Do we have to get off train to tap in?

[Jopasa123]

Hi
I have my MIL staying with me for a few weeks (8) whilst she recovers from surgery. She has several appointments in London during this period and we will need to travel from Hemel Hempstead into Euston which is a direct train. My question is she has an Oyster card as she lives in London normally so this will become effective from Watford Junction do we have to exit the Euston bound train we are already on so she can “tap in” or can she just tap out at Euston? The fare from HH to WJ is only a few pounds with her railcard but nearly £10 all the way to Euston.

 

[yorkie]

Is it just a PAYG Oyster with a Railcard discount loaded onto it? Or does she have a Freedom or Over 60s pass on Oyster?

Is Euston your final destination?

 

[Jopasa123]

Yes she has a PAYG Oyster with Railcard linked but my FIL who may also come has a Freedom pass with Senior Railcard. Is it different answer for freedom pass? Once we get off at Euston need to use tubes and possibly bus.

 

[Somewhere]

Its a different answer for a Freedom Pass, as it counts as a season ticket so doesn't need to be tapped in or out as long as you're within its validity (or have another valid ticket if you're not)
With Pay as You Go, you need to tap in and out, as otherwise the Oystercard doesn't know what to charge you, and you also won't have a valid ticket

 

[Watershed]

Yes she has a PAYG Oyster with Railcard linked but my FIL who may also come has a Freedom pass with Senior Railcard. Is it different answer for freedom pass? Once we get off at Euston need to use tubes and possibly bus.

Yes - for PAYG you have to touch in and out for each rail journey. An Oyster card that just has PAYG credit isn't valid for travel until you touch in.

A Freedom Pass is effectively a pre-purchased Travelcard (albeit with morning peak time restrictions) and therefore there is no requirement to touch in for it to be valid. You just have to touch in or out to get through barriers.

There are Oyster validators at Watford Junction, but only at near the Overground platforms 1-4. I can't see it being possible to get off an LNR service (which would typically be on platform 9), go through the underpass to the validators and back to platform 9, and get back on the same train. So you'd realistically have to get on the next train, which would obviously mean a slightly longer journey time.

Buying a through ticket (e.g. a return to London Terminals or a Travelcard) will probably be the vest option for this journey.

 

[JonathanH]

There are Oyster validators at Watford Junction, but only at near the Overground platforms 1-4. I can't see it being possible to get off an LNR service (which would typically be on platform 9), go through the underpass to the validators and back to platform 9, and get back on the same train. So you'd realistically have to get on the next train, which would obviously mean a slightly longer journey time.

There are also Oyster validations in the underpass at the foot of each staircase at Watford Junction (or at least were last time I went there earlier this year).

 

[Hadders]

I think there's a validator on the Platform 9/10 island adjacent to the car park entrance.

I'd have though the appropriate ticket would be a Hemel Hempstead to Boundary Zone 6 for the Freedom Pass holder and a Hemel Hempstead to London Terminals ticket for the person with a normal Oyster card.

 

[purple-Azumas]

I think there's a validator on the Platform 9/10 island adjacent to the car park entrance.

Yup, can't quite remember the prime position for a train coming in on 9 (might be end of coach 5/front of coach 6) but definitely doable, and indeed I've seen plenty of people hop off, tap in and hop back on again - obviously not going to be nearly as easy heading back north.

Edited to add: Found an old video and the validator lined up with the rear door of coach 5 of an 8-car 319 so assume it's similar for a 350.

 

[etr221]

Its a different answer for a Freedom Pass, as it counts as a season ticket so doesn't need to be tapped in or out as long as you're within its validity (or have another valid ticket if you're not)
With Pay as You Go, you need to tap in and out, as otherwise the Oystercard doesn't know what to charge you, and you also won't have a valid ticket

If FIL has a Freedom pass, would MIL be eligible for one? or a 60+ Oyster? (Is it a safe assumption that they both live at the same address in Greater London?) Both would provide validity from Boundary Zone 6 into and around London - they will just need to buy a ticket from HH (or wherever) to Boundary Zone 6. (Or to Watford Junction and change to LO, on which Freedom /Oyster 60+ are valid)

 

[wildcard]

I have a Senior RC on Oyster and live a couple of stops further north . As purple-azumas says is perfectly possible to hop off the southbound train on platform 9 at Watford Junction , scan your Oyster and hop back on . You need to be reasonably mobile and sit towards the back of coach 5 in an 8 coach train and stand by the rear door as the train comes to a stop . You can't do this on the return journey and expect to get back on the same train - it takes too long up and down the stairs from platform 8 to the subway validator . Plus you are against a crowd of people exiting the train . However if your journey is to and from Euston with a couple of tube journeys - maybe one off-peak another peak - I find a Railcard discounted off peak travelcard is often cheaper than mixing a paper return to Watford and discounted PAYG thereafter . So I only bother with the platform 9 shuffle if I am not returning via Euston .

 

[Haywain]

Although there might be a time penalty, it may be better fare-wise to change and tap in at Harrow and Wealdstone as the Oyster fares are somewhat cheaper than for Watford Junction.

 

[miklcct]

Although there might be a time penalty, it may be better fare-wise to change and tap in at Harrow and Wealdstone as the Oyster fares are somewhat cheaper than for Watford Junction.

In my experience it is usually the opposite. It is usually cheaper to stay on the Overground until Watford Junction and tap there rather than at Harrow, because the Oyster fare difference from Watford and from Harrow is usually very small during off-peak.

However, it all depends on the exact combination of journey, route, and the discounts you have, and if you have onward travel beyond London. I am usually doing this because I need to change to the Overground for intermediate destinations between Harrow and London without entering Zone 1, and the Oyster fare between Zone 3 and Watford Junction is really cheap.

If you actually need to travel to Zone 1 and use tubes and buses inside London, buying the through Travelcard is probably the best idea.