Oyster split at East Croydon for Gatwick

[soil]

My plan is to travel Herne Hill - Tulse Hill - East Croydon - Gatwick, one passenger single, one weekday return - both passengers have Oyster with 34% railcard discount.

It is my understanding that if I don't split it will be unnecessarily expensive.

To split it is it sufficient to simply: tap in both Oysters at Herne Hill, then exit both via the gate at East Croydon, then immediately re-enter via the gate at East Croydon, then tap out at Gatwick?

 

[JonathanH]

Herne Hill to Gatwick Airport is £6.45 off-peak single on Oyster with railcard discount avoiding Zone 1 terminals.

The split you have described is £2.00 to East Croydon and £2.55 on to Gatwick Airport, provided you aren't making any of the touches in between 0630 and 0930 or between 1600 and 1900.

As you say it is sufficient to go to the ticket gates at East Croydon, touch out, go through the barrier and touch in passing back through another barrier.

 

[miklcct]

Herne Hill to Gatwick Airport is £6.45 off-peak single on Oyster with railcard discount avoiding Zone 1 terminals.

The split you have described is £2.00 to East Croydon and £2.55 on to Gatwick Airport, provided you aren't making any of the touches in between 0630 and 0930 or between 1600 and 1900.

As you say it is sufficient to go to the ticket gates at East Croydon, touch out, go through the barrier and touch in passing back through another barrier.

Is there a minimum time required between the touch out before the gate lets you in again?

 

[MikeWh]

Is there a minimum time required between the touch out before the gate lets you in again?

Not at gates, no.

 

[Watershed]

Not at gates, no.

But at standalone readers you would have to wait 15 minutes, I believe.

 

[MikeWh]

But at standalone readers you would have to wait 15 minutes, I believe.

Only if it's a continuation exit station. Otherwise 2 minutes to be sure, or use different physical validators.

 

[soil]

Thanks for the replies. Incidentally the connecting Herne Hill - Tulse Hill train was cancelled, so I went via Blackfriars.

Interestingly (to me), this is charged as a Zone 3 - 5 journey, as there are no readers at Blackfriars when changing platforms.

 

[MikeWh]

Interestingly (to me), this is charged as a Zone 3 - 5 journey, as there are no readers at Blackfriars when changing platforms.

They accept that sometimes people might do a roundabout journey and stay within the system.

 

[soil]

They accept that sometimes people might do a roundabout journey and stay within the system.

It's not really roundabout - the official time is 46 minutes, due to a 6 minute MCT, which is slower than the 38 minutes via Tulse Hill. However, in practice you could do it in 5, which cuts to journey time to 36 minutes, and with much better services from Blackfriars as compared from Tulse Hill.

 

[Watershed]

It's not really roundabout - the official time is 46 minutes, due to a 6 minute MCT, which is slower than the 38 minutes via Tulse Hill. However, in practice you could do it in 5, which cuts to journey time to 36 minutes, and with much better services from Blackfriars as compared from Tulse Hill.

I think it's fair to say that in cases like this, where they can't differentiate different routes, they generally give passengers the benefit of the doubt.