I went to the ticket station to ask for a yearly pass and was told it is £9020 which just seems an extortionate amount of money to upfront literally to just get to and from work.
It is clearly expensive, but equally it is more than 70 miles from Canterbury to London, and there is a premium for both using the high speed line, and for using the underground on arrival in London.
The annual price of £9,020 for a Travelcard season valid on HS1 is 40 times the weekly Travelcard season ticket price of £225.50.
A season ticket for the slower routes from Canterbury East to London Victoria, or Canterbury West to London Charing Cross, from where it is possible to walk to Green Park, is £169.70, which multiplied by 40 for an annual ticket is £6,788.
The daily price from Canterbury to London is £73.80 for a return to London using the classic routes, or £98.70 for an Anytime Day Travelcard on HS1, so the season ticket is priced at a discount to the cost of daily tickets. If the only underground journey is Kings Cross St Pancras to Green Park, then it is cheaper to buy a return to St Pancras and use Contactless on the underground.
That discount isn't as much for three days travel each week though as someone travelling five days a week.
While flexi seasons valid for eight days travel in a 28 day period are available on the classic routes for £384, and on HS1 for £460.70, any travel on the underground has to be purchased separately. Nevertheless, that may offer some discount for a three day a week commute relative to buying daily tickets.
Passengers under 30 may find it advantageous to use 16-25 or 26-30 railcards to discount fares, but once above age 30, there isn't that opportunity.
Day return £40.60 for 46 weeks is £5602.80
What day return is £40.60?