Tube fares: zones, Oyster and contactless
Adult single fares by zone, peak and off-peak, from TfL’s fare finder.
Tube fares by zone
| Journey | Peak (PAYG) | Off-peak (PAYG) | Paper single |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | £3.10 | £3.00 | £7.00 |
| Zones 1–2 | £3.60 | £3.10 | £7.00 |
| Zones 1–3 | £3.90 | £3.30 | £7.00 |
| Zones 1–4 | £4.80 | £3.60 | £7.00 |
| Zones 1–5 | £5.30 | £3.80 | £7.00 |
| Zones 1–6 | £5.90 | £4.00 | £7.00 |
| Zones 1–7 | £7.10 | £5.20 | £8.70 |
| Zones 1–9 | £8.80 | £5.30 | £10.30 |
| Zone 2 | £2.30 | £2.20 | £7.00 |
| Zone 3 | £2.30 | £2.20 | £7.00 |
| Zone 4 | £2.30 | £2.20 | £7.00 |
| Zone 5 | £2.30 | £2.20 | £7.00 |
| Zone 6 | £2.30 | £2.20 | £7.00 |
| Zone 7 | £2.10 | £2.00 | £7.00 |
Adult fares for a single journey on the Underground with Oyster or contactless (pay as you go), and the cash price of a paper single, as returned by TfL’s single fare finder. These are TfL’s 2026 prices, in force since 1 March 2026. Journeys from zone 1 out to each zone, and journeys within each zone. TfL prices each pair of stations rather than each pair of zones, so this table is a guide: some journeys cost more or less than the band suggests, and each station page gives the fare from that station to Oxford Circus. The paper single is £7.00 flat within zones 1–6 and more beyond them. Zone 8 has a single station, Chalfont & Latimer, for which TfL’s fare finder returns no fare, so it is not listed.
Paying for the tube
Contactless. Touch the same bank card, phone or watch on the yellow reader at the start and end of every journey and you pay the pay as you go fare. Contactless payment on the Underground was introduced in 2014. Use one card or device for the whole day: touching in with your phone and out with the card in it counts as two incomplete journeys.
Oyster. The Oyster card, launched in 2003, gives the same pay as you go fares. It is useful if your bank card charges foreign transaction fees or if you need a railcard discount loaded onto it.
Paper tickets. Single paper tickets are sold at every station but cost far more, as the table shows. They make sense only if you have no contactless card or Oyster.
Peak and off-peak. Peak fares apply on weekdays in the morning and evening rush hours; everything else, including weekends and public holidays, is off-peak. Touching out is as important as touching in: an incomplete journey is charged a maximum fare.
The card fee, the daily and weekly caps, railcard discounts, the Visitor Oyster card, refunds and what to do when you forget to touch out are all on our Oyster and contactless guide.