A £15 charge from TfL is usually the daily rate for driving within the London Congestion Charge zone. If this was for public transport, it likely represents a maximum daily cap, a penalty for failing to tap out, or a, "incomplete journey". Check your specific journey history on the TfL website for the exact reason.
When you use contactless or Oyster to pay as you go, there is a maximum amount of time that you can spend making a single journey on Tube, DLR, London Overground, Elizabeth line and National Rail. If you spend longer than the maximum journey time for your journey, you could be charged 2 maximum fares.
TfL introduced a temporary congestion charge fee of £15, up from £11.50, in May 2020. This was part of emergency measures taken during the pandemic to encourage a fall in traffic to make essential journeys easier.
A single maximum fare is:
The Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) will include information about making a representation (challenging the PCN) and how long you've got to do it. See on which grounds you can make a representation. If you think the PCN has been issued incorrectly, you can challenge it by making a representation online or in writing.
Representation in writing
You may be eligible for a refund if your journey was delayed for 15 minutes or more.
The Congestion Charge costs £15 if you pay in advance or on the same day. A slightly higher rate of £17.50 is charged if you pay up to three days after you travel. From 2 January 2026, the Congestion Charge cost is set to rise to £18 in line with public transport fare increases.
Fares and capping are exactly the same whether you use an Oyster card or a contactless payment method. That means you'll never pay more than the daily or weekly maximum when travelling across different zones – whichever method you use.
London road user charging
We may issue a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) if you drive within the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in a vehicle that does not meet the emissions standards and you do not pay the correct daily charge. Pay a PCN. Challenge a PCN.
The Revenue Inspection Charge is aligned with the Zones 1-6 Pay as you go (PAYG) daily cap and is currently set at £16.30. It is applied only when a customer has failed to touch in and has been inspected by a Revenue Inspector using a RID device.
“Fare evasion is a criminal offence that could lead to a fine of up to £1,000 and a criminal record.” From 2024 to 2025, 63,301 penalty fares were issued for fare evasion on the TfL network, while only 13,823 successful prosecutions were issued, according to TfL data.
Contact your credit card company to see whether you can dispute a charge. In some cases, the credit card company can reverse the charge. This is sometimes called a chargeback.
You'll pay the right fare if you touch in and out with the same card. Always use the same contactless card or device, or Oyster card to touch in and out. For example, if you touch in with your iPhone and touch out with your Apple Watch or contactless card, you'll be charged for two incomplete journeys.
Transport for London (TfL) aims to provide refunds within 10 working days. There are instances, such as complex claims or a large volume of claims arriving at once, when this is not always possible.
Same station exits
If you touch in when you enter a station and then touch out to exit it within a short period of time, you'll be charged a same station exit charge. These are: Between 0 - 2 minutes: a maximum fare. If you re-enter the same or a different station within 45 minutes, you'll be refunded.
Using pay as you go (paying only for the journeys you make when you travel) is the easiest and cheapest way to pay for travel in London. You don't have to work out the cost of your journey in advance or buy tickets. You can pay as you go using: A contactless card or device (overseas charges may apply)
Further details on London bus fares
Make a journey using pay as you go (Contactless or Oyster) on a bus and you can make a second bus journey for free within one hour of touching in on the first bus. You must touch in using the same card on the second bus, the free fare will then be applied automatically.
How do I avoid paying the London Congestion Charge? You can avoid paying the London Congestion Zone Charge by travelling between 18:00 and 7:00 Monday to Friday, and 18:00 to 12:00 Saturday to Sunday (and bank holidays). There is no charge between Christmas Day or New Year's Day, either.
Buses and trams
London's buses and trams are also some of the cheapest ways to travel in London. A Hopper Fare allows you to take unlimited bus and tram journeys for £1.75 within one hour.
If you think you've been charged in error, you'll need to log into your Transport for London (TfL) online account to view and confirm the details of the disputed fare or charge. If you still feel you've been incorrectly charged, you'll then need to contact TfL to resolve this for you.
If you don't touch in and out, we cannot tell where you've travelled from or to, so your journey will be incomplete. As we cannot work out the right fare for your journey, we'll charge you a maximum fare.
State explicitly that you are requesting a refund and specify the amount. It's also helpful to mention your preferred method of refund, whether it's a return to your credit card, a check, etc. The better you document your concerns, the easier it is for the company to process your e-mail.