St. Pancras to Staines

[TCDD]

Maybe a silly question, but as I do this journey occasionally, I would appreciate your thoughts.

On Monday I arrived at St. Pancras and went to a TVM near entrance to the FCC platforms to buy a ticket (an anytime single with a Gold Card discount) for my onward journey to Staines. I was expecting it to give me a ticket from ‘London Terminals’, and planning to use Oyster to get to Waterloo. I was surprised then to receive a ticket marked ‘London St. Pancras’ to ‘Staines’, route any permitted, but without the ‘cross-London’ cross symbol.
It was the same price (if I recall correctly) as a single from ‘London Terminals’, so I thought this was rather a good deal. But could I use it on the tube? Without the ‘little cross’ I assumed not and took an FCC service to Blackfriars and walked via the new South Bank entrance to Waterloo. Barriers at St. Pancras accepted my ticket and were open anyway at Blackfriars.

Was this ticket really valid from St. Pancras, or was it really a ‘London Terminals’ ticket in disguise (due to some error with the TVM)?

If the former was true, what route (bearing in mind the lack of the ‘little cross’) was I expected to take?

Isn't it all a bit confusing?

 

[MikeWh]

Yes, it was valid from St Pancras. The most logical route would involve changing at London Bridge, but walking between Blackfriars and Waterloo is also fine.

 

[island]

And for the record, it wasn't valid on the tube.

 

[TCDD]

Thank you!

 

[Eagle]

Was this ticket really valid from St. Pancras, or was it really a ‘London Terminals’ ticket in disguise (due to some error with the TVM)?

I don't think it was an error. In fact it seems quite sensible. You'd expect a TVM to be able to give you a ticket that's actually valid from its own location (not counting the ones where you can enter a separate origin and destination, which this wasn't).