 1 contactless card or device to pay as you go for multiple people. Each person must use a separate contactless card or device for each journey.

It may be cheaper to buy tickets for your journey.

Yes, but you will be charged an adult fare. Concessionary and child fares are not available with pay as you go with contactless. You can still buy tickets with a concessionary or Child discount.

If you want to use pay as you go with contactless for your child’s journey, you must use a separate contactless card or device for your journey and their journey. You cannot use 1 contactless card or device to pay for multiple people.

You can apply for Delay Repay by providing the train company you travelled with a statement of your journey from Transport for London (TfL).

See up to 7 days of journey history from the TfL website.(external link, opens in a new tab)

To see more than 7 days of journey history, set up a TfL account.(external link, opens in a new tab)

You will usually be charged for your contactless journey within 3 days.

If you don’t touch in and out on each journey you make, we won’t know where you have travelled, so we can’t charge the right fare. If this happens your journey will be incomplete, and you could be charged a maximum fare of up to £29.

You can manually complete your journey by creating a Transport for London (TfL) account or logging in to your existing account.(external link, opens in a new tab) You can do this up to 3 times a month.

If you were charged a maximum fare, find out if you can apply for a refund.(external link, opens in a new tab)

If you touch out with a different card or device than the one you touched in with, we can’t work out your correct fare. This will show as 2 incomplete journeys, meaning you’ll be charged a maximum fare of up to £29 for each journey.

You can manually complete your journey by creating a Transport for London (TfL) account or logging in to your existing account.(external link, opens in a new tab) You can do this up to 3 times a month.

If you were charged a maximum fare, find out if you can apply for a refund.(external link, opens in a new tab)

It is your responsibility to check that pay as you go with contactless is available at your destination before you touch in at the start of your journey. If you do not touch out, this will show as an incomplete journey, and you will be charged a maximum fare of up to £29.

If you do not have a valid ticket for your whole journey, you may be liable to pay a full fare or Penalty Fare. The Penalty Fare is £100 plus the price of the full single fare applicable for your intended journey. If it is paid within 21 days, the Penalty Fare is reduced to £50 plus the price of the single fare applicable.

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