Tube fare optimiser

Worker with zone-×-time-of-day matrix. Reference fares for 2024/2025 contactless and Oyster fares; TfL updates tariffs in March each year, so re-confirm before booking.

Origin zone Destination zone Time of travel Trips in a day Card Days of use this week

Reference fares last checked against TfL 2024/2025 published tariffs. Confirm via TfL's Journey Planner for live single fares before you tap in.

What this solves

Most first-time visitors either buy a paper Travelcard (often the most expensive option) or tap a contactless bank card and assume TfL will cap them sensibly. Both work, but neither is always the cheapest for a 3-day or 5-day stay. This tool takes a single journey pattern and shows the cheapest combination.

How to read the result

Single fare is what you'd pay for one journey in the chosen time band.
Daily cap is the maximum the system will charge you between 04:30 one day and 04:30 the next. After that, additional journeys on the same zones are free.
Weekly cap is the maximum for the same Mon→Sun period.
The recommended card depends on whether your weekly use exceeds the cost of a 7-day Travelcard.

What it doesn't cover

Paper single tickets (almost always worse than contactless).
Off-peak Day Travelcards (rarely beat daily cap when used alone).
Gatwick/Heathrow Express surcharge or the £10 weekly airport premium.
Children, Zipcards or 16+ Zip — fares differ.

FAQ

Is contactless capped at the same level as Oyster?

Yes — since the rollout completed, contactless bank cards and Oyster share the same daily and weekly caps. There's no longer a reason to pick one over the other for the cap itself.

Do I need to tap out?

Yes, at tube and rail stations, and on DLR and London Overground. Not on buses and trams. TfL may charge the maximum fare for a journey if you forget to tap out.

Is there a Sunday cap?

No — the contactless-only "no cap on Sundays" trial ended in October 2023. Sunday fares now follow the standard off-peak/daily cap structure.

What about Heathrow?

Standard Tube fares to Heathrow (£5.60 Zone 1–6 peak, £3.50 off-peak) are subject to a separate daily cap and don't include the Elizabeth line premium. The Elizabeth line costs £12.70 from Zone 1 any time.

Sources

TfL — Single fare finder and 2024/2025 published tariff tables.
TfL — Travelcard prices 2024/2025 (Zone 1–N).
National Rail — Heathrow Express and Elizabeth line fares.