If you are having a Railcard and you travel in London, you can get one-third off on off-peak pay as you go fares. This is for Tube, DLR, London Overground, Elizabeth line and National Rail. But there is one catch which most people don't know. The discount works only on a physical Oyster card. It does not work on contactless card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. You have to link the Railcard to the Oyster one time, in person, and after that the cheaper fare comes automatically.
Many people are missing this saving. Those who started tapping their bank card long back, they forget that this Oyster discount is still there. If you travel mostly in off-peak time, this can easily save you more than the cost of the Railcard. So let me explain how it works and how to set it up.
Can you add any Railcard to an Oyster card?
No, not every one. Only some Railcards can be set on the Oyster card. These are the ones:
- 16-25 Railcard
- 26-30 Railcard
- Senior Railcard
- Disabled Persons Railcard
- HM Forces Railcard
- Veterans Railcard
If you have bought an Annual Gold Card or Gold Record Card with a yearly Travelcard, then you can add that also to your Oyster for the same discount. No need of any separate Railcard. The 16-25 and 26-30 discount can also be put on an 18+ Student Oyster photocard.
Some Railcards you cannot add to Oyster for pay as you go travel. These are Network Railcard, Two Together, Family & Friends, and the 16-17 Saver. They still give you discount on Off-Peak Day Travelcards, but not on Oyster pay as you go. The Network Railcard has a weekday minimum-fare rule, because of that it becomes useless inside the Oyster zones. So please don't depend on it for your daily travel.
How to link your Railcard to your Oyster card
You have to do this in person only. There is no way to fully link it online or in the app, and this confuses many people. So just follow these simple steps.
1. Register your Oyster card online
First make a TfL account and register your Oyster card in your name. This is not compulsory for adding the discount, but it is useful. If your card is lost, you can claim refund or get a new card. Once a discount is on the card, you will want this protection.
2. Take both cards to a station
Carry your Oyster card and your Railcard with you. The Railcard can be the physical one or the digital one in your phone, both are fine. Go to any Tube or London Overground station, or an Oyster Ticket Stop, or one of the Elizabeth line stations that do this. Then just ask the staff to add the Railcard discount on your Oyster. It is easiest to do at a Zone 1 station, because usually more staff are there near the gates.
3. Staff will add the discount on the card
They will check your Railcard and put the discount onto your Oyster card chip. It takes only one minute. That's all, the work is done.
4. Check that it is done properly
The only way to confirm the discount is on the card is like this. Start a top-up at a physical ticket machine and see in the top right of the screen. It should show "Discounts: NR Railcard". You cannot check this online, so better do this one time before you start depending on it.
5. Add it again when Railcard renews
The discount finishes at the same time as your Railcard. So when you renew the Railcard, you have to go again to a station and add the discount on your Oyster. Better to set one reminder, because nobody will tell you and the cheap fare will just stop quietly.
Elizabeth line stations where you can add it
Ilford, Romford, Ealing Broadway, West Ealing, Hayes & Harlington, Southall, West Drayton, Abbey Wood, Custom House, Woolwich, Canary Wharf and Paddington. Timing is usually 10:00 to 15:00 on weekdays and 10:00 to 17:00 on weekends. Some are closed on Sunday, so please check before going.
Can I link my Railcard to Oyster online?
Not fully. You can register your Oyster online and you can do top-up online also, but the discount part has to be added by station staff in person only. There is no button on the TfL website or app to link a Railcard to an Oyster. The mayor has said before that he wants to bring this discount to contactless also, but till 2026 it is still Oyster only and still in person. So if you came here thinking you can do everything sitting at home, sorry, but you will have to make one trip to the station.
How much you actually save?
The discount is one-third off (exact figure is 33.4%) on two things: off-peak single fares, and the off-peak daily cap. The daily cap part is the one most people forget, and that is where the real regular saving comes.
For example, take one single off-peak journey inside Zone 1. The normal fare is £3.00. With the Railcard discount it comes down to around £2.00. Now see the daily cap, which is more important if you do many journeys in one day.
| Zones | Standard off-peak cap | With Railcard | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zones 1-2 | £8.90 | £5.90 | £3.00 |
| Zones 1-3 | £10.50 | £6.95 | £3.55 |
| Zones 1-4 | £12.80 | £8.50 | £4.30 |
| Zones 1-5 | £15.30 | £10.15 | £5.15 |
| Zones 1-6 | £16.30 | £10.85 | £5.45 |
So one person travelling in Zones 1-2 in off-peak saves £3 in a day. In a five-day off-peak week that becomes £15. And a £35 Railcard (this is the normal one-year price for the 16-25 and many others) pays for itself in around twelve commuting days only. After that, the rest of the year it is pure saving in your pocket. The more zones you travel, the bigger the cap saving will be.
To understand how the cap actually works, including the daily and weekly windows, please read our guide on the TfL daily cap.
Some limits you should know before doing this
This discount is for off-peak time only. Peak time is Monday to Friday, 06:30 to 09:30 and 16:00 to 19:00, and it is decided by the time you touch in. If you start your journey in the morning peak, you get no discount at all. So if your daily travel is fully in the morning rush in both ways, this Oyster discount will not help you on those trips. But weekend and midday travel will still get it.
There is one nice point also. In the evening peak between 16:00 and 19:00, the single fares are charged at peak rate, but the off-peak daily cap is still applied. So if you do many journeys in a weekday, the discounted off-peak cap can still help you, even when the individual evening fares are not getting the discount.
Few more things to remember. The discount is not for bus or tram fares, because they already have their own low cap, which we have covered in our bus fare cap guide. Also, journeys to or from Heathrow on the Tube or Elizabeth line which touch Zone 1 are charged at peak rate any time, so no discount there. And one more thing, once a discount is on an Oyster, you cannot share that card with anyone, because it is valid only with the matching Railcard, which you must keep with you.
Is it worth going back to Oyster just for this?
For a regular off-peak traveller, yes, definitely. You will lose the convenience of tapping your phone or bank card, and you have to pay the one-time Oyster card fee (it is a non-refundable charge of around £7 to £10, so check the current price when buying). But against that, one-third off on your off-peak fares and off-peak cap adds up very fast. If you come to London only sometimes and rarely travel in off-peak, then maybe carrying a separate card is not worth it. The main thing to decide is how often you travel outside the rush hours.
Frequently asked questions
Can you link a Railcard to an Oyster card?
Yes, if it is an eligible Railcard: 16-25, 26-30, Senior, Disabled Persons, HM Forces or Veterans. You add the discount in person at a station and you get one-third off on off-peak fares and the off-peak daily cap.
How do I link my Railcard to my Oyster card?
First register your Oyster online, then take the Oyster and your Railcard to a Tube or Overground station, an Oyster Ticket Stop, or a listed Elizabeth line station, and ask the staff to add the discount. It cannot be done online or in the app.
Can I link a Railcard to contactless or Apple Pay?
No. The Railcard discount works only on a physical Oyster card. Contactless, Apple Pay and Google Pay do not support it.
Does the discount work during peak hours?
No. It is for off-peak only. Peak is Monday to Friday, 06:30 to 09:30 and 16:00 to 19:00, based on your touch-in time. Weekends and public holidays are always off-peak.
How much is the discount?
One-third off, which is 33.4% in actual. It applies on off-peak single fares and the off-peak daily cap.
Do I need to do it again when my Railcard renews?
Yes. The discount finishes with the Railcard. After renewing, you have to go back to a station and add it on your Oyster again.
Also, if you enjoy this kind of trick, I put 20 of them into a free game. Try The London Dilemma and see if you would pick like a local. The Railcard question is in there.
Plan your last train home
Use Last Trip to find the exact time of your last Tube or train, so a late night out never leaves you stranded.
Find My Last Trip →Fares and discounts are correct for 2026. Tube and rail caps are frozen until March 2027. The Railcard discount applies to off-peak pay as you go travel on Oyster only. Always check the live fare for your exact journey before you travel.