Cheapest fares from Bournemouth "to London"

[Dunderhead]

Hi all,

Following on from my previous thread, I have been wondering whether the £30.70 fare from Bournemouth to Brighton that another user kindly pointed out to me as part of his response to my original question, which is valid to both Clapham Junction and East Croydon, could be "the cheapest fare from Bournemouth to London".

I put the above in quotes as I realise it needs qualifying, so let's say that I am talking about off-peak open return tickets, discounted with a Network Railcard, and that by "London" I mean inside the Oyster travel zone.

Doing my own homework, I discovered quite quickly that there is a £21.50 off-peak return fare from Bournemouth to East Croydon valid via Barnham only. So I'm now left wondering: is that the cheapest fare within my parameters, and is the £30.70 Brighton fare the cheapest within my parameters that is valid via the SWML?

 

[bb21]

It is a well-known loophole.

 

[John @ home]

Cheaper flexible return tickets with a Network Railcard from Bournemouth to "the Oyster travel zone" include:

• Bournemouth - Gatwick Airport route via Barnham Off-Peak Return £18.70, Off-Peak Day Return £13.85
• Bournemouth - Redhill route via Barnham Off-Peak Return £18.70, Off-Peak Day Return £13.85

Both Gatwick Airport and Redhill are within "the Oyster travel zone" but not within London Travelcard Zones 1-9.

 

[Dunderhead]

Interesting, Redhill is somewhere I actually go, so maybe that's one to consider when I'm in thrifty mode.

Does the answer get any more interesting if I now give the search area as "London Travelcard Zones 1-9", or have I reached the limit?

 

[yorkie]

Does the answer get any more interesting if I now give the search area as "London Travelcard Zones 1-9", or have I reached the limit?

If you mean anywhere in Zones 1-9 compared to anywhere "inside the Oyster travel zone" it'll make no difference from the Bournemouth direction heading towards London (unless you went via Gatwick!)

 

[John @ home]

Does the answer get any more interesting if I now give the search area as "London Travelcard Zones 1-9" ... ?

Bournemouth - Ewell East (Zone 6), Ewell West (Zone 6), or Stoneleigh (Zone 5), via Barnham have the same prices: Off-Peak Return £18.70, Off-Peak Day Return £13.85 with a Railcard.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Depending on the intended day of travel the option of a super-off-peak return is available (think it's about £13) but that's only when SWTs run that offer

 

[infobleep]

It is a well-known loophole.

Surprised its not been dealt with.

 

[soil]

The Southern-priced 'via Barnham' (and also Edenbridge/Polegate and possibly some others I don't recall) are priced semi-zonally.

So for instance, Bournemouth - Croydon Stations (inside zone 6) via Barnham is £26.20 CDR, £32.60 SVR, however Bournemouth - Gatwick Airport (outside zone 6) via Barnham is £21.00 or £28.30.

Bournemouth may also be seen as an extension, in the sense that it is beyond the Southern network. The basic fare is £15.60 CDR/£25.20 SVR, which applies for say Southampton - Ashford Intl, Southampton - Gatwick, or say Southampton - Tonbridge (this routed via Edenbridge or Polegate).

Note that the routeings are quite imprecise. Southampton - Tonbridge is mapped LONDON, which means you can use a route from Southampton to London and then London to Tonbridge that goes via Edenbridge.

As London - Redhill - (Edenbridge) - Tonbridge is a permitted route to Tonbridge, the ticket can serve to, say, Clapham Junction, even though the price is based on an extra-zonal routeing.

Bournemouth - Tonbridge is routed via Barnham, so is differently permissioned. (A n alternative use would be say, Totton - Ashford Intl via Barnham, which you could use as a ticket between London and Ashford Intl on the basis of a hypothetical Totton - Brighton - London journey, plus London - Ashford Intl)