Blackfriars to East Croydon with a Zones 1-3 Travelcard plus a paper ticket

[Kilopylae]

I'm sure this question will have a simple answer but I'm tearing my hair out trying to understand the London fares system. Me and two other people, all three of us with a paper Zones 1-3 Seven Day Travelcard, are looking to travel from central London to East Croydon (we're not interested in taking the Tram all the way from Wimbledon). We plan to take a Thameslink train from Blackfriars to East Croydon.

Would it be valid to travel on that train with the Travelcard and a Sydenham to East Croydon paper ticket, as Sydenham is in Zone 3 and the Thameslink train passes through it on the way to East Croydon? I am aware that the train does not need to call at the station in question for the combination to be valid, but is it a problem that the station (Sydenham) is not even served by the TOC (Thameslink)? - all Thameslink trains pass through without calling.

The relevant rule is Condition 14.2:

14.2 If you are using a Season Ticket, daily Zonal Ticket, or another area based Ticket such as a concessionary pass, ranger or rover in conjunction with another Ticket and the last station at which one Ticket is valid and the first station that the other Ticket is valid are the same, then the train does not need to call at that station for your combination to be valid.

 

[Kite159]

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A boundary zone 3 - East Croydon ticket is cheaper than the ticket from Sydenham.

 

[ThisIsSurbiton]

(Posted at the same time as Kite159) You could do that, but a Boundary Zone 3 to Croydon fare is quite a bit cheaper. They are more difficult to get hold of, unfortunately, but some ticket machines and any ticket office can sell them. An Anytime Day Return is £5.80, whereas the Sydenham fare is £7.10.

 

[Kilopylae]

Brilliant, thank you! I'll see if I can get one of those at a ticket office, that's a good saving.

 

[Kite159]

Should be available from SWR TVMs, depends which is your local station (if it's SWR or GWR)

 

[Hadders]

You shouldn’t have any difficulties getting the Boundary Zone ticket at a ticket office in London.

A Boundary Zone ticket is also more flexible than the Sydenham ticket as you have more routes available to you should your plans change and, for example, you want to travel to somewhere like Victoria.

 

[Watershed]

For completeness, if you did for any reason buy the Sydenham ticket, it would be perfectly valid to use on a Thameslink service. The only proviso is that it must obviously be one that goes via Sydenham.