A London travel cap limits how much you pay for eligible journeys when you use Oyster or contactless. You do not need to buy the cap in advance. TfL calculates it from the journeys made with the same card or payment device.
For most visitors, the two most useful 2026 figures are the £8.90 daily cap for Zones 1 and 2 and the £44.70 Monday-to-Sunday cap for Zones 1 and 2.
The rules matter as much as the prices. Switching between a bank card and a phone, forgetting to touch out or travelling on an excluded premium service can stop the calculation working as expected.
London daily and weekly caps for 2026
These are useful adult pay-as-you-go examples from TfL’s 2026 fare table:
| Zones used | Daily cap | Monday-to-Sunday cap |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 only | £8.90 | £44.70 |
| Zones 1 and 2 | £8.90 | £44.70 |
| Zones 1 to 3 | £10.50 | £52.50 |
| Zones 1 to 4 | £12.80 | £64.20 |
| Zones 1 to 5 | £15.30 | £76.40 |
| Zones 1 to 6 | £16.30 | £81.60 |
Bus and tram travel has its own adult cap:
| Bus and tram travel | 2026 limit |
|---|---|
| One journey using the Hopper fare | £1.75 |
| Daily cap | £5.25 |
| Monday-to-Sunday cap | £24.70 |
Prices and rules can change. Check TfL’s caps and Travelcard prices or the 2026 adult fares table before relying on an amount.
How the daily cap works
TfL’s daily capping period runs from 4.30am until 4.29am the following day. This means late-night travel after midnight can still belong to the previous travel day.
Imagine you use contactless for several Tube journeys within Zones 1 and 2. TfL adds the eligible fares charged to that same card or device. Once the total reaches the £8.90 adult cap, further eligible journeys within Zones 1 and 2 should not increase that day’s total.
Continue to touch in and out on Tube, DLR, London Overground, Elizabeth line and participating National Rail journeys. On buses and trams, touch in only.
The zones can change the cap
The system considers the zones covered by your journeys. If most of the day is in Zones 1 and 2 but one journey reaches Zone 4, the lower Zones 1 and 2 cap does not cover the full day’s travel.
Use TfL’s Single Fare Finder when the route, direction or time may affect the fare.
Peak fares and daily caps
Individual fares can be higher at peak times, but the main adult daily caps for Zones 1 to 6 are currently the same for peak and off-peak travel. Travelling off peak may still save money when you make only a few journeys and never reach the cap.
Peak rail fares normally apply from 6.30am to 9.29am and 4pm to 6.59pm on weekdays. Directional and service-specific exceptions exist, so check the exact journey rather than assuming every train follows the same rule.
How the weekly cap works
The weekly cap is a fixed Monday-to-Sunday calculation. It does not cover any seven consecutive days you choose.
This distinction matters:
- Travel from Monday to Sunday can build towards one weekly cap.
- Travel from Wednesday to the following Tuesday is split across two capping weeks.
- A seven-day Travelcard can start on any chosen day, unlike the pay-as-you-go weekly cap.
Contactless and Oyster can both receive Monday-to-Sunday capping. With contactless, TfL calculates the best-value charge from the journeys recorded. With Oyster, the back-office calculation may identify and return an overpayment as pay-as-you-go credit.
Worked London cap examples
Example 1: A central London sightseeing day
You use the Tube four times between attractions in Zones 1 and 2, always with the same contactless card. The individual fares build towards the £8.90 daily cap. If they reach it, another eligible Zones 1 and 2 journey that day should not raise the total.
Walking between nearby stops can still save money if your total never reaches the cap. The cap is protection against higher eligible spending, not a reason to make extra journeys.
Example 2: Five weekdays in Zones 1 and 2
You commute within Zones 1 and 2 from Monday to Friday using the same card. Daily totals accumulate towards the £44.70 weekly cap. If the eligible Monday-to-Friday fares reach that amount, further eligible travel in those zones through Sunday should be covered by the cap.
Example 3: A long weekend from Friday to Monday
Friday, Saturday and Sunday belong to one capping week. Monday starts a new one. You may receive daily caps on each travel day, but the Friday-to-Monday journeys cannot form one weekly cap.
Example 4: Bus-only sightseeing
You take several London buses using the same card or device. The Hopper fare can cover unlimited bus and tram journeys started within one hour of the first touch, while the bus and tram daily cap limits eligible adult spending to £5.25.
Is a cap cheaper than a Travelcard?
Pay as you go is usually the simpler choice for occasional adult travel because you pay for the journeys made and still receive capping. TfL’s 2026 table illustrates the difference:
| Zones 1 and 2 option | 2026 adult price |
|---|---|
| Pay-as-you-go daily cap | £8.90 |
| Anytime Day Travelcard | £16.60 |
| Monday-to-Sunday cap | £44.70 |
| Seven-day Travelcard | £44.70 |
A Travelcard can still make sense when:
- you need seven consecutive days starting after Monday
- a discounted season ticket applies
- it forms part of a rail ticket from outside London
- a qualifying group is travelling together
- you have compared the exact zones and calculated a lower total
Our Oyster, contactless and Travelcard comparison explains which payment method fits visitors, Railcard holders and families.
What does not count towards normal caps?
TfL’s current conditions list these important exclusions:
- London Cable Car pay-as-you-go journeys
- Thames Clippers River Bus pay-as-you-go journeys
- Heathrow Express
- Gatwick Express
- Southeastern high-speed services between St Pancras International and Stratford International
These services may accept contactless or another ticket, but that does not mean their fare contributes to the normal Tube and rail cap.
An incomplete journey may also receive a maximum fare and may not be included in capping. Check your TfL journey history if the total looks wrong.
Six mistakes that can stop capping working properly
Protect your daily and weekly cap
- Do not switch payment methods.
A physical bank card, phone and watch are separate devices even when connected to the same account.
- Touch in and out on rail journeys.
Use the yellow readers even when a gate is open. Missing a touch can create a maximum fare.
- Only touch in on buses.
Touching out on a bus is unnecessary and can cause another card to be read.
- Keep cards separate.
Present one card or device to avoid card clash and a charge to the wrong payment method.
- Use pink readers when required.
They can show that your route avoided Zone 1 and help TfL calculate the correct fare.
- Keep touching after reaching the cap.
TfL still needs a complete journey record. The cap does not remove the requirement to validate travel.
London travel cap questions
Do I have to register for a daily cap?
Does the weekly cap cover any seven days?
Are Oyster and contactless caps the same?
Can two people share one contactless card?
Does Apple Pay count as the same card as my physical bank card?
Does Heathrow Express count towards the cap?
What happens after I reach the cap?
Official sources and last check
This guide was checked on 30 July 2026 using:
- TfL caps and Travelcard prices
- TfL 2026 adult fares and caps
- TfL bus, tram and Hopper fares
- TfL advice on paying the right fare
- TfL conditions of carriage
Fares, caps and conditions can change. Use TfL’s current information for an expensive or unusual journey.