Londoners – could you save £100s on TfL fares with this hidden discount?

The savings quickly add up – looking at my journey data, in just the eight-week period between 29 November 2023 to 23 January 2024, I saved a total of £36.65. Transport for London (TfL) doesn't let you access journey history older than eight weeks, so I couldn't calculate an exact annual saving – but it's likely in the £100 to £200 range, as that eight-week period was fairly representative of my travel patterns throughout the year.

To put these numbers into context, a one-year railcard usually costs £30 – but can often be had for less. For example, you can currently get a railcard for £15 using Clubcard vouchers, or for £19.80 using a discount code on Trip.com. I got mine for £20 using a similar discount code I saw in the MSE weekly email.

That means my railcard has already more than paid for itself – and that's before factoring in a single National Rail journey.

How do I claim the discount?

You need to get the railcard discount applied to your Oyster card to get the cheaper fares.

The first step is to register your Oyster by creating an account on the TfL website (if you haven't already).

You'll then need to visit a Tube or London Overground station (or certain Elizabeth line stations) with your railcard in hand and ask a member of staff to apply your railcard discount. You can only do this in person. In my experience, it's easiest to do at Zone 1 stations, where there are more staff about.

Once the discount is applied, it'll stay on your Oyster until your railcard expires. If you then get a new railcard, you'll need to get the discount added again.