Oyster or contactless? London transport guide

If you’re off to London for a city break, you’ll need to navigate the transport network to make the most of your time. Most public transport in London uses either paper tickets, an Oyster card, or a contactless payment method like your card or smart device with a mobile wallet like Apple Pay.

So, is it better to use Oyster or a contactless card to get cheap journeys around London? This guide looks at the difference between Oyster card and contactless and how you can make the most of your money when you travel with a Wise card.

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What is an Oyster card?

The Oyster card¹ is a contactless payment card used for public transport in London. You can use your Oyster card to tap in and out of tube stations, or to hop on a bus, tram or some trains for example. It’s a ‘stored value’ card, so you need to add money to it before you can use it.

If you pay for your travel with an Oyster card the cost is lower compared to buying a paper ticket. There are also caps on the total cost of transport in a day or a week, which can lower your spending if you’re using public transport to get around a lot during your visit to London.

There are standard Oyster cards, and a special Visitor Oyster card² which also offers some discounts on some merchants and entertainment venues.

There’s a 10 GBP cost to buy an Oyster card³, and you can then top up GBP in value to pay for your travel. You can top up online or in the Oyster app, at a station, or at a local newsagent in London.

Standard Oyster card vs Visitors Oyster cards: What are the differences?

If you’re heading to London, the choice between an Oyster card or contactless can be tough enough. There’s then also the decision about getting a Standard Oyster or a Visitor Oyster.

Here’s a quick comparison so you can see the differences:

What is a contactless card?

A contactless card is a debit, credit or prepaid card which has technology embedded in it to allow you to make payments by holding the card close to a payment terminal.

You can use your contactless card to tap in and out of many transport options in London, and you can also use other contactless methods such as paying with your phone or smart watch with a wallet like Apple Pay.

There’s no difference in paying when it comes to Oyster card vs contactless - you tap in and out in exactly the same way with either card type. The biggest difference is that your Oyster card will need to be topped up in advance of use, while your contactless card payments are debited directly from your linked bank account.

So, are contactless and Oyster the same price? We’ll dig into this in a moment, but it helps to know that the London transport authorities charge both contactless and Oyster cards in the same way. The only difference might be if you’re paying fees to your bank for using your contactless card abroad - more on that, and how to avoid it, in a moment.

Basic differences between an Oyster card and a contactless card

You can use either an Oyster card or a contactless card to pay for transport on⁴:

• London buses
• London Underground
• Tram services
• DLR and the London Overground
• Most of the Elizabeth line
• IFS Cloud Cable Car
• Thames Clippers River Bus services
• Most National Rail services within London.

In many ways, using Oyster vs contactless is very similar. However, there are a couple of differences:

• You can’t add a discount pass onto a contactless card, but you can add it onto your Oyster card
• You can’t use Oyster on the Elizabeth line between Reading and Iver - use contactless instead.

Is using an Oyster card cheaper than a contactless card in London?

The price you’re charged for travel with Oyster or a contactless card is the same - and in both cases the overall amount you can pay in a day or a week is capped. However, using Oyster or a contactless card is cheaper than buying paper tickets for your travel.

If you’re using a contactless card from your Irish bank, it’s important to know whether or not your bank will charge you a foreign transaction fee when you transact overseas. If your bank adds a foreign transaction fee, you’ll pay this for every journey you make - which can start to add up. The smart alternative is to use a card which doesn’t have a foreign transaction fee, like the Wise card.

If you choose to use a contactless card to pay for London transport, using a Wise card means you can add EUR to your Wise account and convert it to GBP in advance with the mid-market rate. There’s then no Wise fee to spend in pounds as long as you have enough balance to cover the transaction cost.

💡 The other important consideration if you’re thinking about using Oyster is that you need to pay 10 GBP to get your card in the first place. This goes for both the standard card and the Oyster card for visitors.

With a Visitor's Oyster card, you may also get discounts on some merchants, venue tickets and the IFS Cloud Cable Car. If you’re debating visitor Oyster card vs contactless you’ll have to weigh the discounts up against the upfront costs to decide if it’s worth it for your trip.

In the end, the Oyster vs contactless price difference might come down to the specific contactless card you use.

Travel to the UK with the Wise card

As an Irish resident, you know that a trip to the UK for a weekend in London, a shopping spree in Manchester, or a family visit means dealing with a different currency. And if you want to spend British pounds (GBP) without losing money to terrible exchange rates and hidden bank fees, the Wise card can be a game-changer.

The Wise card is contactless, which means you can use it for quick, secure payments in the public transport, shops, restaurants, and bars all over the UK. Just look for the contactless symbol and tap your card. Easy as that!

And since it's connected to the Wise multi-currency account, it means you can already spend from the pounds you have on your account, for example. Using your Wise card abroad and don't have enough money in the local currency? No problem. Thanks to the Smart Conversion technology, money will be automatically deducted from the currency where the exchange rate is the best.

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How to use the Oyster card app (TfL Go)?

You can download the Oyster card app (TfL Go) on Android and Apple phones, and then link your Oyster card or your contactless card to your app.⁵ Doing this allows you to view your journey history easily, and to top up your Oyster card if you need to, from the app.

The TfL Go app also has other handy features for navigating London travel, like live arrival times for transport options, and route maps.

Can I use the Oyster app (TfL Go) instead of a card?

No, the TfL Go app is a place to view and manage your transport account, but doesn't replace the physical card or smart device tap needed for journeys.

You can not tap in or out of transport without using a contactless card, Oyster card, or a mobile payment method like a smart phone with Apple Pay.

Sources used:

Sources last checked on date: 25th September, 2025