Split Season Ticket

[SAPhil]

Currently I have an annual St Albans All zones travelcard and am considering my options when renewing. I have a few questions that I hope can be answered.

The only option I can see that is cheaper while offering the same functionality is a St Albans - Zone 5/6 plus a zone 1-4 Oystercard. A couple of months ago I'm sure the St Albans - Z456 plus a zones 1-3 Oyster was also cheaper but it seems no longer to be the case. Have prices changed recently?

Why do some Travelcard zones have a * on the end e.g. R456* whereas others do not e.g. R56 ?

If delay repay is applicable how do I go about getting a refund for the part of the journey covered by the Oystercard?

If I buy a gold card discount ticket for someone travelling with me, is this ticket valid for the section of the journey covered by the oystercard?

Thanks in advance

 

[mikeg]

Why do some Travelcard zones have a * on the end e.g. R456* whereas others do not e.g. R56 ?

The * is at the end of the origin/destination where not all characters are used. It is used to stop people amending the origin/destination for fraudulent use. Added after some people from the Midlands were buying tickets to Loughborough and printing 'JN' after to obtain travel to London, I believe. It would be possible to add on extra zones after otherwise using a printer.

Apart from that I'm not very knowledgable on travelcards!

 

[hairyhandedfool]

....The only option I can see that is cheaper while offering the same functionality is a St Albans - Zone 5/6 plus a zone 1-4 Oystercard. A couple of months ago I'm sure the St Albans - Z456 plus a zones 1-3 Oyster was also cheaper but it seems no longer to be the case. Have prices changed recently?....

Travelcard prices generally change in January, however out-boundary tickets may have changed in September or May. There may be other explanations though. (NOTE: I have not checked the fares)

....Why do some Travelcard zones have a * on the end e.g. R456* whereas others do not e.g. R56 ?....

the * usually denotes that not all the characters have been used and that the destination/origin is entirely before that point.

....If delay repay is applicable how do I go about getting a refund for the part of the journey covered by the Oystercard?...

Offhand I don't know the answer to that, but I'm sure any of the London stations that operate Delay Repay could advise you.

....If I buy a gold card discount ticket for someone travelling with me, is this ticket valid for the section of the journey covered by the oystercard?....

I'm not entirely sure what you mean here.

Goldcards offer a discount on regular fares where the user is travelling with the Goldcard holder, in the case of someone travelling with you, from St Albans to London, you could get a discount on their fare for entire journey.

However, if you are buying a travelcard with a goldcard discount for someone else, you will have to buy a travelcard for yourself (officially) as you do not have an all zones Goldcard Travelcard (I don't understand that rule myself, but that doesn't matter). Whether the clerks know about or enforce this rule is another matter mind you.

Click here and scroll to the bottom of the page

A goldcard holder can buy a Goldcard Partner Railcard (essentially a Network Railcard) for someone that gives the holder the same reductions in fares as your Goldcard does, but it does not permit travel like the Goldcard does.

 

[LexyBoy]

However, if you are buying a travelcard with a goldcard discount for someone else, you will have to buy a travelcard for yourself (officially) as you do not have an all zones Goldcard Travelcard (I don't understand that rule myself, but that doesn't matter). Whether the clerks know about or enforce this rule is another matter mind you.

Click here and scroll to the bottom of the page

A goldcard holder can buy a Goldcard Partner Railcard (essentially a Network Railcard) for someone that gives the holder the same reductions in fares as your Goldcard does, but it does not permit travel like the Goldcard does.

That is an odd rule. I had always read it as meaning that the goldcard holder needed to buy a travelcard to cover travel not covered by their season, but taken word for word I agree with you. It doesn't make sense when you consider that if a monthly Season and a Network railcard were held, only tickets for the co-travellers would need to be bought.

As an aside, the partner card is simply a discounted Network railcard- it doesn't benefit from the lack of minimum fare the Goldcard does.

 

[SAPhil]

I'm not entirely sure what you mean here.

Goldcards offer a discount on regular fares where the user is travelling with the Goldcard holder, in the case of someone travelling with you, from St Albans to London, you could get a discount on their fare for entire journey.

That's basically what I meant. So if I have a gold card to zones 5&6, I can still get my wife a gold discount ticket to somewhere in zone 1, even though my part of the journey is by then using the oyster card?

 

[hairyhandedfool]

That's basically what I meant. So if I have a gold card to zones 5&6, I can still get my wife a gold discount ticket to somewhere in zone 1, even though my part of the journey is by then using the oyster card?

Provided you travel together the whole way, she can have a discounted fare to Zone 1.