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60+ Oyster to Stansted

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BillyBobb

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I have a 60+ Oyster card and I'm planning a one-way off-peak trip from Liverpool Street to Stansted Airport.

The 60+ Oyster T&Cs, dated 2025, state that this card is not valid on "Stansted Express".

This appears to be out of date.

I emailed both TfL and GA to ask what extension ticket I should buy.

TfL told me that I need a single from Enfield Lock to Stansted Airport = £12.10

GA told me that I need a single ticket from Tottenham Hale to Stansted Airport = £19.00

Who is right?
 
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RailUK Forums

deltic

deltic

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TfL, according to this site's ticket engine that also offers the £12.10 fare with a 60+ Oyster Card. Br Fares also shows zone 6 boundary to Stansted as being £12.10
 
S

Snow1964

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TfL are correct, but there is a caveat.

Normally the terms and conditions that are in force at date of issue of pass apply, or if subsequently revised/updated then current published terms apply.

If there was a problem it would be very difficult to demonstrate other (newly revised) terms apply and contradict what is published on their website if new version is not on the website. Legally cannot rely on new terms if they are unavailable and hidden.
 
MikeWh

MikeWh

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Those terms and conditions are in dire need of updating. They were created when Virgin ran ICWC services and also mention London Midland and Scotrail. They should now be Avanti, London Northwestern Railway (West Midlands Trains) and Caledonian Sleeper. I think I'm right in saying that in those days the Stanstead Express did not carry passengers between Liverpool Street and Tottenham Hale*. GA appear to be admitting that they are valid with an extension ticket when they say that a ticket is needed from Tottenham Hale. The linked map specifically mentions HX as not being valid but NR is valid between Liverpool Street and Enfield Lock. The contra view is that GX is not mentioned on the map, but then their services do not stop within the validity area.

*The restriction was completely unenforceable in reverse given that all Liverpool Street bound trains call at the same platform. Today the NR journey planner will show SX trains if you search for Liverpool Street to Tottenham Hale.
 
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saismee

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The TfL website states free travel on Greater Anglia between London Liverpool Street and Stratford, but then the 60+ Oyster map states that it is valid as far as Enfield Lock on NR. If the Oyster is accepted on StEx then I don't see why GA are suggesting TOM as the boundary station.

60+ London Oyster photocard

If you're aged 60 or over and live in a London borough, you might be eligible for a 60+ London Oyster photocard
tfl.gov.uk tfl.gov.uk
 
MikeWh

MikeWh

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saismee said:
The TfL website states free travel on Greater Anglia between London Liverpool Street and Stratford, but then the 60+ Oyster map states that it is valid as far as Enfield Lock on NR. If the Oyster is accepted on StEx then I don't see why GA are suggesting TOM as the boundary station.

60+ London Oyster photocard

If you're aged 60 or over and live in a London borough, you might be eligible for a 60+ London Oyster photocard
tfl.gov.uk tfl.gov.uk
Click to expand...
There has been a long battle with GA and TfL, over validity of the 60+. That page you linked to has undergone a revision recently to try and make it clearer. The mention of Liverpool Street to Stratford is because that section is valid from 9am rather than 9.30am because of the interavailability.
 
M

microrich

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MikeWh said:
Those terms and conditions are in dire need of updating. They were created when Virgin ran ICWC services and also mention London Midland and Scotrail. They should now be Avanti, London Northwestern Railway (West Midlands Trains) and Caledonian Sleeper. I think I'm right in saying that in those days the Stanstead Express did not carry passengers between Liverpool Street and Tottenham Hale*. GA appear to be admitting that they are valid with an extension ticket when they say that a ticket is needed from Tottenham Hale. The linked map specifically mentions HX as not being valid but NR is valid between Liverpool Street and Enfield Lock. The contra view is that GX is not mentioned on the map, but then their services do not stop within the validity area.

*The restriction was completely unenforceable in reverse given that all Liverpool Street bound trains call at the same platform. Today the NR journey planner will show SX trains if you search for Liverpool Street to Tottenham Hale.
Click to expand...
I assume you mean East Midlands Railway, not London Northwestern Railway (West Midlands Trains)? TFL 60+ is definitely valid on LNWR as far as Harrow and Wealdstone (but not Watford Junction) and onwards with an appropriate boundary extension ticket.

The current T&C's are at https://photocard.tfl.gov.uk/ with the list of excluded operators in section 1, item 7. It explicitly excludes Stansted Express. For this reason, I always get a ticket from Tottenham Hale when travelling to Stansted (which is a fair bit more expensive than the Boundary Zone 6 ticket). I wonder if I have been doing this unnecessarily?
 
MikeWh

MikeWh

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microrich said:
I assume you mean East Midlands Railway, not London Northwestern Railway (West Midlands Trains)? TFL 60+ is definitely valid on LNWR as far as Harrow and Wealdstone (but not Watford Junction) and onwards with an appropriate boundary extension ticket.
Click to expand...
No. The restriction mentions London Midland between Harrow & Wealdstone and Watford Junction. It should be London Northwestern Railway.

microrich said:
The current T&C's are at https://photocard.tfl.gov.uk/ with the list of excluded operators in section 1, item 7. It explicitly excludes Stansted Express. For this reason, I always get a ticket from Tottenham Hale when travelling to Stansted (which is a fair bit more expensive than the Boundary Zone 6 ticket). I wonder if I have been doing this unnecessarily?
Click to expand...
Well, if Stanstead Express is excluded then it shouldn't be valid between Liverpool Street and Tottenham Hale. If it is valid on those trains (as GA seem to admit) then the combination of the 60+ Oyster (effectively an off-peak travelcard) and a boundary ticket must also be valid.
 
M

microrich

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MikeWh said:
No. The restriction mentions London Midland between Harrow & Wealdstone and Watford Junction. It should be London Northwestern Railway.


Well, if Stanstead Express is excluded then it shouldn't be valid between Liverpool Street and Tottenham Hale. If it is valid on those trains (as GA seem to admit) then the combination of the 60+ Oyster (effectively an off-peak travelcard) and a boundary ticket must also be valid.
Click to expand...
Ah, OK – sorry, I think we were talking at cross purposes. I thought you were saying it wasn't valid on LNWR at all.

I've just checked the forum's ticketing site (which, as far as I know, is the only retailer that attempts to generate itineraries specifically for TfL 60+ Oyster card holders), and it now offers an itinerary from Boundary Zone 6 to Stansted Airport on the Stansted Express using a TfL 60+ Oyster card. I'm sure it never used to do that.

I'm fairly certain I read somewhere that the TfL 60+ Oyster card wasn't valid on EMR services at all. However, the current version of the T&Cs seems to imply that it is, since EMR isn't listed among the excluded operators.

This is particularly relevant to me because I often travel to Luton using a TfL 60+ Oyster card with a Boundary Zone extension, and I've always assumed I could only use Thameslink. Does anyone know whether EMR services are actually valid as well?
 
G

Gareth1990

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I travel often on Stansted Express (as far as Harlow anyway) always use a boundary zone 6 ticket with my disabled Freedom Pass and have never had a problem, I’ve had several ticket checks with no problem…
 
B

BillyBobb

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Update - my Oyster60+ opened the barriers at Liverpool Street and my Enfield Lock to Stansted
extension ticket opened the barriers at Stansted. There was no ticket inspection on the train.

The display screen on the train stated "Oyster cards are not valid beyond Tottenham Hale".

Thanks for the earlier replies.
 
MikeWh

MikeWh

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Thanks for the update. The statement that Oyster cards are not valid beyond Tottenham Hale is correct for PAYG Oyster cards. If the Oyster card has a travelcard on it then it is valid to the boundary of the outer zone of the travelcard as long as a separate ticket is held to cover the rest of the journey. In the case of a 60+ Oyster there is an off-peak zones 1-6 travelcard on it, so your ticket from Enfield Lock is fine.
 
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