Annual Z1-4 Travelcard Questions

[miss_stoat]

Hi All

I hope you can help me be a little less confused about something.

I buy a monthly Z1-4 Travelcard and have done for many years. It suits me as I commute into London every day and I don't drive so I am using buses, tubes & trains all the time. I have been buying monthlies as I have not had the outlay to buy an annual.

My place of work has now started doing season ticket loans, which I am eligible for, so I will be buying an annual Z1-4 Travelcard as my current monthly expires in early Feb.

My questions are this:

I cannot buy the annual from my local NR station at Ilford as AGA don't accept the type of bank card I hold (I have one of those VISA Electron cards) so I will have to get it from my local LU station at Gants Hill. I think I can purchase online as my Oyster is registered but if I collect at Gants Hill will the barrier think I have started a journey? can I collect it from the ticket machine instead of the barrier? (I try to avoid the Central Line unless absolutely necessary)

I *think* I will get a 'Gold Card' with this annual Z1-4...will this be automatically loaded onto my Oyster when I purchase/collect the season? am I even eligible for a gold card when I buy this ticket?

Looking at the Gold Card (if I can get one) it says I'd be able to purchase a railcard for £10 for a friend or family member but I don't think I can get this at an LU station...I'd have to go to an NR station with the application form...is that right?

Sorry for all the questions and thank you in advance

 

[Clip]

Why don't you just get a company cheque to pay for your ticket?

 

[Hadders]

You could withdraw the money from your bank account and pay cash.

 

[bb21]

I *think* I will get a 'Gold Card' with this annual Z1-4...will this be automatically loaded onto my Oyster when I purchase/collect the season? am I even eligible for a gold card when I buy this ticket?

You will be eligible. You will get a Gold Record Card if your season is held on Oyster.

It will not be loaded automatically onto your Oyster. You will need to ask for it to be done.

Looking at the Gold Card (if I can get one) it says I'd be able to purchase a railcard for £10 for a friend or family member but I don't think I can get this at an LU station...I'd have to go to an NR station with the application form...is that right?

That is correct. LU ticket offices cannot sell Railcards.

 

[transmanche]

You could withdraw the money from your bank account and pay cash.

Which is fine, if you're comfortable carrying around £1,844 in cash.

Personally I'd just buy it online.

 

[Wolfie]

Why don't you just get a company cheque to pay for your ticket?

My employer (Government) doesn't do such a thing, nor do many others I know of. Payment is made with salary (by direct bank transfer) and repayments taken directly out of salary....

Which is fine, if you're comfortable carrying around £1,844 in cash.

Personally I'd just buy it online.

Sensible...

 

[miss_stoat]

The company have already paid the loan into my bank account...I don't particularly fancy wandering around Ilford with over £1800 in my pocket - even for a short distance! Whilst I love living in the Gants Hill/Ilford area, Ilford itself is not the nicest of places, especially around the station (IMO) and I hated having to withdraw £170+ cash to buy my monthlies there...

I guess I could transfer the cash to my partners more sensible account with a proper bank card and he can purchase it for me...

 

[maniacmartin]

Can you buy it from a station in central London, presumably near where you work?

 

[Tetchytyke]

I'd say either load it on to a Credit Card or go to an Underground ticket office.

AGA won't issue the ticket on an Oyster card, IIRC, and Oyster gives you more protection should you lose the ticket.

 

[miss_stoat]

Originally Posted by miss_stoat View Post
I *think* I will get a 'Gold Card' with this annual Z1-4...will this be automatically loaded onto my Oyster when I purchase/collect the season? am I even eligible for a gold card when I buy this ticket?

You will be eligible. You will get a Gold Record Card if your season is held on Oyster.

It will not be loaded automatically onto your Oyster. You will need to ask for it to be done

Thanks for that bb21...If I understand fully this will also give me a discount if I travel outside of the boundaries of the Travelcard (Zone 4) at off peak times? Not that I do that very often.

Can you buy it from a station in central London, presumably near where you work?

I work near to Liverpool St station which I believe is an AGA station so can't use the Electron card there (I assume as I cannot use it at Ilford) I could use the LU part of the station but I don't know if I nominate Liverpool St (or indeed Gants Hill) if I have to collect from the barrier or if I can collect from a ticket machine?

 

[Clip]

My employer (Government) doesn't do such a thing, nor do many others I know of. Payment is made with salary (by direct bank transfer) and repayments taken directly out of salary....

and yet we still get loads of company cheques coming over our counters to pay for season tickets....

 

[button_boxer]

I think I can purchase online as my Oyster is registered but if I collect at Gants Hill will the barrier think I have started a journey?

When buying online you can nominate any station in the Oyster area to collect, it doesn't have to be an Underground station - you could buy online and collect when you touch in at Ilford (NR) on the first day of validity.

Once you've collected the Travelcard you could then go to any LU ticket office to get the Gold Card discount loaded onto the Oyster to give you discounted PAYG fares on any off-peak travel beyond zone 4.

 

[bb21]

Thanks for that bb21...If I understand fully this will also give me a discount if I travel outside of the boundaries of the Travelcard (Zone 4) at off peak times? Not that I do that very often.

Correct.

 

[maniacmartin]

I don't see what is to be gained by buying online if buying Oyster. I'd just go to an LU station and buy face to face.

 

[Tetchytyke]

and yet we still get loads of company cheques coming over our counters to pay for season tickets....

Mine's a company cheque too, and I'm in the (semi) public sector. They won't give me anything else as "I might not spend it on a season ticket"...

 

[transmanche]

I don't see what is to be gained by buying online if buying Oyster. I'd just go to an LU station and buy face to face.

Not getting robbed of £1,844 in cash is a big advantage...

 

[miss_stoat]

When buying online you can nominate any station in the Oyster area to collect, it doesn't have to be an Underground station - you could buy online and collect when you touch in at Ilford (NR) on the first day of validity.

Once you've collected the Travelcard you could then go to any LU ticket office to get the Gold Card discount loaded onto the Oyster to give you discounted PAYG fares on any off-peak travel beyond zone 4.

Ah! I didn't realise I could do this...excellent! So I can purchase online, nominate Ilford, collect at Ilford and make my journey then ask for the Gold Card to be loaded onto my Oyster when I get spat out at Liverpool St (at the LU part of the station)...do I not need the gold record card though?

If I do, I'll just trot down to Gants Hill and purchase it face to face as others have said - I know LU take Electron

They won't give me anything else as "I might not spend it on a season ticket"...

I have to provide proof that I have purchased an Annual Season Ticket to my HR dept

Can't tell you how helpful you guys are, thanks so much

 

[button_boxer]

I have to provide proof that I have purchased an Annual Season Ticket to my HR dept

In that case it might be better to buy face to face at an LU ticket office and ask for a proper receipt. Remember you can buy Travelcards on Oyster in advance of the start date, so you could stop in at Liverpool Street LU and buy it any time during the week (or possibly longer) before your current monthly expires. That would then allow you to travel from Ilford on the first day of the new ticket rather than having to go to Gants Hill.

 

[miss_stoat]

In that case it might be better to buy face to face at an LU ticket office and ask for a proper receipt. Remember you can buy Travelcards on Oyster in advance of the start date, so you could stop in at Liverpool Street LU and buy it any time during the week (or possibly longer) before your current monthly expires. That would then allow you to travel from Ilford on the first day of the new ticket rather than having to go to Gants Hill.

Thanks for this...I was under the impression that seasons can be renewed up to 7 days in advance. As my current monthly expires on the 2nd Feb I was going to purchase the annual about Wednesday of next week...I float through Liverpool St quite early so hopefully it won't be too busy when I buy it.

 

[MikeWh]

Thanks for this...I was under the impression that seasons can be renewed up to 7 days in advance. As my current monthly expires on the 2nd Feb I was going to purchase the annual about Wednesday of next week...I float through Liverpool St quite early so hopefully it won't be too busy when I buy it.

You may find that they can't/won't add the railcard discount until the annual starts because discount entitlement fields only have an expiry date. It'll only take a minute to do once it has started though.

 

[Clip]

Not getting robbed of £1,844 in cash is a big advantage...

Why would they have to take cash? Do debit cards not work for such amounts?

 

[miss_stoat]

Thanks to all that posted advice here for me. I now have my annual Travelcard and a Gold Record Card which I got in advance from the 'Travel Information Centre' at Liverpool St using my Electron.

You may find that they can't/won't add the railcard discount until the annual starts because discount entitlement fields only have an expiry date. It'll only take a minute to do once it has started though.

I just have one more question regarding the above. The girl that loaded the Travelcard said she also loaded the gold card discount onto my Oyster (as well as giving me a paper Gold Record Card) but I can't see it when I log on to my Oyster account online...should I be able to see it?

Thanks again

 

[MikeWh]

I just have one more question regarding the above. The girl that loaded the Travelcard said she also loaded the gold card discount onto my Oyster (as well as giving me a paper Gold Record Card) but I can't see it when I log on to my Oyster account online...should I be able to see it?

Thanks again

Should you be able to see it? Yes, it would save a lot of queries.
Can you see it? No. You'll have to check the first time you make a journey beyond zone 4.

Or ask at an Underground station if they can produce a full printout or at least show you the screen with the discount code.

 

[miss_stoat]

Thanks MikeWh...I rarely go outside of Z4 unless I get on a bus to Romford or somesuch place. If I do undertake a 'proper' rail journey (other than my commute) I'm invariably with my teen so I use my Friends & Family Railcard...

I asked the girl at Liverpool St if the discount had been loaded twice - mindful of what you had posted about it maybe not being loaded due to expiry dates - and she said she had so I'll just trust that and check if I ever go outside Z4

 

[Wolfie]

Mine's a company cheque too, and I'm in the (semi) public sector. They won't give me anything else as "I might not spend it on a season ticket"...

My workplace obliges me to show my line manager my season ticket within a month of purchase...

 

[hi2u_uk]

Hi All

I hope you can help me be a little less confused about something.

I buy a monthly Z1-4 Travelcard and have done for many years. It suits me as I commute into London every day and I don't drive so I am using buses, tubes & trains all the time. I have been buying monthlies as I have not had the outlay to buy an annual.

My place of work has now started doing season ticket loans, which I am eligible for, so I will be buying an annual Z1-4 Travelcard as my current monthly expires in early Feb.

My questions are this:

I cannot buy the annual from my local NR station at Ilford as AGA don't accept the type of bank card I hold (I have one of those VISA Electron cards) so I will have to get it from my local LU station at Gants Hill. I think I can purchase online as my Oyster is registered but if I collect at Gants Hill will the barrier think I have started a journey? can I collect it from the ticket machine instead of the barrier? (I try to avoid the Central Line unless absolutely necessary)

this doesnt matter , if you have a zone 1-4 card if you touch in at a zone 1-4 station you wont be charged even if you dont touch out. If you do touch out you can write and complain and say that you exited eg at a dlr station and forgot to touch out

I *think* I will get a 'Gold Card' with this annual Z1-4...will this be automatically loaded onto my Oyster when I purchase/collect the season? am I even eligible for a gold card when I buy this ticket?

In my experience no unless its a very alert agent at the window. its much easier to ask them specifically to put it on

Looking at the Gold Card (if I can get one) it says I'd be able to purchase a railcard for £10 for a friend or family member but I don't think I can get this at an LU station...I'd have to go to an NR station with the application form...is that right?
dunno

Sorry for all the questions and thank you in advance

sorry if someone has already answered these questions. im not sure what you will do when all the tube ticket offices are closed

 

[theageofthetra]

The other week at Cannon St Underground I had an incorrectly charged fare put back on my Oyster card by a member of TFL staff. He did this by putting some sort of staff code into a ticket machine near the gateline (rather like supermarket staff do when something invariably goes wrong with a self service till) Once he was into the 'staff mode' my refund was put onto my Oyster. Once the ticket offices close is this how refunds/rail cards onto Oyster and other Oyster admin will be done?

 

[causton]

The other week at Cannon St Underground I had an incorrectly charged fare put back on my Oyster card by a member of TFL staff. He did this by putting some sort of staff code into a ticket machine near the gateline (rather like supermarket staff do when something invariably goes wrong with a self service till) Once he was into the 'staff mode' my refund was put onto my Oyster. Once the ticket offices close is this how refunds/rail cards onto Oyster and other Oyster admin will be done?

In a word... yes!

I believe there were limited facilities to do this before, now you can do more with it. Not seen it in action from the staff side of things though!