Zone 1-6 + Season ticket

helizabethc

I am thinking of buying a property in Purfleet, Essex. It's just slightly outside the Zones of London. In fact it's one stop outside of zone 6.
We work inside London and would need a travelcard for commuting on weekdays. As far as I can see there is no cheap way to do this. I have a student rail card which entitles me to have a zone 1-6 travelcard for £150 per month. To have a monthly travelcard from the last station in zone 6 (Rainham) it is about £90 extra. C2C website says that a travel card for the whole journey is about £300. It seems ridiculous when the journey from Rainham to Purfleet is only 5 minutes! And a single journey with an oyster is £2.50 each way (although this would mean getting off the train at Rainham to tap in)
Is there a cheaper way to solve this problem?

Altarf

If the train ALWAYS (and I mean always on the train you use, with NO EXCEPTIONS) stops at Rainham, just buy a Rainham to Purfleet season ticket to use with your zone 1-6 travelcard.

If it doesn't stop at Rainham then you are back to the £300 cost if you want a season ticket.

But if Purfleet is within the Oyster card area (as you suggest), you could always just add PAYG credit onto the card, and then you don't need to touch out at Rainham, but when you touch out at Purfleet it will just take the extra over ad above what is covered by the zone 1 to 6 on the Oyster card.

helizabethc

The trains do always stop at Rainham, but would it then ALWAYS charge us £2.20 in the morning and evening then every 5 days then that begins to add up to a really large monthly bill.
The issue is that that could possibly be as much just the season ticket.
It's really difficult, I probably need to try talking to an employee at the station, but they're never particularly helpful.

Thank you for your help!

dzug1

Do you actually need zones 1-6?

A monthly season from Purfleet to Fenchurch Street is about £200. If you walked the final bit - or used PAYG Oyster on the tube or bus - would it be less than the extra £100 for the zonal ticket?

thelawnet

You aren't eligible for a student oyster card discount if you don't live in London.

You also actually have to be a student, which it sounds like you are not.

What is your actual journey?

helizabethc

Yes unfortunately we would need zones 1-6. Or at least zones 1 & 2, but I'm not sure if it's possible to do that.

That's interesting about the student oyster card though, I wasn't aware of that. Thank you! I am a student, I would be travelling to different hospital sites in London, mainly Guy's, St Thomas, King's College.

I have other areas that I've been looking at properties in, which are now looking more favourable to this option due to the travel.

ConsumerMatt

I commute from Rainham to Westminster. I use Oyster PAYG and it costs me exactly £10 per day as I don't use buses.

The tapping in at Rainham sounds ridiculous but if you get on the rear carriage at Purfleet there is a tap-in post right outside the door at Rainham:rotfl:. Sometimes there are inspectors by the post though to stop people walking in the rear gate without paying and then you'd also have to tap out at Rainham on the way home (which isn't so easy).

Unfortunately it's just the way it goes. If you can walk from Fenchurch Street and avoid the tube it would be much cheaper, or just move to Rainham/Wennington within walking or bus distance to the station.