Understanding TFL contactless tickets

[ash39]

I have an upcoming journey where I'll need to make a single trip, so will use contactless rather than a Travelcard. The contactless thing makes me nervous, I don't really understand how it works for anything other than a very straightforward journey using one train/tube.

If I want to get from Kings Cross to Putney, most likely changing at Vauxhall, how does the system know that was my journey? Would it not break it into two journeys (Kings Cross-Vauxhall and Vauxhall-Putney) and charge me for two journeys?

And also, hypothetically, if I was to make a similar journey with two trains but the intermediate station had no ticket barriers (but had contactless tap-in points), would I still tap at the intermediate station or just the start/end points? Do I tap once or twice?!

 

[calcium]

You will need to tap out at vauxhall in order to transfer onto south Western railway. There is a barrier between the underground and national rail at VXH - that's how the system will know that you've transferred at vauxhall. Does this answer your question?

EDIT: two sets of barriers not one

 

[JonathanH]

You will need to tap out at vauxhall in order to transfer onto south Western railway. There is a barrier between the underground and national rail at VXH

Two sets of barriers to negotiate at Vauxhall because the railway and underground have completely separate entrances.

There is an out of station interchange set up between them though so only one fare will get charged for a through journey so long as interchange is made within the (relatively generous) interchange time.

 

[calcium]

Two sets of barriers to negotiate at Vauxhall because the railway and underground have completely separate entrances.

There is an out of station interchange set up between them though so only one fare will get charged for a through journey so long as interchange is made within the (relatively generous) interchange time.

Oh cool, I didn't know there was an interchange time and that such... Probably because I use monthly passes bahaha

 

[ainsworth74]

Tap when you enter the system, tap at any barriers that you have to travel through and tap when you exit the system (whether there are barriers or not). It doesn't really need to know your exact journey to know what to charge you as most of the time it's based on the zones you enter and exit the system. The system is also smart enough to know where there are transfers being made. For instance from Vauxhall LU to Vauxhall National Rail it will know that as being a recognised interchange and won't charge as separate journeys. Some are even more dramatic where you can interchange between different stations and the system will stitch them together. There are some situations where a specific route can be cheaper (for instance avoiding Zone 1 often leads to a saving) and in those cases you need to tap on a pink reader to secure the lower price. But for just making sure you're doing the right thing, tap when you enter, tap at any barriers you have to pass through and tap when you exit. You won't go far wrong.

 

[ash39]

So basically unless I have to phsyically pass through a ticket barrier (where it's clear you'll need to present either a ticket or a contactless card to be let through), I don't need to tap additionally?

Thanks for the help

 

[miklcct]

So basically unless I have to phsyically pass through a ticket barrier (where it's clear you'll need to present either a ticket or a contactless card to be let through), I don't need to tap additionally?

Thanks for the help

In general, yes, unless:

1. Whenever you see a pink reader when changing trains, tap on it.
2. If you are exiting the station, go over the street to another station to continue your journey, tap out and in even if there are no barriers.