"Paul Oter" wrote in message
...

As some may know, I have Cambridge - London Terminals season ticket
and commute daily to Moorgate, using LU between KX and Moorgate.

I can confirm my ticket gets rejected by the gates at Barbican and
Farringdon (on the occasions when I tried that I used my pre-pay
Oyster instead to leave the station: that was in the days when you
weren't penalised for an unresolved journey).

I would have thought you should be able to use the side gate. The fact that
a ticket is rejected by the gates doesn't mean it's not valid at that
destination - see my comment about East Croydon below.

However my ticket *does* open the gates at St Pancras Low Level,
despite my ticket not being valid there. (I only ever do this on the
occasions when KX Underground is closed due to overcrowding and
passengers are asked to divert to nearby stations).

I think we need to distinguish between ticket validity and the limitations
of the magnetic stripe technology that drives the gates. For example: my
Hove - London Terminals season is valid at East Croydon but it won't open
the ticket gates there - never has done and never will. I would be
interested in informed opinion as to validity at stations north of City
Thameslink - my understanding is that my ticket is not valid, even though it
*might* operate the gates at St Pancras (because it's a London Terminal).

What I would really like is a season ticket that I can use for travel
between my choice of Moorgate, Barbican, Farringdon, Victoria and Hove or
Brighton (yes, really, I don't need the rest of the Underground most of the
time!). I met someone who had a Hove - Farringdon season which, bizarrely,
was slightly cheaper than either Brighton - Farringdon or Hove - London
Terminals. He didn't seem to have any problem using it for the occasions he
travelled Brighton - Victoria, although he had to use the side gate at the
Brighton end (still bizarre. because my Hove season is quite happy opening
the gates at Brighton.

David A Stocks