Here’s where it gets juicy. If you use a contactless card (debit, credit, or Apple Pay), you still hit the same cap as an Oyster Travelcard—£8.10 daily, £40.70 weekly for Zones 1-2. But there’s a sneaky advantage: contactless automatically caps you. No loading, no thinking. It’s like a lazy person’s dream.
But beware: if you use a foreign contactless card, your bank might add a 3% fee per swipe. That adds up faster than a Hangry commuter. So for international visitors, the Oyster card (with a £7 refundable deposit) is still the safer bet. Just don’t lose it like I did.
One more thing: You can’t put a weekly Travelcard on a contactless card—only on Oyster. So if you’re staying seven days and want the fixed price, Oyster wins. Otherwise, just tap your phone and pray.
