Brighton to London tickets valid from Hove?

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I commute from Hove to Blackfriars, and after reading a handful of threads on this forum about Station Groups, I thought I'd see whether a cheaper Brighton-Blackfriars ticket would be accepted from Hove. I bought an off-peak any-permitted-route return ticket and tried it on the barriers to no avail! I wondered if I was trying too early in the day, at around 8:45am.

When I spoke separately to an OBS on a Southern train from Hove to Victoria about which tickets to buy, they said that the Brighton-Blackfriars ticket should be accepted from Hove. So I'm a bit confused! Can anyone help me figure this out?

 

[ThameslinkUser]

You attempted too early for the barriers to accept it. It is valid.

I know of plenty of people that commute from Hove that use Brighton - London Thameslink tickets.

 

[Alex365Dash]

I commute from Hove to Blackfriars, and after reading a handful of threads on this forum about Station Groups, I thought I'd see whether a cheaper Brighton-Blackfriars ticket would be accepted from Hove. I bought an off-peak any-permitted-route return ticket and tried it on the barriers to no avail! I wondered if I was trying too early in the day, at around 8:45am.

A ticket not working the barrier doesn’t mean it’s invalid - did you try asking the gateline to open the gate for you?

When I spoke separately to an OBS on a Southern train from Hove to Victoria about which tickets to buy, they said that the Brighton-Blackfriars ticket should be accepted from Hove. So I'm a bit confused! Can anyone help me figure this out?

That’s correct.

If you’d like more validity on your existing ticket, it may be worth buying an Off-Peak Day Return from Brighton to London Thameslink route Not Underground for the same price.

You attempted too early for the barriers to accept it. It is valid.

The 08:50 Hove - London Victoria gets into Victoria 09:58 so I think the barriers might need reprogramming if it doesn’t allow use of the first off-peak train of the day…

 

[Watershed]

I commute from Hove to Blackfriars, and after reading a handful of threads on this forum about Station Groups, I thought I'd see whether a cheaper Brighton-Blackfriars ticket would be accepted from Hove. I bought an off-peak any-permitted-route return ticket and tried it on the barriers to no avail! I wondered if I was trying too early in the day, at around 8:45am.

When I spoke separately to an OBS on a Southern train from Hove to Victoria about which tickets to buy, they said that the Brighton-Blackfriars ticket should be accepted from Hove. So I'm a bit confused! Can anyone help me figure this out?

It might not automatically work the barriers, but it's valid and so you should be let through if you speak to a member of barrier staff.

An Off-Peak Day Return from Brighton to London Terminals, London Thameslink or London Blackfriars has restriction code C0, which allows use on any train arriving into (or passing through) London Terminals from 09:45 onwards.

The first valid service from Hove to London is the 08:50 to London Victoria (you could change onto a Thameslink service en-route if heading to Blackfriars). The previous London-bound service is at 08:20, so you definitely weren't too early at 08:45.

 

[Haywain]

I think the barriers might need reprogramming if it doesn’t allow use of the first off-peak train of the day…

There are many reasons a barrier might reject a ticket, and not all of them can be programmed away.

 

[Alex365Dash]

There are many reasons a barrier might reject a ticket, and not all of them can be programmed away.

Fair point!