London Travelcard and Oyster

[ashworth]

I have an Oyster Card which I use on occasional visits to London for Pay As You Go on tube and buses. If I know that I am also going to be using National Rail services I get a one day travelcard and use that instead.

Next month I am going to be in the London area for a week staying in Croydon. I was going to get a 7 day Zones 1-5 travelcard when I arrive in London at Kings Cross. However, I have read that I could get a 7 day travelcard put on my Oyster card. How does this work when using National Rail? I know that Oyster cards are not valid for Pay As You Go. Are there Oyster Card reading machines at rail stations that you have to touch in and out when using an Oyster card loaded with a 7 day travelcard?

 

[yorkie]

I have an Oyster Card which I use on occasional visits to London for Pay As You Go on tube and buses. If I know that I am also going to be using National Rail services I get a one day travelcard and use that instead.

Next month I am going to be in the London area for a week staying in Croydon. I was going to get a 7 day Zones 1-5 travelcard when I arrive in London at Kings Cross. However, I have read that I could get a 7 day travelcard put on my Oyster card. How does this work when using National Rail? I know that Oyster cards are not valid for Pay As You Go. Are there Oyster Card reading machines rail stations that you have to touch in and out?

If they don't have readers, it's not your problem - it's theirs - and they have to assume it's valid!

I guess the touching in/out isn't a worry if you have a travelcard, I'm sure someone can confirm this soon....!

 

[Mojo]

I guess the touching in/out isn't a worry if you have a travelcard, I'm sure someone can confirm this soon....!

Yes, if the barriers are open/not provided, or you are on a bendy bus then you don't have to touch in/out unless you are planning on travelling beyond the validity of your Travelcard and you have Pay As You Go credit. There was a discussion a while ago that the DLR Conditions of Carriage be construed to have meant you have to touch in/out on DLR, but it turned out to not be the case.

 

[dan_atki]

I have an Oyster Card which I use on occasional visits to London for Pay As You Go on tube and buses. If I know that I am also going to be using National Rail services I get a one day travelcard and use that instead.

Next month I am going to be in the London area for a week staying in Croydon. I was going to get a 7 day Zones 1-5 travelcard when I arrive in London at Kings Cross. However, I have read that I could get a 7 day travelcard put on my Oyster card. How does this work when using National Rail? I know that Oyster cards are not valid for Pay As You Go. Are there Oyster Card reading machines at rail stations that you have to touch in and out when using an Oyster card loaded with a 7 day travelcard?

Yes, the London zonal stations with barriers also have Oyster readers for the sole purpose of checking travelcards where PAYG is not valid - e.g. Sutton and Elstree spring to mind. Ticket inspectors on trains should also have a mobile Oyster card reader if they went to check the validity of a travelcard on Oyster.

Yes, if the barriers are open/not provided, or you are on a bendy bus then you don't have to touch in/out unless you are planning on travelling beyond the validity of your Travelcard and you have Pay As You Go credit. There was a discussion a while ago that the DLR Conditions of Carriage be construed to have meant you have to touch in/out on DLR, but it turned out to not be the case.

Just to make the point clearer for those on PAYG only: if the barriers are open then you must still touch out to avoid paying the maximum fare for your journey (which is a zone 1 to 9 single)! It is true though that if you are on a travelcard (and stick to its validity) then touching in/out is not a problem.

 

[Tom C]

If they don't have readers, it's not your problem - it's theirs - and they have to assume it's valid!

If a ticket inspector is working on a train which is going to pass through the London Travelcard zone then they will be carrying a reader which will tell them exactly whats on the card so there is no assumption needed

 

[John @ home]

Are there Oyster Card reading machines at rail stations that you have to touch in and out when using an Oyster card loaded with a 7 day travelcard?

There are special rules if using a tram to or from Wimbledon:
I get the tram to/from Wimbledon station. What should I do?
If you travel by tram to Wimbledon, always touch in at the start of your journey and touch out at the station gates when leaving the station. Do not use the yellow reader on the manual gate when you exit. When travelling by tram from Wimbledon, always touch in at the station gates and again at the yellow reader on the tram platform before boarding.

This is displayed prominently at tram stops, announced frequently on Route 3 trams, and appears on page 11 of http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/tickets/Get-the-most-from-Oyster-January-2009.pdf

John

 

[Daniel]

The above with Wimbledon are special rules for Pay-And-Go.

If you have a season travelcard on oyster, (a 7-day counts as a season), it is valid on all services within that zone, and all London bus services even outside of your zone.

One thing to note with a season ticket, you do not need to touch in or out properly. You only need to touch to open gates, or show a bus driver your valid etc. You will not be charged for incomplete journeys etc.
Think about it, most gold card customers can't be bothered to run their ticket through a gate as they don't want to get it out of the wallet, so get a member of staff to tap them through. Their pass is still valid even though it hasn't registered an entry. However a single ticket needs to run through a validator for it to be valid properly.
The same applies with an oyster card - you won't get charged for an incomplete journey within the zones of your ticket if you have a season travelcard on oyster.

All RCI/RPI's in London should carry MOVie readers (mobile oyster validator) to check what's on your card - national rail ticket offices in london should also have a way of checking to sell boundary zone extensions. If they don't have a working reader, they can't check it and it's their fault - your pass is valid.

 

[EM2]

Think about it, most gold card customers can't be bothered to run their ticket through a gate as they don't want to get it out of the wallet, so get a member of staff to tap them through.

Something that makes me *INCREDIBLY* annoyed when working at FCC in St Pancras

 

[ashworth]

Thanks for all that information.
So basically, as long as I stay within the zones paid for, it doesn't really matter whether I touch in and out or not, apart from to open barriers.

 

[Daniel]

Something that makes me *INCREDIBLY* annoyed when working at FCC in St Pancras

Do what I do downstairs on LU - ask them to run their ticket through the gate. If they don't, remind them they can get it replaced - as you have an NR office near you suggest/force them to do it now. And always check the photocard, that annoys em lol.

And ashworth, yes, basically your in possession of a valid ticket, so you dont need a validated oyster card

 

[yorkie]

I'd imagine you'd have to get an annual replaced a lot of times if you have to put it through a ticket barrier constantly!!

 

[jopsuk]

I'd imagine you'd have to get an annual replaced a lot of times if you have to put it through a ticket barrier constantly!!

I find a monthly lasts well enough, I reckon that unless you abuse it in other ways as well then it should last two or three months- I've still to be organised with my finances enough to actually get an annual! However the sooner we get a decent smartcard for National Rail, the better.

 

[Daniel]

I do wonder what people do to their gold cards. I've had one issued the day before that couldnt be read. But then I've had one which has been used so many times it was so worn I couldn't see any data on it... but it worked the gate. God help that bloke if it did fail though, no proof of what it was!

 

[Mojo]

My first monthly season stopped working after having used it just twice (it wouldn't let me through on my 3rd go) so I had to get it replaced, but other than tatty tickets I'd never had another problem (bearing in mind they were printed on Common Ticket Stock).

 

[metrocammel]

I have had problems with tickets being de-magnetised lately, and thus not working on the underground. On two separate occasions I've had a ticket that has come up with the 'unreadable data' error code on LUL (Code 9 afaik) . I have since worked out it's due to my Blackberry. Apparently, it's case has some sort of magnet within it, to deactivate the phone, so you don't have to put it manually into keypad lock. It also has the added inconvenience of de-magnetising things, so the LU barrier bods get confused. One guy blamed it on a 'grip' on the ticket, which was actually no where near the mag-strip!

Let's just hope the gentleman with his illegible ticket doesn't have a Blackberry and holder, or he may be up the creek.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

My first monthly season stopped working after having used it just twice (it wouldn't let me through on my 3rd go) so I had to get it replaced, but other than tatty tickets I'd never had another problem (bearing in mind they were printed on Common Ticket Stock).

Was the monthly season printed on the correct plasticised CST?

 

[Failed Unit]

I'd imagine you'd have to get an annual replaced a lot of times if you have to put it through a ticket barrier constantly!!

2 months is the worse I have had a gold card before it stops working, 6 months is the best. Never had on last the year yet Don't normally go to the ticket office to get the replaced either as when I did I was getting through 2 or 3 per year and the queuing to get it done was painful. At the station I use just signs the ticket so you can use the manual barrier without any hastle. I suppose because it happens so often.

 

[paul1609]

I've also had some pretty ropey season tickets issued!
Can anybody tell me when this was valid at a quick glance?

 

[yorkie]

I've also had some pretty ropey season tickets issued!
Can anybody tell me when this was valid at a quick glance?

7 day season so 10 Sep 08

Oh, wait, you said a quick glance? Forget it then!

 

[dan_atki]

7 day season so 10 Sep 08

Surely the expiry date would be 09 SEP 08

 

[yorkie]

2am on the 10th to be precise, I think?

 

[dan_atki]

2am on the 10th to be precise, I think?

If we're being very precise then yes, although I meant the date printed on the ticket :razz: (my excuse anyways).

 

[yorkie]

If we're being very precise then yes, although I meant the date printed on the ticket :razz: (my excuse anyways).

Yeah I made the mistake of thinking it was 7 days after the start date when should be 7 days including it. But it has some validity on the 10th so I guess both of us were right