Oyster TravelCard extensions

OrangeProse

I have lived in London for two years now, so it's slightly embarrassing that I need to ask this question. Still, what's a man to do.

I have a Zone 1-2 TravelCard on Oyster, and from time to time, when I need to travel outside of Zone 2, I have bought extensions from train stations. Normally I queue up in the ticket office to do this.

Is there any way of buying extensions at the automatic machines at Underground stations, or do I have to get in the queue?

omelette451

I've never lived in London and I still know the answer... That's even more embarrassing!

Anyway, your travelcard can be 'topped up' with cash (yes at a machine) to form a separate pay-as-you-go account on the same card. Then you just get on the tube in the normal way and when you touch out it will deduct the excess (i.e. zone 2-5 fare, or whatever you've used) from the PAYG account. It works the same the other way round too, i.e. travelling in to your travelcard area from outside it.

AirlieBird

omelette451 wrote: »

Anyway, your travelcard can be 'topped up' with cash (yes at a machine) to form a separate pay-as-you-go account on the same card. Then you just get on the tube in the normal way and when you touch out it will deduct the excess (i.e. zone 2-5 fare, or whatever you've used) from the PAYG account. It works the same the other way round too, i.e. travelling in to your travelcard area from outside it.

This is correct if you are travelling on a PAYG route, but unfortunately if you're not then the only way to get an extension is to queue up at the ticket office. Rather annoyingly you can't buy out of zone extensions online, or at a ticket machine.

reehsetin

my travel card is 1-4 i'm sure when i've been to zone 5 i've just tapped out and it deducted x amount from the prepay that's on there, (maybe it has charged me extra, i can be a bit lax checking my balence)

omelette451

reehsetin wrote: »

my travel card is 1-4 i'm sure when i've been to zone 5 i've just tapped out and it deducted x amount from the prepay that's on there, (maybe it has charged me extra, i can be a bit lax checking my balence)

If using a service administered by TfL (e.g. the Tube or London Overground) you can definitely use it in this way; indeed this is the recommended way to do it. I think what AirlieBird means, and I hope I'll be corrected if I'm wrong, is that you can't do this when using ordinary trains that fall in the TfL travelcard zone (e.g. to zone 3 on southeastern trains, to name just one).

gner_ex

This may help: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/london/OysterPAYG.pdf

If you are travelling to a station that is green (and any TfL station), then yes you can just touch in and out. If you are travelling to another station, you need to buy a ticket at the booking office (and you must show your season).

If you are going to an oyster location, you must ensure that you touch in and out at stations where PAYG is accepted. i.e. if you have zones 1-2 season, then if you start your journey at Deptford and go to West Hampstead Thameslink you must make sure you touch at one of the PAYG stations in the middle of your journey (example London Bridge) otherwise you would get a penalty fare.

What you need to be especially careful of is if you start your journey at a non-PAYG station that has ticket gates (I think Ilford is such an example), because even though you have touched in, this is at a non-PAYG station, and you need to touch again.