In message
, at
01:05:31 on Mon, 24 Nov 2008, MIG
remarked:
The reason for doing it at a particular station could be in order to get
you on CCTV at a known place, as an anti-fraud measure. Imagine someone
stole your credit card details, then set up an auto-topup onto their
Oyster from your account.

Doing it at a ticket office or ticket machine at the station would be
at least as effective at achieving that though.

It would. I have to admit that prior to this thread I didn't realise you
actually had to use the gates, rather than a ticket machine, at the
nominated station.
--
Roland Perry