London uses a concentric zone system with Zone 1 at the centre and Zone 9 at the outer edge. Your fare depends on which zones your journey passes through.
The key zones for most visitors:
You only pay for the zones you travel through. A journey entirely in Zone 1 costs less than a journey crossing Zones 1, 2 and 3.
| Journey | Peak Single | Off-Peak Single |
|---|---|---|
| Within Zone 1 | £2.80 | £2.80 |
| Zones 1-2 | £3.40 | £2.80 |
| Zones 1-3 | £3.90 | £3.10 |
| Zones 1-4 | £4.60 | £3.60 |
| Zones 1-5 | £5.50 | £3.90 |
| Zones 1-6 (Heathrow) | £6.40 | £6.40 |
Peak hours: Monday to Friday, 06:30 to 09:30 and 16:00 to 19:00.
Bus fare: £1.75 per journey, any time, any distance on a single bus. Transfer to another bus within 60 minutes costs nothing additional (Hopper fare).
Daily caps prevent you from spending more than a set amount on TfL travel in any calendar day, regardless of how many journeys you make.
| Zone | Daily Cap (Peak) | Daily Cap (Off-Peak) |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 only | £8.50 | £8.50 |
| Zones 1-2 | £8.50 | £8.50 |
| Zones 1-3 | £10.40 | £10.40 |
| Zones 1-4 | £12.50 | £12.50 |
| Zones 1-5 | £14.00 | £14.00 |
| Zones 1-6 | £14.90 | £14.90 |
| Bus only | £5.25 | £5.25 |
Example: You make 6 Zone 1-2 journeys in one day. The first four journeys cost £3.40, £2.80, £3.40 and £2.80 (alternating peak and off-peak) totalling £12.40. The fifth and sixth journeys bring you past the £8.50 cap; you pay nothing for them.
The cap is automatic. You do not need to do anything. Just keep tapping your Oyster or contactless card.
Enter your start and end stations to see the exact fare for your specific journey including peak and off-peak prices, zone count and daily cap implications for your full travel day.
Calculate London Tube FareFind Train ScheduleThe Elizabeth Line charges TfL fares within London and different fares for the section beyond Zone 6 (Shenfield and Reading branches).
Within London (Zones 1-6): Standard TfL Oyster fares apply. Heathrow to Paddington: £12.70.
Beyond London to Reading or Shenfield: National Rail fares apply. The Oyster card does not cover these sections; buy a separate ticket at the station.
Several National Rail services run within Greater London and accept Oyster and contactless cards in addition to rail tickets.
Services accepting Oyster:
Services requiring a rail ticket:
Night Tube: Operates Friday and Saturday nights only, 24 hours a day. Lines: Jubilee, Victoria, Central, Northern, Piccadilly.
Night buses (N routes): Operate 7 nights per week when the Tube is not running. Use the same Oyster or contactless card. Same £1.75 bus fare.
During Night Tube hours: The standard Oyster daily cap does not apply across midnight. A new cap period starts at 04:30. If you travel late on Friday night and early Saturday morning, you accumulate fares in two cap periods.
Travelcards offer unlimited travel within specified zones for set periods. They work on the Tube, buses, the DLR and some National Rail services within London.
| Travelcard | Period | Zone 1-2 | Zone 1-6 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily (peak) | 1 calendar day | £15.20 | £19.60 |
| 7-day | Monday to Sunday | £40.70 | £71.00 |
The daily travelcard is rarely worth buying compared to Oyster or contactless. At £15.20 for Zone 1-2, you would need to make 6 journeys at Zone 1-2 off-peak prices (£2.80 each) to exceed the cap, which automatically limits you to £8.50. The cap is always cheaper than the daily travelcard for Zone 1-2 travel.
The 7-day travelcard makes sense if you travel heavily across one calendar week and want the convenience of not thinking about caps. The Zone 1-2 7-day at £40.70 matches the weekly Oyster cap exactly, but activates from the day you choose rather than Monday.