Oyster Smart Day Capping (Gatwick Airport - London Zone 1-2)

[hkstudent]

I notice that many tourists will travel from Gatwick Airport to London in the morning of the day, then do a lot of travels within zone 1-2 in London.

Is Oystercard smart enough to just charge a Gatwick Airport - London Terminal single fare + zone 1-2 day cap for the whole day of travel, or to charge the enormous Gatwick Airport day cap? (effectively the return fare from Gatwick Airport to London)

If not, I may need to advise some of my friends to use the trick of two oysters (one for Gatwick journey, one for London Zone 1-2) or paper ticket for Gatwick trip.

 

[Iggy12a]

Is Oystercard smart enough to just charge a Gatwick Airport - London Terminal single fare + zone 1-2 day cap for the whole day of travel, or to charge the enormous Gatwick Airport day cap? (effectively the return fare from Gatwick Airport to London)

If not, I may need to advise some of my friends to use the trick of two oysters (one for Gatwick journey, one for London Zone 1-2) or paper ticket for Gatwick trip.

No, the Oystercard will apply the daily cap from Zone 14. However, travelling by contactless bank card should result in a charge of Gatwick - London terminals (or possibly Boundary Zone 2), and then a Zone 1&2 cap for the day.

The other trick to reduce costs in the morning peak is to buy a paper Thornton Heath to Zone 1-4 Travelcard at £13.50 and a single Gatwick - Thornton Heath at £5.60. The train does not need to stop at Thornton Heath, as one of the tickets is zonal. As both tickets are routed 'Any permitted', I would consider this to be valid on the Gatwick Express.

 

[JonathanH]

No, the Oystercard will apply the daily cap from Zone 14. However, travelling by contactless bank card should result in a charge of Gatwick - London terminals (or possibly Boundary Zone 2), and then a Zone 1&2 cap for the day.

I think you have to still be careful on Contactless that the extension fare is not necessarily the same as the fare to Zone 2 (or London Terminals).

 

[hkstudent]

And more horribly, an out boundary travelcard (both Anytime and Off-peak) are cheaper than the respective day cap...

Oystercard fare at Gatwick Airport seems to be a trap to foreign tourists

 

[MikeWh]

Oystercard fare at Gatwick Airport seems to be a trap to foreign tourists

It might seem that way, but it's openly advertised as a convenience rather than necessarily value for money. The caps are constrained by the way the Oyster system works so there's nothing TfL can do at this stage.

 

[MikeWh]

If not, I may need to advise some of my friends to use the trick of two oysters (one for Gatwick journey, one for London Zone 1-2) or paper ticket for Gatwick trip.

I think the best compromise between convenience and cost would be splitting at East Croydon. The Gatwick to East Croydon fares are bonkers cheap. If you use contactless and touch out and back in again at East Croydon then it'll keep the Gatwick to East Croydon fare separate and charge up to a maximum of the zone 1-5 daily cap on top.

 

[Cdd89]

Agreed on splitting at ECR. I used to think this was a pain, until I realised just how frequent the trains were been there and Gatwick.

The amount saved varies dramatically based on the time travelled though. It rarely works for me as I tend to depart my initial station in central London shortly before the AM peak starts if catching a morning flight.

 

[hkstudent]

I think the best compromise between convenience and cost would be splitting at East Croydon. The Gatwick to East Croydon fares are bonkers cheap. If you use contactless and touch out and back in again at East Croydon then it'll keep the Gatwick to East Croydon fare separate and charge up to a maximum of the zone 1-5 daily cap on top.

Indeed, split at ECR is not a bad idea for most people, but for those who have heavy luggage, seems not very ideal despite the access to the concourse is through a ramp/lift.

 

[Cdd89]

Indeed, split at ECR is not a bad idea for most people, but for those who have heavy luggage, seems not very ideal despite the access to the concourse is through a ramp/lift.

I wonder if it would be within the Oyster rules for one person to do the tapping out+in for all passengers?

 

[paddington]

Is the situation not the same with Heathrow and charging up to a Z6 cap when Z1-2 cap + Z6-1 single may be cheaper? I used to split at Earls Court back in the day.