If you’re travelling only around London Zones (1 – 6) and extended Oyster PAYG area, then using an Oyster card will make it quicker and easier as you won’t need to queue at the ticket office or machines. See our route map to find out where Oyster payment options are available.
For information on contactless pay as you go payment on c2c, please see our dedicated page here
Use our pink ticket machines to top up your Oyster card and add Travelcards
You can use the pink ticket machines at our London Zones 1 – 6 and extended Oyster PAYG stations to top up your Oyster card, buy daily and season Travelcards, and check balances. There is a ticket machine that accepts cash at each of our stations to make payment as easy as possible.
Oyster ticket stops and assistance
You can also use Oyster ticket stops to manage your Oyster card. If you wish to get a new Oyster card, you will need to use other vendors such as a local newsagent or via TfL.
For any assistance on issues with your Oyster card purchases you will need to contact TfL directly as our staff will not be able to sell you Oyster card tickets at our ticket office windows. They’ll be able to point you towards a pink ticket machine to help you top up instead.
Go Contactless and never top up again
For travel in and around London Zones 1 – 6, as well as at all c2c stations and a range of stations across Southeast England you can use a Contactless bank card instead of Oyster – look for the yellow Oyster card reader and don’t forget to touch in and out. You’ll be charged exactly the same fare.
Looking for some c2c benefits? Try Smartcard
You can get a Travelcard for London Zones 1 – 6 on a c2c Smartcard. Buy tickets online or with the c2c Train Travel app and add them onto your Smartcard to benefit from exclusive travel perks such as Loyalty Points, and automatic repayment for any delays over 2 mins.
Order a free c2c Smartcard or pick one up at your local c2c ticket office today.
Which ticket is right for me?
Daily
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Weekly
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Monthly / custom
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Annual
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Flexi
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Summary | Single and Return trips | Simple savings for regular commuters | Term-time travel or short work contracts trips | Biggest savings & gold card benefits | Commuting 2–3 days per week |
Benefits | Unlimited travel for your chosen journey over a 7 day period | Unlimited travel for your chosen journey over your chosen period | 12 weeks free travel compared to buying weekly seasons | Travel 8 days for less than price of 8 tickets | |
How to travel | |||||
e-ticket
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Recommended* | ||||
Smartcard
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Recommended | Recommended | Recommended | Only available on Smartcard | |
Paper ticket
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FAQs
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What are the differences between Oyster and pay as you go with contactless?
While both systems use contactless payment technology, there are a number of key differences:
Pay as you go with contactless Oyster Cost of journey taken from associated bank account Cost of journey taken from balance stored on card No set-up required Need to add money before use Cannot add discount cards (eg. Railcards) Can add discount cards (eg. Railcards after 09:30) Valid across London, the c2c route and many other train operators (some stations near London may accept Oyster, however we strongly recommend checking before you travel) Valid only in London fare zone (at the following c2c stations): - London Fenchurch Street
- London Liverpool Street
- Limehouse
- Stratford
- West Ham
- Barking
- Dagenham Dock
- Rainham
- Purfleet
- Upminster
- Ockendon
- Chafford Hundred
- Grays
Any contactless device can be used – card, phone, watch etc Only a valid Oyster card can be used Costs may be taken up to 48 hours after conclusion of journey Gatelines will calculate the full value of the trip upon touch-out Cannot store pre-purchased tickets Can store London Travelcards Misuse may result in suspension from the entire network Misuse may result in suspension from the entire network Can be used on Tube, National Rail, buses and more across London and beyond Can be used on Tube, National Rail (within London) and more across London Must tap in and out during train journeys Must tap in and out during train journeys Fare-capping available within London Fare-capping available within London All travelers will need individual cards All travelers will need individual cards Journey history available following registration with contactless.tfl.gov.uk Journey history available following registration with contactless.tfl.gov.uk -
I use Oyster or contactless pay as you go for my travel; am I still eligible for Automatic Delay Repay?
No, we’re afraid not. As we do not have access to your journey information, the card holder's personal information or their account details, we cannot determine which train you travelled on, or where any compensation would be paid. Therefore, our Automatic Delay Repay scheme is only available to customers using the c2c Smartcard to travel on the c2c route. You can still claim Delay Repay by providing proof of journey downloaded from contactless.tfl.gov.uk if you have registered an account there.
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What kind of perks am I entitled to with a London Day Travelcard?
London Day TravelCards can’t be booked independently, but will be offered as an add-on to any journey that terminates at a London station. Travelcards are valid for travel on: the Tube, Docklands Light Railway and buses trams, where your Travelcard includes Zone 3, 4, 5 or 6 National Rail, excluding Heathrow Connect between Hayes & Harlington and Heathrow, and on Heathrow Express Scheduled Riverboat services, at 1/3 off the normal fare. Just show your Travelcard (or Oyster card with a Travelcard on it) at the time of travel Please note: your Travelcard must be valid for all the zones through which you are travelling. Trains to Heathrow Airport go to terminals 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. The approximate journey times are 15 minutes to terminals 1, 2 and 3 and 25 minutes to terminal 4.
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Is it cheaper to pay as you go with contactless rather than an Oyster card or Smartcard?
It depends on your circumstances and preferences. Pay as you go with contactless and pay as you go with Oyster usually cost the same. However, pay as you go with Oyster is not valid for travel to and from all the new pay as you go with contactless stations. If you have a Railcard or other discount, it may be cheaper to use your Oyster or Smartcard as you cannot apply a discount to pay as you go with contactless. However, you can travel further beyond London using pay as you go with contactless than you can with an Oyster card. Plus, there is no need to top up with a contactless card or device.