Chichester to Kings Cross

[Malderon]

Hi all,

I have to go to a tutorial tommorrow very near Kings Cross / St Pancras. I will be travelling from Chichester

As work will be paying its more convenient to be non Oyster so the expense claim is easier to put through.

The tutorial starts at 9:30 - I have a season ticket which is valid as far as East Croydon.

The main question is one of tube versus FCC and also the best way to ticket this. So far using route planners etc the option that works quite well is taking the 06:59 service direct Chichester - London Bridge, and then Northern line to Kings Cross St. Pancras. Would an Anytime Return East Croydon - St Pancras be valid for this? Or would that ticket only be valid on national rail and not tube? The national rail planner says that would get me in at 9:15 but obviously tube timings can vary

Equally getting the same service I could change at East Croydon (get in on that service at 08:26) and get First Capital Connect service (dep 0839, arr 0919).

It's looking like I will have to get 0659 Chichester - London Bridge at any rate, so I guess the question boils down to whether I take the tube or FCC and the best way to ticket this. Cheers!

 

[John @ home]

The main question is one of tube versus FCC and also the best way to ticket this. ... getting the same service I could change at East Croydon (get in on that service at 08:26) and get First Capital Connect service (dep 0839, arr 0919).

I would choose to change at East Croydon. It's a simple cross-platform connection, rather than a long walk at London Bridge to the Northern Line.

Arrive early enough at Chichester to buy an Anytime Day Return East Croydon - St Pancras route Not Underground (£8.70) there. If you're running late, you should also be able to buy this from the Chichester - East Croydon train guard.

Oyster is not significantly cheaper in this instance and, as you say, not so convenient for claiming expenses.

 

[yorkie]

London Bridge - London St Pancras Route Not Underground Anytime Day Return £8-70
(Oyster PAYG would be £8-40 if returning at 'peak' time, or £6-80 if returning off peak), obviously not valid on LU.

A fare to Zone U1* LONDON would be valid to any LU Zone 1 station, including King's Cross St Pancras but I can't find the fare for that (it looks like they are not available for journeys wholly within the Zones).

Is your Oyster PAYG journey history not accepted for expense purposes?

 

[island]

An Anytime Day Return from East Croydon to London St Pancrs costing £8.70 is routed NOT UNDERGROUND so you would have to use Thameslink. The one-ticket paper ticket option I can find for your journey is an Anytime Day Return from East Croydon to Finsbury Park route +ANY PERMITTED at £14, which would involve trying to explain to work why you got it.

 

[Malderon]

Oyster probably is accepted for expense purposes, but they really prefer you to have a ticket rather than a receipt so as I figured with Oyster the only thing you really get is your statement they wouldn't be wonderfully happy - just the expenses bureaucracy really because if up to him my manager would be fine with anything.

From what you guys have said if I was using the tube, I would have to use Oyster, but then as I wouldnt be changing at ECR I would have to buy a paper ECR-London Bridge (as I wouldnt be able to tap at East Croydon)

I guess its easier to get paper NOT UNDERGROUND East Croydon to St Pancras. I'm much more familiar with East Croydon and as has been said its a simple cross platform change.

Going slightly off topic, as I have a Gold Card - I understand I can get this loaded onto my Oyster card so if I get the tube off peak I will get 33% off? Is this correct and what is the procedure for getting this done?

 

[transportphoto]

You can use your gold card to get a discount on your ECR > STP ticket?

 

[sonic2009]

you.can only get gold.card discount after 1000hrs. reduces the.fare to £5.75 for.route.not underground ticket. first train.available is.1002.

 

[Mojo]

You can use your gold card to get a discount on your ECR > STP ticket?

Discounts are only available after 10.00 Monday to Fridays.

 

[dzug2]

Would an anytime single out and a railcard discounted single back help?

 

[Malderon]

Yes sorry I know that I have to get Anytime for this journey (so no discount) - the Gold Card discount was more of a general question.

 

[island]

You can save 75p by getting an anytime day single out and an NGC-discounted anytime day single back.

 

[MikeWh]

Going slightly off topic, as I have a Gold Card - I understand I can get this loaded onto my Oyster card so if I get the tube off peak I will get 33% off? Is this correct and what is the procedure for getting this done?

Take the Gold Card and the Oyster Card to an Underground station and ask them to do it. It takes less than 30 seconds. You may need the password. Larger Underground stations are better because they know what to do and are more likely to know that the Gold Card can be added (it wasn't included to start with but has been ok for over a year now). East Croydon may be able to do it because they have proper Oyster facilites, but there is only one machine shared by all the windows.

Hope that helps.

And yes, 33% off all off-peak rail (nr/lu/dlr) journeys and the off-peak daily caps.

 

[Malderon]

Thanks for all the help guys, booked my tickets through Southern Website. I actually noticed that TopCashBack were offering £2.50 flat cashback per booking. Seems slightly odd for such a cheap journey thats working out at 30% or so and surely there are some journeys where the cashback would be profitable!? Probably something in the T&Cs that it wont track if the journey is below a certain amount but anyway I've tried it.