I know it's only a quid, and I probably won't bother, but it's a matter of
principle.

I left the house this morning and got on the bus. I knew that my monthly
season ticket had run out yesterday and I also knew that Londis (my local
shop) does not take credit or debit cards and I didn't have £105 on me in
cash and the cashpoint is too far (unless I spend £1.50 commission on the
cashpoint inside Londis).

As I have £25 credit on my Oyster for when I go over zone 3, I reckoned
that I should just take the bus to Plaistow, purchase my monthly season
ticket starting today with my debit card, and claim back the pound.

I was told that at the booking office that was impossible, there was
nothing I could do, that that pound was lost.

Now, I'm sure I'd read differently. And I wouldn't put is past the ticket
sellers to give out misinformation. But I just wanted to make absolutely
certain.

I mean, after all, if you leave your season ticket behind by mistake and
have to pay for tickets for a day, you can claim that back - or you used to
be able to.

SO if I pay £1 to get on a bus where I am going to be buying a monthly
season ticket that would make that bus journey legal, how come I can't
claim that £1 back?

Don't want to sound like a cheapskate here, it's more curiosity and
principle than anything else. After all, £1 can buy you jack diddly in town
these days....