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7 Day travelcard on a pay as you go Card

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timberwo7ves

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Hi guys :)

I've been using my pay as you go Oyster this past week (with a 16-25 railcard discount applied) thinking that it caps at either ~£5 or ~£8 (depending on peak or not peak) - surprised when I saw that the daily charges were around £10-12 (and £15 when I didn't touch out properly). Is that normal?

My journey (at the most) is:
bus to Feltham (FEL) railway station
National rail to London Waterloo (WAT)
Underground to Oxford Circus (no changes)

and the same in reverse, usually within both of the peak periods.

Has my railcard been applied properly to the oyster, or is this sort of price expected for peak travel?

As I travel 5 days a week (can be any 5 of the 7, weekends included) would it be cheaper to load a 7 Day travelcard onto my pay and go Oyster? I was about to (as the price was £53) but the confirmation said that "your products will be available from 16/07 to 18/07", which confused me - or does that mean that I need to activate it during that period?

It said that I don't receive Railcard discount if I apply it online - but it seemed to be same price with Railcard applied (in the pricecap table); would it be better to purchase from an underground station to apply my 16-25 railcard (and would I need to do this every time I needed to buy a 7-day travelcard)?

Many thanks!
 
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swt_passenger

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I'm 99% sure you cannot apply a railcard discount to a 7 day travelcard, as it is a season ticket.

Also, the railcard discount only applies to the offpeak fares and offpeak cap to the best of my knowledge. If you are travelling in peak times you'll end up with the same peak cap as a non-railcard holder.

Also, the railcard discount is not applied to any bus or tram fares.
 

timberwo7ves

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26 Sep 2010
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Ah thanks, so the high fares were correct.

When it says something like
Your products will be available between the following dates:

Monthly Travelcard Zones 1 to 6
From 16/07/2012 to 18/07/2012
On the "Collect your product" page, does that just refer to activation? If the product is not activated (touched in at the specified station) then it will just be as if nothing was ordered, or will there be a fee?

I think my best option then is the 7 Day Travelcard (/1 Month travelcard when I get paid :P) - as this can be used peak AND off-peak, right?
 

swt_passenger

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Did you have to select a station for activation? I think if you don't pass through it during those dates the transaction lapses, but you don't get charged. (But I only use PAYG so someone else might no for sure).

The 7 day travelcard (season) is for use 24/7, once you have a season loaded peak/offpeak are basically irrelevant to you.
 

yorkie

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MikeWh

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Hi guys :)

I've been using my pay as you go Oyster this past week (with a 16-25 railcard discount applied) thinking that it caps at either ~£5 or ~£8 (depending on peak or not peak) - surprised when I saw that the daily charges were around £10-12 (and £15 when I didn't touch out properly). Is that normal?

My journey (at the most) is:
bus to Feltham (FEL) railway station
National rail to London Waterloo (WAT)
Underground to Oxford Circus (no changes)

and the same in reverse, usually within both of the peak periods.
That combination of journeys will always cap as it is using the full range of Oyster charging. With a railcard loaded the caps would be £15.80 all day and £5.60 for all travel between 0930 and 0429 the next day and all day at weekends. Any rail journeys where you don't touch in and out at both ends will be subject to an incomplete journey charge which will not be included in those caps.

Your journeys should be costed like this:
Code:
Bus to Feltham                       £1.35
Feltham to Waterloo                  £5.50
Waterloo to Oxford Circus            £1.40  (Feltham to Oxford Circus is £6.90)

Oxford Circus to Waterloo            £2.00
Waterloo to Feltham                  £3.60  (Off-peak cap applies at £5.60)
Bus from Feltham                     £0.00

Daily Total                         £13.85
Has my railcard been applied properly to the oyster, or is this sort of price expected for peak travel?
If that's what is being charged then yes, the railcard has been added correctly. Without it you would hit the peak cap on the way home.
As I travel 5 days a week (can be any 5 of the 7, weekends included) would it be cheaper to load a 7 Day travelcard onto my pay and go Oyster? I was about to (as the price was £53) but the confirmation said that "your products will be available from 16/07 to 18/07", which confused me - or does that mean that I need to activate it during that period?
A seven day travelcard will be cheaper for you as long as you make at least 3 weekday journeys and 2 weekend journeys. When you order online it makes the purchase available to pick up from 5 days before the start (if oredered in advance) to 2 days after the start, but the earliest it would be available is the next day. After the pick-up window has finished the system will refund you completely and cancel the purchase.

It said that I don't receive Railcard discount if I apply it online - but it seemed to be same price with Railcard applied (in the pricecap table); would it be better to purchase from an underground station to apply my 16-25 railcard (and would I need to do this every time I needed to buy a 7-day travelcard)?

Many thanks!

As others have said, you don't get railcard discounts on period travelcards, wherever you buy them.
 

timberwo7ves

Member
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26 Sep 2010
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you guys are all awesome, superbly explained by all.

Thanks a lot, I went with the 7-day travel card (and yes swt_passenger, I selected Feltham as my station to activate). Cheers!
 

island

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I'm 99% sure you cannot apply a railcard discount to a 7 day travelcard, as it is a season ticket.

Also, the railcard discount only applies to the offpeak fares and offpeak cap to the best of my knowledge. If you are travelling in peak times you'll end up with the same peak cap as a non-railcard holder.

That last bit is not correct.
 

MikeWh

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If you are travelling in peak times you'll end up with the same peak cap as a non-railcard holder.

That last bit is not correct.

It is correct, but in practice a lot of people won't hit the peak cap. If you travel more than the average before 0930 then the reduced off-peak cap still won't save you from hitting the peak cap in the afternoon.
 

island

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It is correct, but in practice a lot of people won't hit the peak cap. If you travel more than the average before 0930 then the reduced off-peak cap still won't save you from hitting the peak cap in the afternoon.

No it isn't. If you are travelling in the peak time that is 1600-1900, you will very much not have the same cap as a non-railcard holder.
 

Deerfold

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No it isn't. If you are travelling in the peak time that is 1600-1900, you will very much not have the same cap as a non-railcard holder.

But if you have done a lot of travel pre-0930 then it's quite possible you'll hit the (non-discounted) peak cap before the (discounted) off-peak cap (plus pre-0930 travel).
 

MikeWh

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But if you have done a lot of travel pre-0930 then it's quite possible you'll hit the (non-discounted) peak cap before the (discounted) off-peak cap (plus pre-0930 travel).

Thanks Deerfold, that is what I was trying to say.
 
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