Stansted Airport to Dartford off-peak return

[Nick66]

Researching this fare for a visitor we are expecting and I see two options, one for £39.20 restriction code 4A and one for £47 restriction code 7B. He will be leaving Stansted around 10am, looking to return around 4pm both on (different) weekdays. On the face of it the cheaper fare appears to have fewer restrictions, indeed 7B would appear to exclude departing Liverpool Street at the time he will be travelling on the return journey. Envisaged route is Stansted Airport-Liverpool Street-London Bridge-Dartford. Am I missing something?

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Researching this fare for a visitor we are expecting and I see two options, one for £39.20 restriction code 4A and one for £47 restriction code 7B. He will be leaving Stansted around 10am, looking to return around 4pm both on (different) weekdays. On the face of it the cheaper fare appears to have fewer restrictions, indeed 7B would appear to exclude departing Liverpool Street at the time he will be travelling on the return journey. Envisaged route is Stansted Airport-Liverpool Street-London Bridge-Dartford. Am I missing something?

No, 4A is indeed less restrictive than 7B. However better value than a through Off-Peak Return is a Stansted Express Advance in both directions (available from the Greater Anglia website) and then Oyster or contactless from Liverpool Street to Dartford. Stansted Express Advances are valid on any train on the day they are issued for, and if you book them sufficiently far in advance, they can cost just £7 single, i.e. £14 return.

If you combine that with an Off-Peak Oyster/contactless fare from Liverpool Street to Dartford for the way out (£6.40) and an Anytime fare fom Dartford to Liverpool Street for the way back (£9.40, unless you can tap in before 16:00 in which case it's the Off-Peak £6.40), it's just £29.80, nearly £10 less than the through Off-Peak Return.

Still very poor value for money on a pence per mile basis, but somewhat more reasonable than the through Off-Peak Return.

 

[Nick66]

Thanks, thought I was going crazy. Didn’t think Oyster from Liverpool Street would be cheaper but looks like it might be.

Still doesn’t explain why the more expensive ticket is more restrictive though!

 

[MikeWh]

Thanks, thought I was going crazy. Didn’t think Oyster from Liverpool Street would be cheaper but looks like it might be.

If price is the really important thing then you can get even cheaper. Stanstead Express sell advances at the same price for Tottenham Hale (instead of Liverpool Street). At Totteham Hale you exit on the Advance and enter on an Oyster or Contactless then take the train to Stratford, change for the DLR to Woolwich Arsenal and then take Southeastern/Thameslink to Dartford. Price for that is £5.00 peak or £3.30 off-peak. On the way back it will be off peak as long as touch in at Dartford is by 1600. It doesn't matter what trains are then taken as long as arrival at Tottenham Hale is within 2 hours.

So if you can get £7 advances each way and off-peak fares both ways it'll be just £20.60.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

If price is the really important thing then you can get even cheaper. Stanstead Express sell advances at the same price for Tottenham Hale (instead of Liverpool Street). At Totteham Hale you exit on the Advance and enter on an Oyster or Contactless then take the train to Stratford, change for the DLR to Woolwich Arsenal and then take Southeastern/Thameslink to Dartford. Price for that is £5.00 peak or £3.30 off-peak. On the way back it will be off peak as long as touch in at Dartford is by 1600. It doesn't matter what trains are then taken as long as arrival at Tottenham Hale is within 2 hours.

So if you can get £7 advances each way and off-peak fares both ways it'll be just £20.60.

I did actually consider suggesting this route, but didn't because the OP specified they had wanted to travel via Liverpool Street. I suppose it's always worthwhile mentioning it as an alternative. The Stansted Express Advances actually cost from just £6.50 from Tottenham Hale.

 

[Nick66]

Yes I had considered that route and may have done it myself but this is for a visitor who isn’t familiar with the London area transport network so I want to keep it as simple as possible.

 

[paul1609]

If you can pick your visitor up from Ebbsfleet. I'd recommend using the A9 national Express Bus from Stansted to Stratford City Bus station (every 30 mins 24 hours a day journey time about 50 mins return fare £17), a short walk to Stratford International then to Ebbsfleet. Its a lot less hassle than via Central London and how I always travel to/from Stansted from Kent now.