Originally Posted by
ajax
I read the previous thread about the IOW trick with much interest.
My commute is entirely Tube-based, Z1-3. I travel rarely outside the country with work, so I am commuting all but about six weeks per year.
Is this Annual Travelcard you speak of above the same thing as an Annual Tube Travelcard or does it have to be associated with the railways? I've thought on and off about getting an Annual Tube Travelcard but the economy of scale didn't seem worth it. I think it is the equivalent of paying for ten and a half monthly Travelcards but getting twelve, so as soon as I am gone for more than six weeks in any year, it would be cheaper to have bought monthly cards instead. Also, if I were to move halfway through my year, would it be possible to amend? [...]
A Travelcard is a Travelcard is a Travelcard, whether it's purchased from a TfL outlet or from a train company (National Rail) outlet. Same applies whether it's issued on Oyster or on printed/paper ticket (from rail ticket offices - though a few can issue it on Oyster) - the advantage of having it on Oyster is that you can just use it in combination with Pay-as-you-go credit loaded on the same card to travel to other places in London (well to be precise the PAYG area - that's zones 1-9 plus a handful of stations just beyond) which are beyond the zones covered by your Travelcard without having to buy extension tickets before setting off.
Another advantage is that with a paper/printed ticket they only allow you one replacement (because of the fraud risk) - with Travelcards issued on Oyster there isn't such a rule if you lose it or have it nicked (because they can hotlist the missing/stolen card) - in both cases admin fees apply of course (reasonable admin fees one should add - this isn't Ryanair!).
With an annual season ticket, you get 52 weeks for the price of 40. And yes you can both amend it and also get a refund for the unused portion of it (up to 40 weeks into its validity) - again (reasonable) admin fees apply.
And just to be clear, regardless of who you buy it from, an annual Travelcard is by default a 'Gold Card', which provides for the third-off discount on off-peak rail fares in the south east.