k wrote the following in:


On 27 May 2004 21:50:13 GMT, Robin May
wrote:


Oyster prepay has the rather annoying ability of allowing you to
travel without a travelcard when you actually want to buy one.


???

Travelcard runs out, you've forgotten about it, put your oyster on the
reader and it lets you through because it charges the ticket to your
prepay.

I fairly regularly end up being charged for making journeys and
buying a
travelcard later in the day.

Why is that any different from paper ticketing? Surely if you
travel before buying a travelcard you have to pay for those
journeys?

Because with a paper ticket if it's run out and you put it in the gates
it won't let you through. Therefore you won't be charged for a journey
you actually wanted to buy a travelcard to cover. With an oyster you
can forget your ticket has run out, put it on the gates and instead of
being prevented from getting through it will let you through but charge
you.

--
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On 28 May 2004 10:28:37 GMT, Robin May
wrote:



Travelcard runs out, you've forgotten about it, put your oyster on the
reader and it lets you through because it charges the ticket to your
prepay.

Ah, yes, of course.

Because with a paper ticket if it's run out and you put it in the gates
it won't let you through. Therefore you won't be charged for a journey
you actually wanted to buy a travelcard to cover. With an oyster you
can forget your ticket has run out, put it on the gates and instead of
being prevented from getting through it will let you through but charge
you.

Yes, I see the problem now. Plus of course your less likely to know
its run out as you can't see the expiry date on it. (Although I've
seen some messages come up on gates which say it will soon run out)