Pay by Oyster card to/from Gatwick beware overcharge!

ubrain

I recently became aware that Oyster card is valid for payment between Gatwick and London. However, beware that travelling by tube to/from a London rail terminus may hugely inflate the fare!

My experience:
Travelling between Gatwick and Camden.
The fare from Gatwick to St.Pancras or from Gatwick to London Bridge was advertised as £8.
While St Pancras is an easy walk away from my destination, apocalyptic weather caused a lot of cancellations and delays so I opted to go to London Bridge and take the tube from there.

Tapping out from BR at London Bridge, £8 was deducted from my card as expected. However, having done the 7 stops on the Northern line, a further £8.20 was deducted at Camden Town! A journey which should cost £2.40

I was informed at Camden this is because this is price of the Journey from LGW to Camden. I pointed out that it would be cheaper to buy a 2nd Oyster card to use for the tube journey but the guy didn't understand this, apparently complicated, idea, "No, it's not possible to do that", he said

Anyway, the good news is: I contacted tfl/Oyster and was refunded the overcharge but BEWARE, even though you tap out of BR and then into LU, the Oyster system is currently set up to view this as a continuous journey and may charge a massively inflated fare by conflating the journey stages.

Tfl / Oyster refunds
Phone: 0343 222 1234* (option 2 then option 5 for contactless queries; option 2 then option 6 for Oyster card queries)
Textphone: 0800 112 3456
08:00-20:00 seven days a week

yorkie2

Was this a weekday or weekend? What times did you travel? Any chance of showing us a copy of your journey history?

And if you think that's bad.... people are charged up to £11.20 extra (or more, if including LU), if platforms 13/14 at London Victoria are involved.

I am all for extending Oyster/Contactless, but the way it's been done to Gatwick is a disgrace.

ubrain

As I say, challenged by phone, they agreed to a refund of £5.60.
There was some mention of having been charged a 'peak fare' although the service was in such a state of disarray that, although I tapped in at 1850 I wasn't on a train till after 1915, well outside peak time.
Here you are:
Friday, 24 June 2016Recent journeys £16.20 daily total
18:50 - 20:10 Gatwick Airport to Camden Town £16.20 £33.15
20:10 Touch out, Camden Town £8.20 £33.15
19:51 Touch in, London Bridge [London Underground] £0.00 £41.35
19:47 Touch out, London Bridge [National Rail] +£6.00 £41.35
18:50 Touch in, Gatwick Airport £14.00 £35.35

yorkie2

Ah, I see the problem.

Gatwick to London Bridge is off peak at all times except 0630-0930

But Gatwick to Camden Town has an additional evening peak, 1600 to 1900, based on the time of the original touch-in.

Yes, it's bonkers!

It is often cheaper to "split" a journey into multiple shorter journeys on the British railway passenger network, and that tradition is being continued even in today's age of smart cards.

I believe contactless would split it into 2 journeys and therefore charge less. MikeWh will know for sure. You could ask him on his website, Oyster and National Rail , or the Fare Advice & Policy section on RailUK Forums