Extension Ticket with Oyster

[Keggy]

Hi

I travel from St Pancras to St Albans twice a week.

I have a Zones 1-3 Monthly Oyster Travelcard so I buy a Hendon-St Albans return. (to extend from my oyster)

I have had conflicting messages from ticket offices and ticket inspectors so if anyone could give me clue what is/or not allowed. Some say I can just jump on a straight through train to St Albans and others have said I need to get on a train that stops at Hendon?

Any help greatly appreciated so I don't receive a fine.

 

[clagmonster]

The relevent ruling here is provided by Condition 19:
"19. Using a combination of tickets
You may use two or more tickets for one journey as long as together they cover the entire
journey and one of the following applies:
(a) they are both Zonal Tickets (unless special conditions prohibit their use);
(b) the train you are in calls at a station where you change from one
ticket to another; or
(c) one of the tickets is a Season Ticket (which for this purpose does not include
Season Tickets or travel passes issued on behalf of a passenger transport
executive or local authority) or a leisure travel pass, and the other ticket(s) is/are not."
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/system/galleries/download/misc/NRCOC.pdf

In this case, the Travelcard is a season ticket and the Hendon-St Albans return is not, so there is no need to satidfy clause a or b, therefore you are valid on express trains.

There are also tickets available from Boundary Zone 3-St. Albans which may be cheaper, however I don't have the facilities to look up said fare, maybe another member could have a look.

One tip, make sure you do not have an OEP (Oyster Extension Permit) set on your card, otherwise you will be charged the entry fee at St. Pancras which will not be refunded.

 

[bb21]

Fares you need:

Hendon - St Albans
Anytime Day Return
Route Any Permitted
£12.00

Hendon - St Albans
Off-Peak Day Return
Route Any Permitted
£7.00

Fares from Boundary Zone 3 are exactly the same for the two types above. So they don't make any difference.