Oyster to Gatwick Peak/Off-peak

[newmilton]

Hallo all. I will shortly need to travel to Gatwick Airport from Elmstead Woods, leaving ESD at 0929 (bad train timing!) and changing at London Bridge. This means I have to leave ESD in the morning peak, but will be off-peak at LBG. Using my PAYG Oyster Card with Senior Railcard discount (which is academic at peak period) the full fare would be £15.10. Breaking the journey at London Bridge, however, should in principle reduce that to £4.20 peak fare ESD-LBG plus £5.50 off-peak fare LBG-GTW, or £9.70 in total.

Question: If I touch out at LBG on arrival and touch back in before making my connection, will I be charged for two single journeys, one peak, one off-peak, or will the system see it as a single journey regardless and charge me the peak fare on the basis of when my journey started?

(I could off course use my contactless bank card for the first journey, touch out, and use Oyster to touch back in at LBG, but I was wondering how long a gap between touching out and in again there has to be for the system to see it as two separate fares rather and one single journey.)

 

[clagmonster]

If you touch out and back in at the same gateline, I believe it will charge as two journeys. If you go out of one gateline and back in the other, then it will act as an out of station interchange thus charge as one journey. Details on OSI's are on this excellent website:
https://www.oyster-rail.org.uk/osi-list/

 

[maniacmartin]

It depends how long between the touch out and subsequent touch in. See https://www.oyster-rail.org.uk/same-station-continuation-exits/

 

[dtaylor84]

It depends how long between the touch out and subsequent touch in. See https://www.oyster-rail.org.uk/same-station-continuation-exits/

That page doesn't seem to apply to touching out and then back in at London Bridge, unless I'm missing something

 

[njr001]

I understand there is a 'grace period' and touch in's after 0927 should be recorded as off peak, I don't know the layout of your station whether you can wait at the gate line until the train arrives. This may be stressful, I would suggest contactless to London Bridge then Oyster with your railcard discount to Gatwick is the best option.

 

[MikeWh]

If you touch out and back in at the same gateline, I believe it will charge as two journeys. If you go out of one gateline and back in the other, then it will act as an out of station interchange thus charge as one journey. Details on OSI's are on this excellent website:
https://www.oyster-rail.org.uk/osi-list/

This advice is correct in relation to London Bridge.

I understand there is a 'grace period' and touch in's after 0927 should be recorded as off peak, I don't know the layout of your station whether you can wait at the gate line until the train arrives. This may be stressful, I would suggest contactless to London Bridge then Oyster with your railcard discount to Gatwick is the best option.

Elmstead Woods isn't that big, so this advice should work well, especially if the train is running a little late. There is, however, a cheaper way of splitting the journey. Elmstead Woods to East Croydon (via London Bridge but no need to touch out/in) is £5.30 peak/£2.30 off-peak; then East Croydon to Gatwick Airport is £2.10 off-peak. Off-peak fares are with railcard discount.