Split Season Ticket

[ajhard]

Hi - a quick question that I can't immediately find the answer to please!

I commute from Sevenoaks to Canary Wharf (Zone 2), via London Bridge. I can buy a Sevenoaks - Zone 1-6 travelcard for £3,404 and I am trying to find out whether a split is allowed.

I'd like to buy a Zone 1-6 travelcard on Oyster for £2,016 - this I understand is valid on SouthEastern from Knockholt into London, and then a SouthEastern ticket from Sevenoaks - Knockholt £1,200.

This works out a couple of hundred pounds cheaper but also enables me to use my oyster card in london rather than a paper ticket which is preferable - is this allowed? And if not are there other valid alternatives??

Thanks in advance,

Alastair

 

[FGWman]

Yes you can do that but when travelling to Sevenoaks the train you are on would have to stop at Knockholt

 

[ajhard]

I knew I would forget an important detail! I really don't want to get a stopping train - does this mean it can't be done?

If not, and I am happy to pay the higher fare is it still possible to get the Zone 1-6 element on my Oyster card anyway?

Thanks.

 

[bb21]

If you want the option of an Oyster season, your cheapest split will be:

Sevenoaks - London Zones 4-6
Travelcard 12 Months
£1868.00

London Zones 1-3
Travelcard 12 Months
£1288.00

Total: £3156.00

This will allow you to travel on non-stopping trains.

 

[MikeWh]

There is the option of a season to Orpington which will allow use of fast trains that call there. The annual price for standard class is £1292 which is still a saving over the Sevenoaks to Z1-6 overall.

The other option is take out zone 1 altogether and use the DLR from Lewisham.

The only way to allow fast trains and have some of the ticket on Oyster would be to split it in two using zones. You should be able to buy Sevenoaks to zones 5 and 6 and the a zones 1-4 on the Oyster. As these are both zonal tickets you can use them without the train needing to stop at the boundary. I can't work out how to get the price for the Sevenoaks end of that though, so I don't know if it would cost more than the combined ticket.


bb21 beat me to it!

 

[bb21]

The only way to allow fast trains and have some of the ticket on Oyster would be to split it in two using zones. You should be able to buy Sevenoaks to zones 5 and 6 and the a zones 1-4 on the Oyster. As these are both zonal tickets you can use them without the train needing to stop at the boundary. I can't work out how to get the price for the Sevenoaks end of that though, so I don't know if it would cost more than the combined ticket.

Yes I have checked those too.

Sevenoaks - London Zones 5-6
Travelcard 12 Months
£1684.00

London Zones 1-4
Travelcard 12 Months
£1576.00

Total: £3260.00

Still a saving on the through travelcard, although not as big as if split between Zone 3 and 4.

 

[ajhard]

Thanks both so much for your help.

It looks like a fantastic option to buy a Sevenoaks - London Zones 4-6
Travelcard 12 Months - £1868.00

And a London Zones 1-3 Travelcard (Oyster) 12 Months - £1288.00

Is the reason that this allows travel on direct (non-stopping) trains because both are 'zonal' tickets?

That should save me around £250 and also give me the Oyster flexibility when in London!

Finally can I buy the 1st ticket from Sevenoaks station? I guess I can buy the oyster bit online.

Thanks again.

al

 

[LexyBoy]

Is the reason that this allows travel on direct (non-stopping) trains because both are 'zonal' tickets?

Correct. As per the National Rail Conditions of Carriage, you may use more than one ticket without the train stopping at the changeover station if both tickets are zonal, or if one ticket is a Season and the other(s) is/are not.

That should save me around £250 and also give me the Oyster flexibility when in London!

It's a good saving certainly - not sure what you mean by "flexibility" though, the Travelcard is the same whether it's on paper or Oyster. It can be more convenient than fishing a paper ticket out of course.

Bear in mind if you're travelling outside zones 1-3, never touch in or out with your Oyster as you'll be charged for it (potentially a maximum fare if you didn't touch in/out at the other end of your journey).

Finally can I buy the 1st ticket from Sevenoaks station? I guess I can buy the oyster bit online.

You can buy it from any station - but if you need to refund it or renew it you'll need to go back to the same station (or at least another station run by the same company). You'll be able to buy the Oyster from any TfL station or online.

 

[MikeWh]

Yes, Sevenoaks should have no problem selling the first bit. And yes, you can get the Oyster online.

 

[ajhard]

Thanks LexyBoy - although that does raise one more question.

On my normal trip home I will get on to the mainline train at London Bridge and off at Sevenoaks - how should I get through the barrier at LBG as my ticket (Oyster Z1-3 Travelcard) will let me touch in, but I won't have the opportunity to touch out...?

 

[LexyBoy]

Thanks LexyBoy - although that does raise one more question.

On my normal trip home I will get on to the mainline train at London Bridge and off at Sevenoaks - how should I get through the barrier at LBG as my ticket (Oyster Z1-3 Travelcard) will let me touch in, but I won't have the opportunity to touch out...?

Sorry, I wasn't very clear... you mustn't touch in or out anywhere outside of Z1-3, as the Oyster system will register an incomplete journey and charge you as if you'd made the costliest journey possible (or, if you touched in within Z1 and out in Z5, you'd be charged for the part outside the zones covered by your Oyster TC). Within Z1-3 it will open the barriers without an issue.

MikeWh's oyster site (above) will have more details if needed, but I think you should be fine as long as you don't use it outside of zones 1-3.

 

[MikeWh]

Correct. Touch in and touch out within the zones covered do not register any charge whether you complete the journey or not.

 

[button_boxer]

If you come up against a closed ticket barrier (in or out) within zones 1-3, use your oyster to open it. If you come to a closed barrier (in or out) within zones 4-6 or between the zone 6 boundary and Sevenoaks, use your paper ticket to open it. In both cases if the barrier is open you don't need to do anything, just walk through it without touching. So if you were to travel by underground from zone 1 to zone 4 you would touch in on Oyster and exit using your paper ticket.

If you are approached by an RPI, show them the Oyster if you're at or between stops within zones 1-3, the paper ticket if you're at or between stops in 4-6 or BZ6-Sevenoaks, and show both if you are between a zone 3 and zone 4 station.

On trams or buses within the zones you can either show your paper ticket or touch in using your Oyster, as both are equally valid for a bus or tram journey (any travelcard is valid on any bus, whatever the zone, and all trams are covered by any travelcard that includes zone 3, 4, 5 or 6 - your Oyster covers 3, your paper ticket covers 4-6).

 

[ajhard]

Fantastic - thanks all