Contactless at Potters Bar?

[TonyR]

Does anyone know if I can use PAYG Contactless to go from Crofton Park to Potters Bar? The TfL map has PBR as ”Outside fare zones” although Hatfield beyond it is in for Contactless but not Oyster The National Rail Contactless map has both stations on it. I tried buying an eTicket on here but it only gives a paper ticket option which I’d rather avoid. Contactless would allow me to do that.

Thanks.

 

[JonathanH]

Potters Bar is Oyster and Contactless. It is outside of Zone 6, but in Oyster "zone 11".

 

[Gerald Fiennes]

Not currently, but expected imminently as part of Project Oval. NB, when it happens best to bear in mind that Railcard discounts are harder to get (card has to be set to accept them by LUL staff).... not sure what the fare would be, so best to check that as well. Currently, if you are coming back in a day the Cheap Day Return applies, but the clever people who invent this stuff don't like that kind of cheaper fare, so price on Oyster may well higher....

 

[Hadders]

Not currently, but expected imminently as part of Project Oval. NB, when it happens best to bear in mind that Railcard discounts are harder to get (card has to be set to accept them by LUL staff).... not sure what the fare would be, so best to check that as well. Currently, if you are coming back in a day the Cheap Day Return applies, but the clever people who invent this stuff don't like that kind of cheaper fare, so price on Oyster may well higher....

Oyster and contactless can already be used for a journey from Crofton Park to Potters Bar.

Oyster has been accepted at Potters Bar for several years.

 

[JonathanH]

Currently, if you are coming back in a day the Cheap Day Return applies, but the clever people who invent this stuff don't like that kind of cheaper fare, so price on Oyster may well higher....

The Oyster fare when making a return journey from Crofton Park to Potters Bar is more expensive (2 x £8.60) than an off-peak day return (£14.30) if using the underground, and cheaper (2 x £5.90) if using Thameslink to cross London.

This is down to the way the mixed-mode premium is set on Oyster and Contactless, that doesn't exist on cross-London 'paper' tickets.

 

[TonyR]

Thanks everyone. Curious why the TfL map lists it otherwise but I did find a TfL PAYG fare finder that gave me a PAYG fare for that route. Unfortunately I need to go at peak times so was planning on getting an Anytime Day Return. It looks though a bit cheaper on PAYG. What I found odd is its incredibly difficult to find anywhere a list of PAYG stations. Thinking back to the days of Penalty Fares that caught lots of people before Gatwick went Oyster and Contactless. You would think there would be a list of stations where you can use it but I couldn’t find one.

 

[JonathanH]

Curious why the TfL map lists it otherwise

TfL don't serve Potters Bar and it is outside Zone 6, so doesn't fit. "Outside fare zones" seem to be their way of saying that Oyster and Contactless are both valid, but I agree it seems confusing.

What I found odd is its incredibly difficult to find anywhere a list of PAYG stations.

Essentially the best way to find out is to put the station into a fare finder - https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/find-fares/tube-and-rail-fares/single-fare-finder or https://oysterfares.com/fare-finder/

 

[Edvid]

What I found odd is its incredibly difficult to find anywhere a list of PAYG stations.

All stations shown on the TfL map (excluding those labelled "towards [station]") are also listed below the map and have PAYG validity.

Same goes for the NR contactless PAYG map, which (unlike the TfL map) also includes the Thames Valley branch / Project Oval expansions.

 

[TonyR]

Thanks everyone. Will give it a go on Monday and if it doesn’t work you’ll see me back in the Disputes and Prosecutions section

 

[OscarH]

"Outside fare zones" seem to be their way of saying that Oyster and Contactless are both valid, but I agree it seems confusing.

Absolutely bizarre way to phrase it. While technically right, no normal person is going to read it correctly, using "Special fares apply" or similar would be more appropriate in my opinion

 

[pelli]

This issue was noted two months ago on page 41 in the Project Oval thread, initially with respect to Radlett which is in the same position as Potters Bar:

Am I alone in thinking that the presentation of this information is poor for a non-expert? My reading is that, for example, neither Oyster nor contactless are valid at Radlett but that contactless is valid at the stations either side.

No I agree that’s a strange way to depict Radlett.

Potters Bar appears to be similarly depicted

It's because both stations accept Oyster but are outside the numbered fare zones.

If it said "Outside fare zones, Oyster & Contactless accepted" where it currently states "Outside fare zones" then it might start to be understandable to a layman.

 

[Gerald Fiennes]

Oyster and contactless can already be used for a journey from Crofton Park to Potters Bar.

Oyster has been accepted at Potters Bar for several years.

My misunderstanding. I use Potters Bar most weeks for the past 8 years or so and hadn't realised that! Most passengers seem to have e-tickets....

 

[Hadders]

My misunderstanding. I use Potters Bar most weeks for the past 8 years or so and hadn't realised that! Most passengers seem to have e-tickets....

No worries. Interestingly, for a journey to London at the weekend a traditional ticket is cheaper than using Oyster/contactless.

 

[redreni]

No worries. Interestingly, for a journey to London at the weekend a traditional ticket is cheaper than using Oyster/contactless.

It's often the case. I often use PAYG in the week but rarely at weekends. For those with a Network Railcard the difference can be quite pronounced.

 

[Hadders]

It's often the case. I often use PAYG in the week but rarely at weekends. For those with a Network Railcard the difference can be quite pronounced.

My suspicion is that under Project Oval the weekend super off peak fares will end up being abolished, meaning a massive fares increase, all in the name of simplification.

 

[SAPhil]

It's often the case. I often use PAYG in the week but rarely at weekends. For those with a Network Railcard the difference can be quite pronounced.

This is one of those journeys where a keygo card with a railcard added to it is the cheapest deal at weekends!

 

[TonyR]

No worries. Interestingly, for a journey to London at the weekend a traditional ticket is cheaper than using Oyster/contactless.

Something I tried with TfL to get sorted. You can add a railcard onto an Oyster to get the discount but encourage everyone to go bankcard contactless saying it costs the same. It doesn’t if you have a railcard for the journey because there is (was?) no way of registering it to your card account on TfL. So it can be a lot cheaper to by a physical or eticket.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Feb 2025 ==

Thanks everyone for your help and advice. I used contactless successfully at both ends of the journey and its a lot easier. If you buy a return ticket you have to specify the starting station (CFT) which means you can’t take alternative routes back to BCY or LAD which are all relatively close to each other.