London cheatsheet

You are planning a trip to London. You have watched ten YouTube videos. You have read three blog posts. You have scrolled through Reddit threads where 200 people argue about Oyster cards vs contactless. You still do not know the answer. You still do not know which airport transfer to book. You still do not know if your bank card will work on the Tube.

This is the exact problem the London Transport Cheat Sheet solves.

It is a 22-page PDF. You download it before you fly. You read it on the plane. You land knowing exactly what to do.

This is what is inside:

Every London airport covered. Heathrow. Gatwick. Stansted. Luton. London City. Each one has a comparison table with real 2026 prices, real journey times, and a one-sentence verdict on who each option serves best. The Elizabeth Line off-peak discount ended in March 2026. Most guides still quote the old 13.90-pound fare. This sheet lists the current 15.50-pound flat fare. The Heathrow Express advance fare is 10 pounds if you book 30 days ahead. Most tourists pay 26 pounds at the machine because they do not know the hack. This sheet tells you.

A 60-second decision tree. Four questions.

What time did you land? How many people travel with you? How much luggage do you carry? Where is your hotel? Your answer points to one option. No analysis paralysis. No standing at the gateline paralyzed by six different signs.

Oyster card vs contactless, settled. Reddit threads go back and forth for 200 comments. The answer is simple. Contactless wins for 90 percent of visitors. Same fares. Same caps. No 10-pound card fee. This sheet lists the three specific cases where Oyster still makes sense. Railcard holders. Families with children aged 11 to 15. Travellers whose bank charges foreign transaction fees on every tap. If none of those describe you, use the card in your wallet and stop thinking about it.

Daily caps explained with real numbers. The Zone 1 to 2 daily cap is 8.90 pounds. The bus-only cap is 5.25 pounds. The weekly cap is 44.70 pounds Monday to Sunday. This sheet shows you how the system refunds you automatically when you hit the cap. It also warns you about the one mistake that breaks your cap. Switching from your phone to your physical card mid-trip. The system treats them as two different passengers. You pay twice. You get no cap credit. This sheet tells you to pick one method on day one and stick with it.

Peak vs off-peak, decoded. Peak is 6:30am to 9:30am and 4:00pm to 7:00pm on weekdays. But here is the trap nobody mentions. The afternoon peak only applies to journeys leaving central London. If you travel into Zone 1 at 5:00pm, you pay off-peak. The system handles this automatically. You do not need to think about it. But if you travel to Heathrow at 8:00am on a Monday, you pay peak. Wait until 9:30am and save 2.40 pounds per person. For a family of four, that is 9.60 pounds. This sheet tells you when the wait is worth it and when it is not.

Children and discounts. Under 11s ride free with a fare-paying adult. Up to four children per adult. No card needed. No ticket needed. 11 to 15s get half price on Oyster with the Young Visitor discount. This sheet tells you where to get it set up and what ID to carry. 16 to 17s pay adult fares. No exceptions.

Night travel. The Night Tube runs Friday and Saturday only. Central, Northern, Piccadilly, Victoria, and Jubilee lines. Every 10 minutes. Standard off-peak fares apply. Night buses run every night. Same fare as day buses. 1.75 pounds. No trains run to any airport between midnight and 5am. This sheet tells you your options when you land at 1:00am. Spoiler. It is a pre-booked transfer or a taxi. Nothing else moves.

Six common mistakes that cost tourists money. Card clash. Tapping in with your phone and out with your card. The system charges you two maximum fares. Missing the pink reader at interchange stations. The system assumes you took the expensive route. Forgetting to tap out when the gate is open. The system charges you the maximum fare. Buying a 7-day Travelcard when contactless caps you at the same price automatically. Paying cash on a bus. Buses have not accepted cash since 2014. This sheet lists each mistake, explains the cost, and tells you how to avoid it.

A one-page quick reference card. Print it. Screenshot it. Pull it up at the ticket machine with no wifi. All airport options. All caps. All peak times. Emergency numbers. Live source links. One glance and you know what to do.

The price is 8 pounds.

One black cab from Heathrow costs 75 to 110 pounds. One mistake at the gateline costs 16 pounds in overcharges. This cheat sheet pays for itself before you leave the airport. It keeps saving you every day you are in London.

The data comes from official sources. TfL. Heathrow Express. National Express. Prices verified August 2026. TfL fares are frozen until March 2027. Live links to official fare pages are embedded throughout. You check them anytime.

This is not a blog post regurgitated by AI. It is a decision tool built from the exact questions tourists ask on Reddit and Quora. Should I buy an Oyster card or use contactless? What is the cheapest way from Heathrow to London? How much does the Tube cost per day? How do daily caps work? Is the Night Tube safe? This sheet answers every one of them with numbers, not opinions.

Download it now. Read it on the plane. Land in London knowing exactly what to do.