Advance ticket, starting and stopping short advice

[hvshe]

I've bought an advanced ticket from London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids. But, it turns out that Clapham Junction is a little bit easier to get to than Waterloo from my journey origin, and Exeter Central is quite a bit closer to my destination than St Davids. Is it possible to use the ticket to enter at CJ and exit at EXC?

 

[yorkie]

It breaks the T&Cs. However industry guidance issued to staff (which not all staff read) is to let you off.

Whether or not staff let you enter the barriers at Clapham Jn is, however, not guaranteed. Your best bet would be to turn up with plenty of time to go; if they deny you entry, then you could buy a single to Waterloo (or use Contactless) and double-back accordingly.

In theory, staff could deny you entry or exit unless you pay the difference between the fare paid and the appropriate walk-up fare for the journey actually made; in practice this almost never happens.

 

[hvshe]

It breaks the T&Cs. However industry guidance issued to staff (which not all staff read) is to let you off.

Whether or not staff let you enter the barriers at Clapham Jn is, however, not guaranteed. Your best bet would be to turn up with plenty of time to go; if they deny you entry, then you could buy a single to Waterloo (or use Contactless) and double-back accordingly.

In theory, staff could deny you entry or exit unless you pay the difference between the fare paid and the appropriate walk-up fare for the journey actually made; in practice this almost never happens.

So, if staff doesn't let me into the gatelines of CJ, and after I buy a ticket from CJ to Waterloo, can I not travel into Waterloo and back but directly get on the train at CJ?

 

[Watershed]

So, if staff doesn't let me into the gatelines of CJ, and after I buy a ticket from CJ to Waterloo, can I not travel into Waterloo and back but directly get on the train at CJ?

Legally speaking you should do the double-back. In practice there is no way that a full ticket check will take place between Waterloo and Clapham Junction so you are going to be fine if you get through the barriers.

There could, in theory, also be issues at the Exeter end - again, worst case scenario you'd have to pay the difference ("excess") to the cheapest valid walk-up fare for the journey you just made. But odds are you'd be let through without charge - perhaps with "words of advice" - if your ticket doesn't automatically work the barriers.

 

[MrJeeves]

But odds are you'd be let through without charge - perhaps with "words of advice" - if your ticket doesn't automatically work the barriers.

For the benefit of the OP, I used an advance to St David's in the gateline at Central last time I visited without an issue.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Whether or not staff let you enter the barriers at Clapham Jn is, however, not guaranteed. Your best bet would be to turn up with plenty of time to go; if they deny you entry, then you could buy a single to Waterloo (or use Contactless) and double-back accordingly.

Clapham Junction is the one place I've ever heard of break of journey (just to go to M&S, which is not technically on railway land) denied, ever. So I wouldn't bet that you'll be allowed in, indeed I'm not sure I'd even try there.

Exeter...well, given that they didn't spot a wrongly dated ticket and let me in (I did buy a correctly dated one once I noticed, but the member of barrier staff didn't!)...

 

[island]

So, if staff doesn't let me into the gatelines of CJ, and after I buy a ticket from CJ to Waterloo, can I not travel into Waterloo and back but directly get on the train at CJ?

Legally speaking you should do the double-back. In practice there is no way that a full ticket check will take place between Waterloo and Clapham Junction so you are going to be fine if you get through the barriers.

Unless I suppose the guard spots the passenger getting on at Clapham Junction and recalls it later at inspection time. Quite unlikely though.

 

[Sonic1234]

I once used an East Croydon to Yeovil advance at the gateline at Clapham Junction and it worked fine.