Check the latest situation from official websites. There are lots of savings to be had if you are 60 or over. You need:
✅ 60+ Oyster Card (free off-peak)
✅ Senior Railcard (1/3 off rail and TfL)
✅ Standard Oyster Card (yes, for peak travel when 60+ isn't valid so you get a Senior Railcard discount)
You can’t link your Senior Railcard to your 60+ Oyster photocard, because the 60+ Oyster is effectively a free-off‑peak season ticket for those aged 60 or over in London and adding a railcard discount to it has no effect .
What you can do instead
1. Keep using your 60+ Oyster photocard for completely free travel on TfL services and qualifying National Rail journeys after 09:30 on weekdays (and anytime at weekends/holidays) within its zone coverage .
2. For TfL and rail journeys outside those free zones or before 09:30, get a separate standard Oyster card (or convert it online to a standard adult Oyster).
– Visit a Tube or National Rail ticket office and ask staff to link your Senior Railcard to this standard Oyster. They'll scan your railcard and card number to add your ⅓ off discount for off‑peak pay-as-you-go travel and for Off‑Peak Day Travelcards .
– Staff at stations like Euston, Paddington, Watford Junction can do it—though not all staff have the system access, so be ready to ask someone else .
3. What that gives you on the standard Oyster:
⅓ off off‑peak pay‑as‑you‑go on the Tube, DLR, Overground, Elizabeth line, and eligible National Rail within London
⅓ off Off‑Peak Day Travelcards (e.g. a pay-as-you-go Day Travelcard covering zones 1–6) .
Example Scenario
You want to catch a train from London to outside Zone 6 on TfL after 09:30:
Use your 60+ Oyster from Zone 1 to Zone 6 — it's free.
For the trip beyond Zone 6, you need a paper ticket or the standard Oyster with railcard.
That way, you'll only pay for the journey outside TfL’s free zones — and thanks to your Senior Railcard, you get ⅓ off for that portion.
Summary
Card Free travel on TfL & Zones ⅓ off off‑peak PAYG & Day Travelcards
60+ Oyster photocard
✅ (after 09:30 weekdays)
❌ (discount doesn’t apply)
Standard Oyster + Senior Railcard
❌ (no free travel)
✅ (can link discounts)
What to do next
1. Continue using your 60+ Oyster for free within the zones.
2. Get a standard Oyster card, ask staff to add your Senior Railcard discount, and use it for pay‑as‑you‑go or Off‑Peak Day tickets when your 60+ card doesn’t cover it.
That way, you get the best of both: free zone-limited travel and railcard discounts on other journeys.
