For the first time I am going to buy an annual season on Jan 1st to beat the
fare increase. I just need a Zone 1 and 2 travelcard in London which I
should really pick up from LU at my local station, Canada Water. I believe
that qualifies me for a Gold Card with all the usual perks.
However, before I invest this not inconsiderable sum of money, I was
wondering that if I bought an Oyster Travelcard from one of the TOCs, would
I get even more perks. I could consider purchasing it at any station in
Zones 1 and 2.
Has anyone any suggestions or will I already get the best deal from LU.? By
the way, I would need an Oyster Card and not a paper ticket as I often go
over the Zone 2 boundary on PAYG.
Thanks in advance for any guidance.

Has anyone any suggestions or will I already get the best deal from LU.? By
the way, I would need an Oyster Card and not a paper ticket as I often go
over the Zone 2 boundary on PAYG.
Thanks in advance for any guidance.

I was going to suggest South West Trains as you get 6 return journeys
on their network. First Great Western have just started the same
scheme but has not actually started yet. The problem is SWT do not
issue season tickets on oyster so no good to you for PAYG over
boundary.

Now that PAYG is valid on FGW does anybody know if you can buy season
tickets from them on oyster ? It might be possible at Ealing Broadway
but that station is in zone 3 and I dont think they issue oyster cards
yet at Paddington.

[x-posted to uk.railway]
[original thread at uk.transport.london]

On 18 Dec, 20:20, "philip" wrote:
For the first time I am going to buy an annual season on Jan 1st to beat the
fare increase. I just need a Zone 1 and 2 travelcard in London which I
should really pick up from LU at my local station, Canada Water. I believe
that qualifies me for a Gold Card with all the usual perks.
However, before I invest this not inconsiderable sum of money, I was
wondering that if I bought an Oyster Travelcard from one of the TOCs, would
I get even more perks. I could consider purchasing it at any station in
Zones 1 and 2.
Has anyone any suggestions or will I already get the best deal from LU.? By
the way, I would need an Oyster Card and not a paper ticket as I often go
over the Zone 2 boundary on PAYG.
Thanks in advance for any guidance.


Good question, one that I've wondered about in the past. First off,
obviously the only National Rail ticket offices that deal with Oyster
whatsoever are at stations where Oyster PAYG is accepted. My suspicion
is that buying a Travelcard on Oyster from a National Rail ticket
office means that you forfeit any additional benefits that the TOC
might offer which are above and beyond the standard Gold Card offer -
in other words the TOC is merely acting as an agent for TfL in a
similar manner to a newsagent (though not necessarily on the same
terms).

That said, I'm not sure that you can actually buy annual Travelcards
or Bus Passes at Oyster Ticket Stops (i.e. the aforementioned
newsagents and convenience stores), because they are such a large
value purchase. If National Rail ticket offices work in a similar
manner, then they might be able to sell annuals on Oyster.

The other 'benefit' that buying a conventional Gold Card from a TOC is
that there's the possibility of a passenger's charter discount of 5%
or 10% if the service has been a bit or very rubbish lately - though
for monthlies this is only available for renewals and I think the same
rule applies to annuals aka Gold Cards, i.e. it's not available to new
purchasers.

Again I have my doubts as to whether TOCs would apply this discount
(if available) when buying a Travelcard loaded on Oyster.

One can but ask at a TOC ticket office I suppose.

On 18 Dec, 21:15, wrote:

Has anyone any suggestions or will I already get the best deal from LU.? By
the way, I would need an Oyster Card and not a paper ticket as I often go
over the Zone 2 boundary on PAYG.
Thanks in advance for any guidance.

I was going to suggest South West Trains as you get 6 return journeys
on their network. *First Great Western have just started the same
scheme but has not actually started yet. *The problem is SWT do not
issue season tickets on oyster so no good to you for PAYG over
boundary.

SWT also state that you actually need to make regular use of their
services in order to benefit from their enhanced 'Gold Service'.
Interesting to know about FGW's new scheme.


Now that PAYG is valid on FGW does anybody know if you can buy season
tickets from them on oyster ? *It might be possible at Ealing Broadway
but that station is in zone 3 and I dont think they issue oyster cards
yet at Paddington.


Do you mean rail-only season tickets? If so, then no - no TOCs issue
rail-only season tickets on Oyster, only on a paper ticket.

On Dec 18, 9:18*pm, Mizter T wrote:
[x-posted to uk.railway]
[original thread at uk.transport.london]

On 18 Dec, 20:20, "philip" wrote:

For the first time I am going to buy an annual season on Jan 1st to beat the
fare increase. I just need a Zone 1 and 2 travelcard in London which I
should really pick up from LU at my local station, Canada Water. I believe
that qualifies me for a Gold Card with all the usual perks.
However, before I invest this not inconsiderable sum of money, I was
wondering that if I bought an Oyster Travelcard from one of the TOCs, would
I get even more perks. I could consider purchasing it at any station in
Zones 1 and 2.
Has anyone any suggestions or will I already get the best deal from LU.? By
the way, I would need an Oyster Card and not a paper ticket as I often go
over the Zone 2 boundary on PAYG.
Thanks in advance for any guidance.

Good question, one that I've wondered about in the past. First off,
obviously the only National Rail ticket offices that deal with Oyster
whatsoever are at stations where Oyster PAYG is accepted.

And Lewisham, for some reason, although I think the ticket office can
only do it by going off somewhere away from the counter, so not ideal
to ask for if there's a queue behind you.

On Dec 19, 12:13*am, MIG wrote:


Good question, one that I've wondered about in the past. First off,
obviously the only National Rail ticket offices that deal with Oyster
whatsoever are at stations where Oyster PAYG is accepted.

And Lewisham, for some reason, although I think the ticket office can
only do it by going off somewhere away from the counter, so not ideal
to ask for if there's a queue behind you.

The reason being (I assume) that the DLR station has an oyster
machine, and Southeastern got fed up of people renewing Oyster cards
in the DLR station, then using Southeastern.

On Dec 19, 12:32*am, SamB wrote:
On Dec 19, 12:13*am, MIG wrote:



Good question, one that I've wondered about in the past. First off,
obviously the only National Rail ticket offices that deal with Oyster
whatsoever are at stations where Oyster PAYG is accepted.

And Lewisham, for some reason, although I think the ticket office can
only do it by going off somewhere away from the counter, so not ideal
to ask for if there's a queue behind you.

The reason being (I assume) that the DLR station has an oyster
machine, and Southeastern got fed up of people renewing Oyster cards
in the DLR station, then using Southeastern.

I don't know that that explains it. Firstly, DLR was accepting PAYG
long before there was a machine (which was installed a while before
the ticket office facility).

Secondly, the Oyster machine is at the NR ticket office, and thirdly
DLR stations don't generally have Oyster machines or any facility for
topping up Oyster* unless they are also LU stations. There must be
some reason why Lewisham is different.

*A sometimes open booth at Canary Wharf being an apparent exception.

On 19 Dec, 01:23, MIG wrote:
On Dec 19, 12:32*am, SamB wrote:

On Dec 19, 12:13*am, MIG wrote:

Good question, one that I've wondered about in the past. First off,
obviously the only National Rail ticket offices that deal with Oyster
whatsoever are at stations where Oyster PAYG is accepted.

And Lewisham, for some reason, although I think the ticket office can
only do it by going off somewhere away from the counter, so not ideal
to ask for if there's a queue behind you.

The reason being (I assume) that the DLR station has an oyster
machine, and Southeastern got fed up of people renewing Oyster cards
in the DLR station, then using Southeastern.

I don't know that that explains it. *Firstly, DLR was accepting PAYG
long before there was a machine (which was installed a while before
the ticket office facility).

Secondly, the Oyster machine is at the NR ticket office, and thirdly
DLR stations don't generally have Oyster machines or any facility for
topping up Oyster* unless they are also LU stations. *There must be
some reason why Lewisham is different.

*A sometimes open booth at Canary Wharf being an apparent exception.

Whaddayaknow. Just as I say that, I see that they are installing
brand new ticket machines at DLR stations which (can) have Oyster pads
attached.

On Dec 19, 1:23*am, MIG wrote:
On Dec 19, 12:32*am, SamB wrote:

On Dec 19, 12:13*am, MIG wrote:

Good question, one that I've wondered about in the past. First off,
obviously the only National Rail ticket offices that deal with Oyster
whatsoever are at stations where Oyster PAYG is accepted.

And Lewisham, for some reason, although I think the ticket office can
only do it by going off somewhere away from the counter, so not ideal
to ask for if there's a queue behind you.

The reason being (I assume) that the DLR station has an oyster
machine, and Southeastern got fed up of people renewing Oyster cards
in the DLR station, then using Southeastern.

I don't know that that explains it. *Firstly, DLR was accepting PAYG
long before there was a machine (which was installed a while before
the ticket office facility).

Secondly, the Oyster machine is at the NR ticket office, and thirdly
DLR stations don't generally have Oyster machines or any facility for
topping up Oyster* unless they are also LU stations. *There must be
some reason why Lewisham is different.

*A sometimes open booth at Canary Wharf being an apparent exception.

There is an Oyster machine down in the DLR station too, though now you
mention it, that may be a fairly recent occurence.

On 18 Dec, 21:15, wrote:
Has anyone any suggestions or will I already get the best deal from LU.? By
the way, I would need an Oyster Card and not a paper ticket as I often go
over the Zone 2 boundary on PAYG.
Thanks in advance for any guidance.

I was going to suggest South West Trains as you get 6 return journeys
on their network. *First Great Western have just started the same
scheme but has not actually started yet. *The problem is SWT do not
issue season tickets on oyster so no good to you for PAYG over
boundary.

Now that PAYG is valid on FGW does anybody know if you can buy season
tickets from them on oyster ? *It might be possible at Ealing Broadway
but that station is in zone 3 and I dont think they issue oyster cards
yet at Paddington.

South West Trains at Wimbledon issue Season Tickets on Oyster paper,
although it may look odd that you're being it from a Zone 3 station...
when I bought my Zones 1-3 from there they studied my address in some
detail as they knew it wasn't Wimbledon!