View source for Travelcard

{{Short description|Ticket for the London local transport}}
{{Other uses|Travel card}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox electronic payment
| image = London Underground Travelcard.jpg
| caption = A paper Travelcard issued on [[London Underground]] ticket stock
| name = Travelcard
| location = [[Greater London]]
| launched = May 1983
| service_1 = [[London Underground]] (1983)
| service_2 = [[London Buses]] (1983)
| service_3 = [[Docklands Light Railway|DLR]] (1987)
| service_4 = [[National Rail]] (1989)
| service_5 = [[London Trams]] (2000)
| service_6 = [[London Overground]] (2007)
| service_7 = [[Elizabeth line]] (2022)
| sales_location_1 = Online
| sales_location_2 = Telephone
| sales_location_3 = Newsagents
| sales_location_4 = Stations
| currency = [[Pound sterling]]
| variant_1 = Anytime Travelcard
| variant_2 = Off-Peak Travelcard
| technology_1 = [[Magnetic stripe card|Magnetic stripe]]
| technology_2 = [[Oyster card]]
| manager = [[Transport for London]]
| homepage = http://www.tfl.gov.uk/
}}
The '''Travelcard''' is an inter-modal [[transit pass|travel ticket]] for unlimited use on the [[London Underground]], [[London Overground]], [[Elizabeth line]], [[Docklands Light Railway]], [[London Trams]], [[London Buses]] and [[National Rail]] services in the [[Greater London]] area.<ref name=fares_09>{{cite web|url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/fares-and-tickets-zones1-6.pdf |publisher=[[Greater London Authority]] |date=January 2009 |author=Transport for London |title=Your guide to fares and tickets within Zones 1–6  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090117151557/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/fares-and-tickets-zones1-6.pdf |archive-date=17 January 2009 |author-link=Transport for London }}</ref> Travelcards can be purchased for a period of time varying from one day to a year, from [[Transport for London]], [[National Rail]] and their agents. Depending on where it is purchased, and the length of validity, a Travelcard is either printed on a paper ticket with a [[magnetic stripe card|magnetic stripe]] or encoded onto an [[Oyster card]], Transport for London's contactless electronic smart card, or an [[ITSO Ltd|ITSO]] smartcard issued by a [[National Rail]] train operating company.<ref>[https://www.gwr.com/your-tickets/smart-tickets/touch GWR Touch smartcard]</ref> The cost of a Travelcard is determined by the area it covers and, for this purpose, London is divided into a number of [[London fare zones|fare zones]]. The Travelcard season ticket for unlimited travel on London Buses and the London Underground was launched on 22 May 1983 by London Transport.<ref name=contract>{{cite book | title=A new fares contract for London | author=Tony Grayling & Stephen Glaister | year=2000}}</ref><ref name=poster_may_83>{{cite web | url=http://www.ltmcollection.org/posters/poster/poster.html?_IXMAXHITS_=1&IXinv=2000/4694&IXsummary=results/results&IXsearch=tickets&_IXFIRST_=351 | title=Smile please, by unknown artist, 1983 | year=1983 | publisher=London Transport | access-date=21 August 2009 | archive-date=10 December 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141210233928/http://www.ltmcollection.org/posters/poster/poster.html?_IXMAXHITS_=1&IXinv=2000%2F4694&IXsummary=results%2Fresults&IXsearch=tickets&_IXFIRST_=351 | url-status=dead }}</ref> One Day Travelcards and validity on other transport modes were added from 1984 onwards. The introduction of the Travelcard caused an increase in patronage and reduced the number of tickets that needed to be purchased by passengers.<ref name=comp/>

==History==
[[File:Capitalcard poster.jpg|left|thumb|Poster advertising the January 1985 launch of the Capitalcard ticket]]
Before the introduction of the Travelcard, tickets for the London Underground were purchased on a 'point-to-point' basis between two stations, either as a single, return or season ticket; and were priced according to distance travelled.<ref name=comp>{{cite book | chapter-url=http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/rep_pub/reports/1991/fulltext/305c10.pdf | year=1991 | chapter=10 | title=London Underground Limited: A report on passenger and other services supplied by the company | author=Monopolies and Mergers Commission  | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119220745/http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/rep_pub/reports/1991/fulltext/305c10.pdf | archive-date=19 January 2012 }}</ref> Tickets for travel on [[London Buses]] and [[British Rail]] were purchased separately.<ref name=comp/> The Travelcard was introduced as the third in a series of major fare revisions that had started in 1981.<ref name=contract/> The introduction of the Travelcard was intended to increase patronage on London Underground and London Buses, particularly during less busy times and to speed up the boarding of bus services.<ref name=comp/>

On 4 October 1981, following the [[1981 Greater London Council election|Greater London Council election]], the incoming Labour administration simplified fares in Greater London by introducing four new bus fare zones and two central London Underground zones, named ''City'' and ''West End'', where flat fares applied for the first time.<ref name=comp/> This was accompanied by a cut in prices of about a third and was marketed as the ''[[Fares Fair]]'' campaign.<ref name=contract/> Following successful legal action against it, on 21 March 1982<ref name=poster_mar_82>{{cite web | url=http://www.ltmcollection.org/posters/poster/poster.html?_IXSR_=9n3i9oiIqAG&_IXMAXHITS_=1&IXinv=2000/7142&IXsummary=results/results&IXsearch=fares%20&_IXFIRST_=313 | title=New Tube fares from 21st March, by unknown artist, 1982 | publisher=London Transport | year=1982}}</ref> London Bus fares were doubled and London Underground fares increased by 91%.<ref name=contract/> The two central area zones were retained and the fares to all other stations were restructured to be graduated at three-mile intervals; and thus grouping those stations within three miles of the central zones in an 'inner zone'.<ref name=comp/>

In 1983, a third revision of fares was undertaken, and a new inter-modal Travelcard season ticket was launched covering five new numbered zones; representing an overall cut in prices of around 25%.<ref name=contract/> The ''One Day Travelcard'' was launched in 1984 and on weekdays was only sold for travel after 09:30.<ref name=comp/> In January 1985 the ''Capitalcard'' season ticket was launched, offering validity on British Rail services as well as London Underground and London Buses. It was priced around 10–15% higher than the Travelcard.<ref name=comp/> The card was marketed under the brand "The London Connection", illustrated with an image of an electric plug bringing together the corporate identities of British Rail and London Transport. In June 1986 the ''One Day Capitalcard'' was launched.<ref name=comp/> The Capitalcard brand ended in January 1989 when the Travelcard gained validity on British Rail and DLR services. In January 1991 Zone 5 was split to create a new Zone 6.<ref name=comp/>

In January 2002 a peak version of the One Day Travelcard was introduced on weekdays, which allows travel between 04:30 and 09:30<ref>{{cite web | url=http://legacy.london.gov.uk/mayor/mayors_report/jan23_2002.jsp | title=Eighteenth Report of the Mayor of London to the London Assembly | year=2002 | author=Mayor of London | publisher=[[Greater London Authority]]  | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516060800/http://legacy.london.gov.uk/mayor/mayors_report/jan23_2002.jsp | archive-date=16 May 2012 | author-link=Mayor of London }}</ref> and in 2005 a 3-day version of the Travelcard was launched (they were discontinued in 2010).<ref name=com_04>{{cite web | url=http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/transport/2004/transpnov11/minutes/trans11nov04appa.pdf | year=2004 | title=Transport Committee: 11 November 2004  | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051027210823/http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/transport/2004/transpnov11/minutes/trans11nov04appa.pdf | archive-date=27 October 2005 }}</ref> Travelcard season tickets were made available on electronic smart cards, known as [[Oyster card]]s, from 2003<ref name=com_03>{{cite web | url=http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/mayors_report/nov19_2003.jsp#transport_1911 | date=November 2003 | author=Mayor of London | publisher=[[Greater London Authority]] | title=Thirty-Sixth Mayor's Report to the Assembly  | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090530004832/http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/mayors_report/nov19_2003.jsp#transport_1911 | archive-date=30 May 2009 | author-link=Mayor of London }}</ref> and by 2005 Transport for London ceased selling season tickets on paper tickets, although they continued to be available from [[National Rail]] stations until 1 June 2022.<ref>[https://www.southwesternrailway.com/train-tickets/ticket-types/london-travelcards London Travelcards – South Western Railway]</ref><ref name=tfl_weekly>{{cite web | url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/3959.aspx | title=A faster, easier 7 Day Travelcard on Oyster | year=2005 | publisher=[[Greater London Authority]] | author=Transport for London| author-link=Transport for London }}</ref>

In July 2023, TfL and the Mayor of London announced that from January 2024, one day Travelcards would no longer be sold or accepted on the TfL network, citing unfavourable revenue sharing terms between TfL and the Train Operating Companies on which the tickets are valid. 7-day and longer Travelcards will be unaffected.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.london.gov.uk/md3142-withdrawal-day-travelcards-tfl-network|title=MD3142 Withdrawal of Day Travelcards on TfL Network|last=Khan|date=21 July 2023|access-date=21 July 2023|first=Sadiq}}</ref> However, in October 2023, it was announced that due to a renegotiation on revenue sharing, one day Travelcards would be retained.<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-67206255 |title=London day travelcards saved following revenue deal |publisher=BBC News London |author=James W Kelly |date=24 October 2023}}</ref>

==Operation==
=== Usage ===
A Travelcard entitles the holder to unlimited travel in [[Greater London]] on [[London Buses]], [[London Trams]], [[London Underground]], [[London Overground]], [[Docklands Light Railway]], [[Elizabeth line]] and [[National Rail]] services.<ref name=fares_09/> They provide travel within up to nine numbered [[concentric]] zones, with [[London fare zone 1|Zone 1]] (which includes the central areas of [[City of London|The City]] and the [[West End of London|West End]]) at the middle and [[London fare zone 9|Zone 9]] (which includes suburbs outside [[Greater London]] such as [[Amersham]] and [[Brentwood, Essex|Brentwood]]).<ref name=map>{{cite web | author= Transport for London | url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/lon_con.pdf | title=London Connections | publisher=[[Greater London Authority]] |date=January 2008| author-link=Transport for London }}</ref> On the London Underground, London Overground, DLR and National Rail, the Travelcard is only valid within the zones indicated on the ticket.<ref name=fares_09/> On London Buses any Travelcard, regardless of the zones, can be used on any route.<ref name=fares_09/> On Tramlink any Travelcard valid in zones 3, 4, 5, or 6 can be used on any tram route.<ref name=fares_09/> Travelcards are sold in a limited number of combinations of adjacent zones with different combinations available depending on the length of validity. Travelcards for only one zone are no longer sold,<ref name=fares_09/> having been withdrawn in 2006. Travelcards valid for travel in Zone 1 (most of central London) are more expensive than those excluding it,<ref name=guide>{{cite book|author=Tom Masters |author2=Steve Fallon |author3=Vesna Maric | title=London: City Guide | publisher=[[Lonely Planet]] | year=2008 | page=389}}</ref> although as of 2011 one-day travelcards not including Zone 1 are no longer sold.

Travelcards are issued for periods of one day or seven days, or for any period from one month to one year, known as a season Travelcard.<ref name=fares_09/> One day Travelcards can be purchased in ''Anytime'' and ''Off-Peak'' variants.<ref name=fares_09/> Anytime Travelcard and Off-peak Travelcard. An Anytime Travelcard may be used from 00:01 on the date of validity and an Off-peak Travelcard may be used from 09:30 on Monday to Friday, and whole day on weekends and public holidays, with both expiring at 04:29 the following day.

Travelcards for seven days or longer are known as season tickets and allow travel at any time of the day.<ref name=fares_09/> When bought at a London Underground station or other Transport for London agent, one day Travelcards are sold on a paper ticket with a magnetic stripe and Travelcards lasting seven days or more are loaded on to an [[Oyster card]]. A monthly travelcard (valid for between 28 and 31 days depending on month) is sold for 3.84 times the price of a 7-day card, while annual travelcards are sold for the price of 40 7-day tickets. The price of a travelcard valid for between one month and one year will be the sum of the relevant number of months, plus a pro-rata monthly rate for the number of days in the final month. As 40 weekly tickets cost approximately the same as a 10-month-12-day ticket, it is not possible in practice to buy a travelcard for a period between 10 months 13 days and 1 year, as an annual pass is cheaper and will be issued anyway.

As of 2022, Anytime Travelcard is only sold for zones 1–4, 1–6 or 1–9, while off-peak Travelcard is only sold for zones 1–6 or 1–9. Travelcard season tickets are sold for any consecutive zone combinations including at least 2 consecutive zones within 1–6, with tickets including zone 1 significantly more expensive, while season tickets for the outer zones are offered in the combinations 1–7, 1–8, 1–9, 2–7, 2–9 (including Watford Junction), 4–7 and 4–9 (including Watford Junction) only.

=== Sale ===
A Travelcard can be bought either from TfL or from National Rail:

* TfL-issued One Day Travelcards are sold at ticket machines at London Underground / DLR stations, TfL Visitor Centres, or Tramlink shop in Croydon, in form as a paper ticket only.
* National Rail issued One Day Travelcards are sold at ticket offices at National Rail stations, or bought from National Rail ticket retailers and collected at National Rail ticket machines / ticket offices and sold as a paper ticket. Some National Rail retailers also offer the option to load them into a National Rail [[ITSO Ltd|ITSO]] smart card.
* A Travelcard season ticket can be bought from TfL at ticket machines at London Underground / DLR stations, TfL Visitor Centres, Oyster ticket shops, or online at the TfL Oyster Account, which must be loaded into an [[Oyster card]] at the point of purchase (or afterwards if bought online).
* A Travelcard season ticket can be sold by National Rail retailers and loaded into National Rail smart cards. As of 2022, an inboundary Travelcard season ticket (one valid within the numbered zones only) is sold on smart cards only, which include [[Oyster card]] (if sold by TfL) and [[National Rail]] [[ITSO Ltd|ITSO]] smart cards (if sold by National Rail). Outboundary Travelcard season tickets sold by National Rail, which include travel within the numbered zones and between the zones and the specified station(s) outside the zone, remain available on paper tickets.

Only Travelcards sold as National Rail tickets are valid for 2-for-1 offers at attractions in London. The exception is one-year Travelcards on an Oyster card which are also valid as they come with a Gold Record Card, but shorter Travelcards on an Oyster card are not.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/travel-by-train/is-my-ticket-valid-for-2for1-and-other-offers | title=Is my ticket valid for 2FOR1 and other offers? &#124; National Rail }}</ref>

===Services outside Greater London===
[[File:london-underground-travelcard-2006.jpg|thumb|One Day Travelcard issued at a [[National Rail]] outlet]]
There are various services outside Greater London on which Travelcards can be used. There are some [[London Underground]], [[London Overground]], [[Elizabeth line]] and [[National Rail]] stations located in the [[Home Counties]] of [[Essex]], [[Hertfordshire]], [[Buckinghamshire]], [[Surrey]] and [[Kent]] which are included in fare zones 4 to 9. A Travelcard covering the appropriate zones are valid for unlimited travel to/from these stations. Additionally, on some [[London Buses]] services that cross the Greater London boundary, Travelcards are valid for the whole route.<ref name=fringes>{{cite web | url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/guide-to-using-tickets-and-oyster-pay-as-you-go-on-buses-outside-greater-london-april-2009.pdf | title=Your guide to using tickets and Oyster to pay as you go on buses outside the Greater London area | author=Transport for London | publisher=[[Greater London Authority]] | date=April 2009  | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130228040019/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/guide-to-using-tickets-and-oyster-pay-as-you-go-on-buses-outside-greater-london-april-2009.pdf | archive-date=28 February 2013 | author-link=Transport for London }}</ref>

From outside the London fare zones, outboundary Travelcards can be bought from some stations to a combination of London Zones, including zone 6, as either a day ticket or season ticket. An outboundary day Travelcard can be used to make one outward journey from the origin station to the boundary of zone 6, then one return journey back to the origin on the same day, with unlimited travel allowed within the zones shown on the ticket. Railway ticket barriers outside zone 6 will often retain the day ticket once the return journey has been made even though the travelcard part of the ticket remains valid until 04:30 the following day within the zone 6 boundary.<ref>It could conceivably be re-used if the ticket were taken back to London by means of another non-Travelcard ticket or another means of transport.</ref> An outboundary Travelcard season ticket can be used for unlimited travel between the origin and destination, and also the within zones specified on the ticket.

In addition, Travelcards between Zone 1, 2 or 4 and Watford Junction, Zone 1 or 2 and Hertford East / Broxbourne, and Zone 1 or 2 and Shenfield are also available on Oyster cards, with a Travelcard for Hertford East / Broxbourne also including Watford Junction, and a Travelcard for Shenfield also including Watford Junction and Hertford East / Broxbourne as well.<ref>TfL Oyster app</ref>

Furthermore, Travelcard ticket holders needing to go outside the covered zones can buy a "Boundary Zone" ticket, used in conjunction with the Travelcard. Such tickets are little known and can only be bought from ticket offices and some ticket machines, and a limited number of online retailers, as a result, many travellers, not realising that these tickets can be bought, ended up buying other more expensive tickets for their journeys. A [[class action lawsuit]] has been filed against the train companies requesting a total of £93 million in compensation. The case was dismissed in October 2025.<ref>[https://charleslyndon.com/cases/boundary-fares/ Boundary Fares, Charles Lyndon]</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=July 2023}}<ref>{{cite court
|litigants=Justin Gutmann v Govia Thameslink Railway Limited & Others
|litigants-force-plain=
|vol=1425/7/7/21
|reporter=
|opinion=
|pinpoint=
|court=Competition Appeal Tribunal
|date=2025-10-17
|url=https://www.catribunal.org.uk/sites/cat/files/2025-10/1304%20Gutmann%20South%20Western%3B%201305%20Gutmann%20South%20Eastern%3B%201425%20Justin%20Gutmann%20v%20Govia%20Thameslink%20-%20Judgment%202025%20CAT64%20171025.pdf
|quote=
|postscript=
}}</ref>

===Exceptions===
Although located in Zone 6, travel by [[Heathrow Express]] from [[Heathrow Central railway station|Heathrow Central]], [[Heathrow Terminal 4 railway station|Heathrow Terminal 4]] or [[Heathrow Terminal 5 station|Heathrow Terminal 5]] to [[London Paddington station]] is not included. The historical [[Heathrow Connect]] service did not accept Travelcards at the airport either; they could be used on the rest of its route between [[Hayes & Harlington railway station|Hayes & Harlington]] and Paddington, but when this route was replaced by [[TfL Rail]] and later the [[Elizabeth line]], this restriction was dropped and Travelcards are now usable there.

Travel on the [[High Speed 1]] rail link between [[St Pancras railway station|London St Pancras]] and [[Stratford International railway station|Stratford International]] is also not included unless the travelcard is marked "plus high speed"<ref name="oyster_map">{{cite web | url=http://blog.visitlondon.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/oyster_rail_services_london_jan_2010.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180312144920/http://blog.visitlondon.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/oyster_rail_services_london_jan_2010.pdf  | archive-date=2018-03-12 | publisher=[[Greater London Authority]] | date=November 2009 | author=Transport for London | title=Oyster-rail-services-in-London-Jan-2010 | author-link=Transport for London }}</ref> This is because High Speed 1 is considered to be "outside the zones" except for London St Pancras station.

===Revenue allocation===
{{More citations needed section|date=August 2023}}
The revenues from Travelcard sales are divided according to a scheme agreed by [[Transport for London]] and the [[Rail Delivery Group]]. A quarterly survey known as the Travelcard Diary Survey is undertaken, where travelcard holders are asked to record all the bus, rail and tube trips they have made using their travelcard.  Both "in-boundary" and "out-boundary" (i.e. Travelcards in or outside the zonal areas) are surveyed, as well as day and monthly, weekly and annual Travelcards. Ensuring that a statistically valid sample that will give a fair and accurate allocation presents a challenge. The average mileage recorded on each mode is then calculated to give allocation factors of the Travelcard revenue to tube, bus and rail.

===Additional benefits===
Travelcards entitle the holder to a 33% discount on scheduled [[London River Services]] and 25% on the [[London cable car|London Cable Car]].<ref name=fares_09/> In addition, holders of annual travelcards receive a "gold record card" which offers savings on off-peak travel on the same basis as the National Rail [[Concessionary fares on the British railway network#Gold Card and Gold Card Partner's Card|annual gold card]].<ref>TfL: [http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/18343.aspx Gold Cards] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110923191251/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/18343.aspx |date=23 September 2011 }}</ref><ref>National Rail: [http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/season_tickets/goldcard.html Gold Cards] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090525140537/http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/season_tickets/goldcard.html |date=25 May 2009 }}</ref>

Travelcards issued on paper tickets at National Rail stations are also treated as 'train tickets' for the [http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/ Days Out Guide] 2-for-1 offers at most attractions participating in the scheme.<ref>{{cite web|title=Frequently Asked Questions|url=http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/faq#1|work=Days Out Guide|publisher=ATOC Limited|access-date=28 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130807153325/http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/faq#1|archive-date=7 August 2013}}</ref>

==See also==
{{commons and category}}
*[[Navigo pass]] similar to Travelcard, used in [[Île de France]]
*[[Creditrans]] similar to Travelcard, used in the [[Greater Bilbao]] region.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Travelcard}}
*[https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/how-to-pay-and-where-to-buy-tickets-and-oyster/travelcards-and-group-tickets Travelcards and group tickets] – at Transport for London

{{Transport in London}}

[[Category:Fare collection systems in London]]
[[Category:Transport for London]]