how to get travel card london

London Travelcard

The London Travelcard is a transport pass which entitles you to unlimited travel on London’s public transport. You can use a travelcard to travel on the London Underground, overground, public buses, DLR (docklands light rail), TFL rail and other trains, as long as you travel within London’s travel zones.

It is designed for people who are planning on using London’s public transport a lot when visiting London or for people who commute into London on a daily basis. Still, a London Travelcard may sometimes not be the cheapest option even if does entitle you to unlimited travel.

London Travelcard: What do I need to know before I buy one?

When buying a London Travelcard there are three things that you need to know:

1. The duration of the card:

You can buy a travelcard for one day, 7 days, one month or annual.

2. The travel zones of London that will be using:

When you buy a travelcard you need to choose what travel zones you want use. If you are going to travel between zones 1 and 2, you will need a travelcard that is valid for these two zones, but if you are going to travel between zones 1 and 5 every day, you will need a travelcard that covers zones 1 to 5. This does not apply to travelling by bus, as any travelcard will allow you to travel on buses to and from any zone within London’s travel zones. So for example, if you have a travelcar for zones 1 and 2, you can still use a bus to get to zone 3 or zone 5 with that travelcard at no extra cost.

Most of London’s tourist attractions are located in zone 1, and only a few of the most popular attractions can be found outside zone 1, such as Camden Town Market which is in zone 2. Make sure you know what zone your hotel is in before you buy a travelcard.

3. Off-peak or Anytime

If you are buying a 1 day travelcard  (which we don’t normally recommend as an oyster card has a daily cap that is cheaper than a one day travelcard – see below) you will have to choose if you want it to travel anytime of the day, or just during off-peak times (Monday – Friday from 9.30 am; all day Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays).

This does not affect 1 day travelcards for zones 1 to 4, so if you are visiting London you probably don’t need to worry about this at all as you are unlikely to be travelling to zone 5, 6 or beyond.

Which Travelcard to buy if you are planning a trip to London

1 day travelcard.

The price of the 1 day London travelcard for zones 1, 1-2, 1-3 and 1-4 costs £15.20. We don’t normally recommend using the 1 day travelcard, as it is actually cheaper to use an oyster card, a visitor oyster card, or a contactless card as these payment methods have a daily cap. The daily cap applied to these zones are: £8.10 for travel within zones 1-2; £9.60 for zones 1-3 and £11.70 for zones 1-4. Once you have reached this daily cap you will be able to travel within the same travel zones for free. It is still necessary to tap in and tap out on the yellow reader with your oyster card, visitor oyster card or contactless card when using public transport.

Find out more about choosing between an oyster card, a travelcard or using contactless on London Transport here: Oyster card, Travelcard or Contactless .

7 day Travelcard

The 7 day travelcard for London travel zones 1-2 costs £40.70. When comparing oyster card/visitor oyster card/contactless fares to a 7 day travelcard, I would probably say that it is convenient to get a 7 day travelcard if you are going to be travelling around London for more than 6 days. If you are going to be in London less than 6 days then I would recommend using an oyster card (vistor oyster card or contactless if you are a UK resident).

Where to buy a London travelcard

Buying a London Travelcard at an underground station

It is possible to buy a London travelcard at any underground station in London, by either using a ticket machine at the ticket office or a manned desk in a the ticket office (if available). When you buy a 7 day, monthly or annual London travelcard at an underground station you will normally get an oyster card with the travelcard incorporated in it. So your oyster card will be pre-loaded with the travelcard you have chosen. This way you can also use this oyster card with pay as you go for any trips that are not included in the travelcard.

So, as an example, if you have a 7 day travelcard for zones 1 – 4 in your oyster card, you will be entitles to unlimited journeys within these  travel zones for 7 days, and you can use your oyster as you normally would, by touching in and touching out. But, if one day you need to go to zone 6, you will be able to use the same oyster with pay as you go balance. One example when this might happen, is if you arrive at Heathrow airport (zone 6) but you want to buy a 7 day travelcard for zones 1 – 4. It will be much cheaper to use they oyster card with pay as you go for the journey from Heathrow to central London and the journey from central London to Heathrow Airport on your last day and adding a 7 travelcard for zones 1 – 4, than using a 7 day travelcard for zones 1 – 6.

Buying a London Travelcard at a train station

It is possible to buy a London travelcard at any train station located inside London’s Travel Zones . When you buy a travelcard at a train station, you will normally get a paper travelcard and not an oyster card.

Stansted, Luton or Gatwick airports are all outside London’s Travel Zones so these stations won’t normally sell London travelcards.

Buy a London Travelcard online

One of the easiest ways to buy a London travelcard is by buying it online. The price is exactly the same as what it would cost you to buy it in London but you will pay a little extra for delivery.

Buy a London travelcard at Heathrow airport

London travelcard fares from 5th march 2023, travelcard for children.

Children under the age of 11 travel free within London travel zones. Children over 11 can also benefit from reduced fares; you can learn more about this in our article: Travelling in London with kids .

Find out more

For more information, visit London’s official transport website: Transport For London

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London Underground Tickets & Travelcards

The Travelcard is a transport pass for London that gives you unlimited travel in London within certain zones . The prices vary according to the number of zones you need to travel through. Central London is in zone 1.

Travelcards are valid for 1 day, 7 days, 1 month or 1 year.

The passes are valid for travel on all types of transport in London including:

• the Underground (the tube)
• the local suburban trains within London
• the Elizabeth Line (not west of West Drayton)
• the Docklands Light Railway (DLR)
• the London Overground
• the buses all over London. A Travelcard for any zone allows you to use the buses in all zones (zones 1-6)

The 3 Day Travelcard, weekend Travelcard, Zone 1-2 & 2-6 One Day Travelcards are no longer available.

Visiting London for 1-7 days? See our guide to London’s transport tickets & passes . The Travelcard may not be the best ticket for your stay.

Single Underground Tickets

Single paper tickets on the London underground are expensive if you buy them from a tube station ticket machine:

• £6.70 for one journey in zone 1 (central London) and between zone 1 and zones 2 to 6
• See single ticket prices for all zones .

One Day Travelcards: 2024 prices

Using a Pay as you go Oyster card or a contactless card are the cheapest ways to pay for travel if you’re in London for 1-5 days. The daily cap is £8.50 per day for zones 1-2

If you really don’t want to use an Oyster card or don’t have a contactless card, the One Day Travelcard is the next best money-saving pass.

The paper Off peak One Day Travelcard for zone 1-6 is  £15.90. This is expensive, but still cheaper than paying the full cash fare for 3 underground trips in central London (3 x £6.70 = £20.10 ).

One Day Travelcard fares 2024

Peak v anytime travelcards.

One Day Travelcard prices are different if you travel during peak or off-peak times:

Anytime Travelcard Valid for travel at anytime. Off-Peak Travelcard For travel after 9.30am Monday–Friday and all day Saturday, Sunday and public holidays.

Top Tip: An Off-Peak One Day Travelcard for zones 1–6 costs  £10.40 with a Railcard .

Weekly Travelcards: 2024 prices

If you stay in London for 6–7 days and use the underground, trains, and buses every day, the weekly Travelcard is the most cost-effective travel pass.

The one-week pass including central London (zones 1-2) is  £42.70.

• It can start on any day of the week
• It’s valid for travel at anytime; there is no peak or off-peak rate.

Most places sell weekly Travelcards loaded onto a plastic Oyster card. There’s a £7 fee for the Oyster card.

Your fare on an Oyster card will automatically cap at the weekly Travelcard fare (this is already available on contactless cards). The cap starts on Monday and ends Sunday, so it mainly benefits Londoners or those working in London.

Weekly Travelcard fares 2024

• See weekly Travelcards prices for all other zones (2, 3, 4, 5 and 6)

Monthly Travelcards: 2024 prices

For longer stays in London, monthly Travelcards are available. You won’t save much compared to buying 4 x weekly Travelcards – but you’ll save time renewing it. Like the weekly Travelcard, it can start on any day of the week and is valid for travel at any time. See monthly Travelcard prices for all other zones (2, 3, 4, 5 and 6)

Monthly Travelcards 2024

Where to buy travelcards.

One day, weekly and monthly Travelcards are available from:

Underground stations

Travelcards are available from all underground station ticket machines (there are no longer any underground tickets offices). The busier stations in central London have staff to help you use the machines.

Local shops and newsagents

Travelcards are also available from Oyster ticket stops . These are newsagents and local shops licensed to sell London transport tickets and Oyster cards. One Day Travelcards are not available from Oyster ticket stops.

London train stations

One Day Travelcards are available from all London train station ticket offices and ticket macines. Paper weekly and monthly Travelcards are no longer available from train stations . They are available to buy, but they are loaded onto an Oyster card and may only be available from ticket machines, not ticket offices.

London Transport Visitor Centres

TfL Visitor Centres at Victoria train station, Kings Cross/St Pancras International station, Heathrow Terminal 2 & 3 tube staion, Liverpool St station & Piccadilly Circus tube station.

How to use a Travelcard

On the underground.

If you have a paper One Day Travelcard or single ticket from a ticket machine, insert the card into the slot on the front of the ticket barrier. The barrier opens when you take the ticket from behind the yellow reader, on the top.

If you have a paper One Day Travelcard, just show it to the driver when boarding the bus.

See How to use an Oyster card if you have a weekly Travelcard on an Oyster card.

Top Tip: Do you want a cheaper way to travel around central London? If you only travel by bus , it costs £5.25 per day or £24.70 per week.

Related pages

• Guide to London’s transport tickets
• Weekly and monthly Travelcards for zones 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6
• Oyster card
• How to use a contactless card to pay for transport
• Bus tickets & passes
• London Transport zones

Last updated: 22 February 2024

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What’s a London Travelcard?

A London Travelcard is a ticket type that allows unlimited travel for a certain amount of time on:

• The London Underground within zones 1-4 or 1-6
• Docklands Light Railway
• Most National Rail Services in London

It also offers discounts on Emirates flights and a third off River Boat fares on selected services.

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Which London Travelcard is right for me?

One day london travelcards.

There are two types of One Day London Travel cards:

Anytime Day Travelcards: you can use these anytime on the date shown on your ticket, until 04:30 the following day.

Off-Peak Day Travelcards: you can use these from 09:30 Monday – Friday and at any time on weekends and bank holidays on the date on your ticket, until 04:30 the following day.

London Weekly Travelcard

The London Weekly Travelcard offers 7 days of travel for the price of 5.

Monthly London Travelcard

Monthly Travelcards are typically more cost-effective than buying consecutive 7-day ones. You’ll save 11% on your journeys if you go for the monthly option.

Group One Day London Travelcard

Travelling as a group of 10 or more? Get a Group One Day London Travelcard. It’s valid for the day from 9:30 am (Monday to Friday), anytime on weekends or public holidays right up until 04:30 the next day.

London Travelcard season tickets

We have various London Travelcard Season Ticket options, including:

Your Travelcard season ticket can start on any day of the week, and you can travel right up until 04:30 on the day after your travelcard expires.

How do I get a London Travelcard?

You can get a travelcard when you buy an Anytime train tickets , Off-Peak train tickets , Super Off Peak , Advance train tickets or Season train ticket (except Flexi Season ) to London on our website, SWR app or at your local station.

You can add London Travelcards to your SWR touch smartcard , making it easier for you to tap in and out across the capital.

Travelling outside the area covered by your Travelcard

If you have a Travelcard, then you are permitted to use any services within its Zones (subject to the time restrictions of the Travelcard). If you wish to travel beyond the Zones permitted by your Travelcard, then you can purchase a Boundary Zone ticket to or from the station outside of those Zones.

For example, if you have a 7-Day Zones 1 to 3 Travelcard and wanted to travel to Shepperton, you can buy a Boundary Zone 3 to Shepperton Day Return ticket from any staffed ticket office or from our self-service ticket machines. The train you are on does not need to call at a station within Zone 3 to be valid. Boundary Zone tickets can also be sold in the opposite direction (e.g. Shepperton to Boundary Zone 3).

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London Travel: Which Oyster Card is Best for Visitors?

With so much to see and do in every corner of the city, transportation is an essential part of your London adventure. One of the easiest and cheapest ways to travel is with an Oyster card, which can be used on the capital's buses, trams, and metro. Oyster cards can also be used to pay for journeys on the DLR, London Overground, Transport for London (TfL) Rail, Emirates Air Line, the River Bus and most National Rail services within the city. In short, an Oyster card gives you full access to all of London's diverse public transport options .

What is an Oyster Card?

An Oyster card is an electronic plastic smartcard that can be loaded with pay-as-you-go transport credit. There are two options available to tourists: the regular Oyster card used by London natives, and the Visitor Oyster card, which is specially designed for use on one-off trips. Both cards work in conjunction with the yellow card readers installed at all transport stations, calculate the cheapest possible fare for each journey, and offer a daily capped rate that makes unlimited travel affordable. 

Both versions of the Oyster card are significantly cheaper than traditional paper Travelcards. For example, travel within transport Zones 1 and 2 is capped at a daily maximum of £6.60 with an Oyster card, while a Day Travelcard for the same zones costs £12.30. At the end of your trip, you can request a refund of any unused credit, or give your Oyster card to a friend or family member. Pay-as-you-go credit on both cards is fully transferable and never expires. 

Visitor Oyster Cards

If you're traveling to London for a short visit, a Visitor Oyster card is probably the most convenient choice. You can order one online ahead of your trip, and have it delivered to your home so that when you arrive in London, you don't have to waste time queuing to purchase a regular Oyster card. This is especially helpful if your flight arrives at Gatwick Airport, as all Oyster cards can be used on the trains from the airport to central London. Visitor Oyster cards cost £5 (plus postage), and can be pre-loaded with credit options ranging from £10-50. 

If you run out of credit during your visit, you can load more money onto your Oyster at any Oyster Ticket Shop (of which there are more than 4,000 across London) or TfL Visitor Centre. It's also possible to load credit at any Tube, London Overground or TfL Rail station, and at several National Rail  stations. Visitor Oyster cards are only compatible with pay-as-you-go credit and cannot be loaded with multi-day travelcards or passes in the way that regular Oyster cards can. However, a major advantage of this card is the special offers and discounts it offers at selected restaurants, shops, galleries, and entertainment venues.

Regular Oyster Cards

For long-term visitors, a regular Oyster card could be the more cost-effective option. These cards can only be purchased upon arrival, from Oyster Ticket Shops, Visitor Centers and most London Tube and rail stations. They cost £5 ( refundable at the end of your trip ) and can be loaded with any amount of pay-as-you-go credit. Unlike Visitor Oyster cards, this option can also be loaded with multi-day travel cards that give even cheaper fares for longer stays; or with discount cards including Bus & Tram Passes and National Railcards. Remember that only pay-as-you-go credit can be used by someone else after you leave. 

Regular Oyster cards are compatible with the TFL Oyster App, and can be registered with a contactless and Oyster account . The latter allows you to easily see how much credit you have left, to view your journey history and to apply for refunds online. 

Alternative Options

If neither Oyster card option sounds like a good fit for you, there are alternative ways to pay for transport in London. Although they don't offer the same discounts, paper Day Travelcards may appeal to those that prefer to keep things traditional. This ticket allows for unlimited travel within a 24-hour period on the bus, Tube, DLR, tram, London Overground, and most National Rail services within London. Discounts are also available to Day Travelcard holders wishing to make use of the Thames Clippers River Bus and the Emirates Air Line cable car. 

For the more tech-savvy, contactless cards allow you to pay for journeys of £30 or less by touching the card to the same yellow card readers used for Oyster payments. The benefits of contactless payments over Oyster cards include not having to worry about running out of credit or queuing to top up your Oyster when your credit is running low. Contactless payments on the same card are automatically capped on a daily and weekly basis, so you'll still benefit from reduced fares.

However, if your card is issued outside the UK, you may have to pay overseas bank charges . Similarly, while American Express contactless cards and nearly all Mastercard or Maestro cards are accepted, some other foreign cards may not work on the London transit system. The same issues apply to those intending on using Apple Pay . Check with your card issuer in advance to find out whether your card is compatible, and what charges you may incur by using your card overseas. 

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Travel Cards and Tariffs

The Travelcard is a paper ticket that gives you unlimited access to London’s public transport for a limited amount of time , being the best option for the majority of tourists.

You can either get a 24-hour or 7-day Travelcard . Residents can also get monthly or annual Travelcards.

When buying a 24-hour Travelcard, you can choose a Day Anytime , which can be used at any time of the day and is valid until 4:30 am the next day. Or you can get the Day Off-Peak , which only allows you to take public transport after 9:30 am and is also valid until the next day at 4:30 am.

Children under eleven can ride with an adult for free.

Where to buy a London Travelcard?

The Travelcards can be purchased at any tube station , tourist information stands, in the National Rail stations and also in certain newsagents .

Depending on where you purchase the ticket, you will get it in one format or other. In the tube stations, when buying a 7 day Travelcard, you’ll get it in a pre-charged Oyster Card .

If you get it in the National Rail station , you’ll get it as a paper ticket with the National Rail symbol on it , which is important if you want to use the 2FOR1 offers.

Travelcard or Oyster Card?

Although both cards are very similar, and the Travelcard can be bought within an Oyster card, from a touristic point of view, there are several differences:

• For a tourist an Oyster Card can be more troublesome : you have to buy it, recharge it and finally return it to be given back the money that you haven’t spent on it.
• If you buy a Travelcard in the National Rail (railway stations), you’ll have access to the 2FOR1 offers  in London's   top attractions.

You may also be interested in

Is it cheaper to buy a London travel card? Learn how to save money when using the public transport network in London.

Oyster Card

The Oyster Card is a magnetic rechargeable plastic card valid for all of London’s public transport. It not only simplifies the payment system, but it's also cheaper than paying for a single journey ticket every time you ride the Underground, bus, DLR, or Overground. 

Money blog: 'Set-jetting' is the latest travel trend - have you joined in?

The Money blog is your place for personal finance and consumer news. Scroll down to find out about new research on which jobs cause most stress, a stamp duty warning, how the savings market is acting unpredictably and a new travel trend. Leave your thoughts on anything we cover below.

Thursday 12 September 2024 18:30, UK

• These are the most stressful jobs in the UK
• Savings market is acting unpredictably - here's how you can benefit
• Stamp duty warning for first-time buyers

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• 'Set-jetting' is the latest travel trend - have you joined in?  
• Everything you need to know about new Renters' Rights Bill
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• Data roaming charges compared by network
• Should I consider an annuity?
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• How much should you spend on wedding gift? 'Annoyed' Britons give verdict

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A union has won a Supreme Court battle against Tesco over so-called proposals to "fire and rehire" workers on less favourable terms.

The Union of Shop Distributive and Allied Workers took legal action over the 2021 proposals.

Five Supreme Court justices ruled unanimously that Tesco should be blocked from dismissing the staff, after the supermarket chain appealed a previous High Court decision also in the union's favour.

The ruling was called an "important victory for workers across the country" by TUC general secretary Paul Nowak who said practices like fire and rehire have no place in a modern economy.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has cut interest rates for the second time this year as eurozone inflation slows, and the economy falters. 

The ECB, which is the central bank for 20 countries, lowered its deposit rate by 25 basis points to 3.50% in a move that was widely expected.

It's not thought to impact rates here in the UK - with the Bank of England widely expected to hold its own rates when it makes a decision next week. 

Online fashion retailer Boohoo will stop using its US warehouse only a year after it opened in Pennsylvania.

Instead, all orders from the US will be fulfilled at the company's distribution centre in Sheffield in the UK, which the company said would expand the range of products on offer to American customers.

The decision is expected to take a £34m hit on the capital that had been pumped into the US warehouse, according to Shore Capital.

Boohoo said it "remains excited about the opportunity in the US" but Katie Cousins, an analyst at Shore Capital, said the retailer had been forced to back-pedal because it had "failed to gain traction in the US despite investing to grow market share and improve delivery times for consumers".

The boss of Ryanair has stepped up his efforts to curb drinking at airports - saying he is prepared to introduce a two-drink limit on his planes if bars in the terminal do the same.

Michael O'Leary first called for a limit on airport drinking last month after a rise in disorder on flights - but some critics pointed out that there is also no limit on how much passengers can drink on Ryanair journeys.

Now, when asked by Sky News if he would restrict passengers to two alcoholic drinks, Mr O'Leary said he would be "happy to do it tomorrow".

His call for restrictions comes after a "spike" in violent disorder among passengers over the summer.

On Sunday, a Ryanair flight from Manchester to Ibiza was diverted to Toulouse in France after a group of passengers became disruptive.

Mr O'Leary added: "If the price of putting a drink limit on the airport, where the problem is being created, is putting a drink limit on board the aircraft, we've no problem with that.

"The real issue is how do we stop these people getting drunk at airports particularly as, like this summer, we've had a huge spike in air traffic control delays."

Read the full story below:

Almost 40 shops have shut each day in the first six months of this year, according to new data.

From January to June, a total of 6,945 shops (38 a day) closed on high streets, shopping centres and retail parks - an increase from 36 a day in 2023.

Chemists, estate agents, chain pubs and banks made up half of all this year's closures.

Shop openings also grew slightly compared to last year, up from 24 to 25 a day.

The data from advisory firm PwC found that fashion retailers had a significant improvement in closure rates compared to the same time last year. 

The net closure rate has slowed by nearly two-thirds, despite a number of high-profile fashion retail businesses falling into administration and announcing closures.

Online retail has also increased further in the first half of the year, which PwC put partly down to unseasonably wet weather.

"How consumers choose to prioritise their pounds and take up their time has changed. There's been a continued shift, with consumers seeking new experiences and spending more time with friends and family," Rick Jones, its leader of hospitality, said. 

"Our data shows continued net closures in the first half [of 2024], particularly for those businesses hardest hit by energy and labour cost inflation. Put simply, adapting to these changes has become an existential matter."

Game of Thrones, Emily in Paris and Outlander are some of the most influential TV shows on European tourism, a new study has found.

In the UK, London is estimated to have acquired more than £12.3m in revenue through various TV tours, including the Poirot Tour of London by Black Cab, the Killing Eve self-guided audio tour, and the Ted Lasso Tour of Richmond.

Set-jetting is one of the biggest travel trends influencing consumers today, seeing locations like Saltburn's Drayton House, Northamptonshire, soaring in search demand (+600%) since its release in December 2023, according to Tour Operator Software Provider Bokun. 

Visit Britain also revealed that 70% of UK tourists who have taken a leisure trip in the past decade have visited a film or TV location, highlighting the significant influence of media on tourism.

Edinburgh had a significant tourism boost from the hit show Outlander, with 21 of the city's 23 TV tours dedicated to the show, possibly bringing in £6.4m.

Game of Thrones has been the most influential show on European tourism and is responsible for more than 107 themed tours across the continent.

These alone are estimated to have generated more than £44m for the European economy - translating to approximately £605,000 in tourism revenue per episode aired.

Tours based on the show in Dubrovnik, Croatia, actually contributed 98.8% of the country's total income from TV tourism. 

Despite being fairly new shows, Emily in Paris and Bridgerton highlighted Netflix's international influence. 

In France, 18 themed Emily in Paris tours generated around £1,391,000, while in the UK Bridgerton's nine raked in an estimated £1,325,000. 

As another year starts at universities around the country, students are being warned about scams targeting their maintenance loans.

The Student Loans Company (SLC), which dishes out £2bn to students over the autumn term, said in the past that students have fallen victim to smishing and phishing scams after acting on false communications.

Scams often involve students being contacted via text message (smishing) and being asked to click a link to complete a task - for example, verifying bank details or confirming their personal information, providing an opportunity for a payment to be diverted to a scammer's bank account.

SLC warned that it will never ask students to provide or verify their personal or financial information via email or text message.

Alan Balanowski, risk director at the company, said: "Our message to students is quite simply, think before you click."

Tips to avoid scams

The Student Loan Company has the following advice for students:

• Neither SLC nor Student Finance England provide any services through WhatsApp and will never initiate contact with a student through social media channels, including Facebook, X, Instagram and Tik Tok, to discuss their application or student finance entitlement;
• Check the quality of the communication - misspelling, poor punctuation and bad grammar are often signs of phishing. Scam emails and text messages are often sent in bulk at the same time and are unlikely to contain both a first and last name. These commonly start - Dear Student;
• Messages that convey a sense of urgency are also unlikely to be genuine – for example "failure to respond in 24 hours will result in the account being closed";
• Be mindful of the information you share about yourself on social media, and elsewhere online, to help guard against identity theft;
• SLC or Student Finance England send a text message to students in England if a change has been made to their bank details. If you haven't changed your bank details and receive a message, contact us immediately.

Hundreds of thousands of teenagers are heading to university for the first time this month, with many facing financial independence for the first time. 

In our first ever Money blog spin-off, we put together some essential reads that will hopefully help stand them in good stead - check that out here:

By Sarah Taaffe-Maguire , business reporter

The UK's benchmark stock index is benefiting in a global stock market rally following the US after inflation data cemented expectations of a smaller interest rate cut. 

The FTSE 100 index of the most valuable companies on the London Stock rose as much as 1% on Thursday morning before slowing to 0.76%. 

The larger and more UK-based FTSE 250 also rose 0.94%. 

Online train ticket seller Trainline was up a shock 10.59%, leading the FTSE 250, as more than 50% of tickets were bought online for the first time. 

Fever Tree drinks had sales dampened by "subdued consumer backdrop and poor weather" in the UK and Europe but it didn't stop profits rising 79% in the second three months of its financial year. 

Oil prices remained at the comparatively low $70 for a barrel of Brent crude oil. The benchmark price is now $71.29. 

The summer-time value of the pound against the dollar at $1.31 has long gone with £1=$1.305. 

Against the euro, sterling buys €1.1844. 

Aldi has announced where in the UK it is looking to open new stores.

The retailer, which has more than 1,000 shops and is consistently named the country's cheapest supermarket, announced in its annual trading update that it wants to open 23 new locations before the end of the year.

This will be accelerated by a bumper £800m annual investment package - the biggest ever for the store.

The priority locations where Aldi is searching for sites include:

• Woodford, London
• Surbiton, London
• Bromley, London
• Barnet, London
• Redhill, Surrey
• Aldershot, Hampshire
• Haywards Heath, West Sussex
• Chatham, Kent
• Chorlton, Manchester
• Formby, Liverpool
• Newark, Nottinghamshire
• Chesterfield, Derbyshire
• Wellingborough, Northamptonshire
• Brentwood, Essex
• Dorchester, Dorset
• Clarkston, Scotland
• Cathcart, Scotland
• Penzance, Cornwall
• Warwick, Warwickshire
• Bath, Somerset

The supermarket chain said the ideal location for a brand-new Aldi would be freehold town-centres, edge-of-centre and retail park sites suitable for property development. 

It should be able to accommodate a 20,000sq ft store with around 100 parking spaces and ideally, the location would also be near a main road with good visibility and access.

Aldi is the cheapest supermarket in the UK at the moment, according to monthly analysis by the consumer group Which?, with an average household basket full of groceries and other essentials coming in at £110.58 in August. 

Lidl, Aldi's main rival, was just behind at £111.88 on average with Lidl Plus, and £112.17 without.

Police officers, social workers and community nurses have some of the most stressful jobs in the UK, research has suggested. 

Police officers take the top spot, with a rate of 6,500 per 100,000 current or former officers reporting that their job had negatively affected their mental health. 

This rate is almost two and a half times (242%) higher than the national average. Approximately 11,000 out of an estimated total of 169,231 police officers reported that their jobs had caused mental health issues or made them even worse - working out to an estimated 6.5% of the total employees in this role. 

Social workers rank second, with a rate of 6,100 per 100,000 current or former social workers reporting mental health issues caused by their jobs. 

Third place went to welfare and housing professionals. Throughout the UK, almost two in fifty people (1.9%) reported that their jobs had either caused or made mental health issues worse - working out to a rate of 1,900 per 100,000 residents, or an estimated 636,000 people nationwide. 

The study, by personal injury experts Claims.co.uk, analysed health and safety executive data from the government, looking at prevalence and rates of self-reported stress, depression or anxiety that were either caused or made worse by their current or most recent job.

A spokesperson for Claims.co.uk said: "Factors such as long hours, high responsibilities, and public-facing roles appear to contribute significantly to an employee's mental health being negatively impacted." 

According to the data, bookkeepers, payroll managers and wage clerks have the least stressful jobs in the country. 

For this week's Savings Guide, Savings Champion  co-founder Anna Bowes has dug into how ISAs have been affected by the Bank of England's rate cut last month. 

The Bank of England base rate was finally reduced on 1 August this year, after months of speculation. 

Unfortunately, as you would expect, that has had a negative effect on savings rates and best buy rates across the board have fallen since. 

That said, with inflation at 2.2%, there are still plenty of savings accounts available that are providing interest that beats the rising cost of living.

The market hasn't behaved completely as expected in the aftermath of the rate cut. 

Although you'd expect to see variable rates tumble, fixed term bond rates should be less affected as they are normally priced based on what the market is expecting from interest rates going forward. 

This is why the longer-term bond rates continue to be lower than the short term, as the market is expecting the base rate to be cut again in the next few months.

However, there was an initial flurry of fixed bonds being replaced with lower rates - perhaps providers were not expecting the base rate to be cut in August!

And for those looking to utilise their ISA allowance - or to transfer from poor paying ISAs, there is another anomaly that we're not used to seeing. 

Currently the top easy access ISA rates are higher than the top standard easy access accounts. 

So, you can not only access the very best rates on the market via these cash ISAs, but enjoy tax free interest to boot!

First-time buyers have just two months left to save up to £15,000 in stamp duty, Zoopla has warned.

With the average property taking around 25 weeks to complete, and rates due to return to previous levels on 1 April 2025, first-time buyers should be looking to begin the process as soon as possible to benefit from the tax relief.

Stamp duty remains essentially a tax on moving home in southern England, with 81% of total receipts coming from southern England. The threshold will reduce from nothing paid on homes up to £425,000 down to £300,000. A first-time buyer purchasing a £425,000 property in April will have to pay £6,205, compared to nothing today.

The impact of this change will be the greatest in southern England, the property website has said, with first-time buyers in London, the South East and the East of England most affected.

In the London boroughs of Camden, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Islington will see stamp duty increase by an average of £15,000.

Data from Zoopla indicates that many first-time buyers have been capitalising on the reduced stamp duty rates and improvements in mortgage rates, with a 20% increase in first-time buyer demand in July, compared to the same month last year.

Just 5% of first-time buyers in northern England and the Midlands affected due to lower property prices, which will remain below the threshold. 

Izabella Lubowiecka, senior property researcher at Zoopla said: "With just two months to go, those looking to purchase their first home should act this Autumn if they are to avoid paying more in stamp duty, particularly if they are looking to purchase a home in Southern England."

She added: “Those not looking to purchase until after 1 April, should make sure they build the additional stamp duty fees into their plans and account for it in their overall budgets.”

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Starting in 2025, Most Foreigners Will Pay $13 To Cross the U.K.’s Borders — Even in Transit

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The u.k.’s new $13 entrance fee, final thoughts.

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The U.K. government is clamping down on its borders.

By April 2, 2025 , almost all international visitors, including those just transiting through the U.K., will have to be pre-approved for travel . According to the U.K. Government’s website, the move is being introduced to “prevent abuse of [the U.K.’s] immigration system.”

Here are the details you need to know.

Similar to what foreign citizens are required to do when traveling to the U.S., the U.K. has been slowly rolling out a system whereby an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) or eVisa is required to enter to the island nation.

Nationals from countries — such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the U.A.E — already need to apply for the ETA.

However, from April 2, 2025, this will apply to all international visitors except Irish nationals , who are permitted to travel freely between the U.K. and Ireland.

“Everyone wishing to travel to the UK — except British and Irish citizens — will need permission to travel in advance of coming here. This can be either through an Electronic Travel Authorisation or an eVisa,” said the U.K. government in a statement.

The cost of the ETA is £10 (roughly $13) , which is a couple of dollars cheaper than what the U.S. Department of Homeland Security charges travelers to the U.S. for an ESTA — the name of its similar system.

Once travel has been approved, the ETA is valid for multiple entries for a period of 2 years — or the expiry date of the traveler’s passport, if that comes sooner.

It’s also worth pointing out that new border control procedures are coming for the European Union , though the requirement for travel authorization shouldn’t apply to U.S. citizens until 2026.

If all this talk of the U.K. has got you considering a trip before the fees come in, our guide on the best way to fly to London using points and miles might come in useful.

The U.K. will be the only nation in Europe to charge such a fee even for transiting passengers. That’s right, you’ll need this ETA even if you’re only transiting the U.K. while flying from the U.S. to another country.

In turn, this could deter travelers from the U.S from choosing to fly U.K. carriers like British Airways or Virgin Atlantic , opting instead to fly with alternative carriers such as Air France via Paris (CDG) or Lufthansa via Frankfurt (FRA) or Munich (MUC).

Some would even consider this move as potentially causing serious damange to airport and airline finances in the U.K.

“Taxing transit is tantamount to failure,” Paul Charles, director of the PC Agency told The Independent . “If other airports offer free transit then they will pick up market share.”

Even if takes some getting used to, the introduction of an electronic visa system is nothing out of the ordinary. What remains to be seen is the impact this could have on transiting passengers.

We’ll keep you updated should there be more changes in the coming months.

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