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Oyster Cards

Can you use Oyster cards on the Heathrow Express?

In this helpful guide, we’ll look at how to use your Oyster card on the Heathrow Express.

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Buying your Oyster Card at Heathrow Airport

You can buy an Oyster card once you land at Heathrow to use on both the Heathrow Express and a variety of London Transport options within the city.


It’s quick and easy to buy an Oyster card from either Heathrow Central station or Heathrow Terminal 5 station. Either queue up at the ticket office or use one of the many ticket machines and follow the on-screen instructions. You’ll need your bank card or some cash to pay the £7 for your card and add some credit to your account.


You’ll also find various visitor centres within the terminals where you can pick up Visitor Oyster cards.

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Oyster Card

What is an Oyster card?

An Oyster card is a pre-paid travel card that you can add money to, so you can pay-as-you-go on a variety of transport options in and around London. You can use an Oyster card to pay on the bus, tube, tram, DLR and London Overground, as well as most Elizabeth Line, IFS Cloud Cable Car and Thames Clippers River Bus services. You can also use it on the Heathrow Express.

You simply touch in with your Oyster at the start of your journey and touch out at the end on yellow card readers to pay the right fare.

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Can you use your Oyster card on the Heathrow Express?

Yes, you can use an Oyster card on Heathrow Express. Simply tap in at the start of your journey and tap out when you arrive. Your fare will be charged automatically on your Oyster card.

  • Oyster cards are accepted on the Heathrow Express

  • Visitor Oyster cards are also accepted

  • You must tap in at the start of your journey and tap out at the end

  • Heathrow Express fares are charged separately from London Underground fares

Visitor Oyster Cards at Heathrow Airport

You can also buy a Visitor Oyster card online before you travel to London. Visitor Oyster Cards aren’t available at Heathrow or in London. You must pre-order one online. A Visitor Oyster card is a good option if you’re visiting London on holiday or for work and want your Oyster card ready as soon as you land at Heathrow.


It costs £10.50 (plus postage) and comes pre-loaded with credit. You can choose how much credit to add to your card when you buy it: £10, £15, £20, £25, £30, £35, £40 or £50. You can top up online or on the go in London.


Once in London, it works like a standard Oyster card and you can use it on the Heathrow Express. Plus, a Visitor Oyster card comes with a special offers booklet that grants discounts at various restaurants, bars, and attractions across the city.

Oyster card vs. contactless payment: Which should you use?

If you arrive at Heathrow, it can be helpful to know whether to buy an Oyster card or use your contactless card. The table below can help you decide:

Oyster Card

Contactless Card

Daily Cap

Yes

Yes

50% Young Visitor Discount

Yes

No

Foreign Fees

No

Yes

Work Across London Transport

Yes

Yes

Exclusive Discounts

Yes

No

Both payment methods work on Heathrow Express and both offer a straightforward way to pay. If your home bank charges foreign transaction fees each time you use your contactless card, an Oyster card will save you money.

If you want to buy a Monthly or Annual Travelcard for travel in London, you must load it onto an Oyster Card.

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Don’t have an Oyster? Here’s how to get one

You can buy an Oyster card in a variety of ways, including:


  • Online with a contactless and Oyster account, if you live in the UK

  • At Oyster Ticket Stops in many newsagents in London

  • At all Tube, most London Overground and most Elizabeth line stations

  • At Visitor Centres



To buy one in London, it will cost you £7 and you’ll need to top it up with credit before you travel. You can also choose auto top-up where your card will automatically top-up if your balance drops below £20.

How to recharge your Oyster Card (online and in-person)

It’s a simple process to recharge your Oyster card, either online or in person.

To recharge your Oyster card online, all you need to do is:


  • Visit the Transport for London website and sign up for an Oyster contactless account or log in to your existing one

  • Add your Oyster card to your account if you haven’t already

  • Navigate to the section for topping up your card and choose your desired amount

  • Choose your payment method and complete the payment

  • You’ll usually need to touch your card in at a yellow Oyster card reader within 30 minutes of making your top-up

In-person recharging at Oyster ticket machines works like this:


  • Find an Oyster ticket machine at a London Underground, DLR, London Overground, Elizabeth Line station or National Rail station

  • Touch your Oyster card on the yellow card reader

  • Select “Top Up Oyster” or “Add Money” on the screen

  • Choose the amount you want to add to your card

  • Follow the on-screen instructions to make your payment, either cash or card

  • Touch your Oyster card on the card reader again to complete the top-up

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Choose from a range of Heathrow Express ticket types to suit your journey and your budget. Book your train tickets to Heathrow Airport, or in the opposite direction, with Heathrow Express in minutes.

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Single

Book a Single ticket in either Standard Class or PREMIER+. Pick any train on that day and travel one way either from London to Heathrow, or the opposite direction, whether you're flying for business or pleasure.

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Advanced Discounted Single

Make great savings by booking your single ticket on Standard Class 30+ days in advance. Get organised with your train travel and plan a single journey to or from Heathrow for just £10. Get your advanced discount ticket here.

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Same Day Return

Book a Same Day ticket if you're flying out of and returning to Heathrow on the same day. Ideal for business travellers regularly flying out of Heathrow. Hop on a morning flight for a meeting in Edinburgh or Berlin and fly home that evening, using Heathrow Express both ways.

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Return

With a Return ticket on Heathrow Express, you have ultimate flexibility for your travel to and from the airport.

Whether you're away for two weeks with the family or enjoying a city break, you can travel five days after you buy the ticket and return within one month.

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Carnet tickets

Available as a Carnet x6 or Carnet x12 in both Standard Class and PREMIER+, you'll save money on your journeys by buying your tickets in bulk.

With a Carnet x6 you get 6 journeys for the price of 5, whilst a Carnet x12 will give you 12 journeys for the price of 9.

Family Travel

Family travel

Children aged 15 and under travel for free on Heathrow Express. If you're travelling as a family from Heathrow – whether to see friends or for the holiday of a lifetime – book tickets for the whole family, but only pay for the adults.

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