Originally Posted by
UKtravelbear
The £15.80 I quoted IS correct. It came from the National Rail Enquiries website, I selected a Saturday as per the OPs travel plans - single fare from Gatwick to Victoria with the travel card option.
Sorry, I'm afraid you're either wrong or considerably oversimplifying. National Rail fares are not very straightforward, especially from Gatwick where there are over 70 different adult fares to London alone, before taking into account the dizzying array of Railcards.
You said:
Originally Posted by UKtravelbear
you can buy a ticket to London that includes the travel card. It will be £15.80.
You did not say which class, which train company, or which London station. The ticket you mentioned is valid in standard class and the journey from Gatwick must be on Southern trains only at least as far as the start of the London zones (not Gatwick Express, First Great Western, or Thameslink, all of which serve some or all of the route to Victoria). I am sure you would not want one of
KLflyerRalph's early experiences of the UK to be the receipt of a penalty fare for joining the wrong train, which would be £39.80 on the Gatwick Express, more than the cost of all three days' tickets.
This is why I said that your "blanket statement" was incorrect, and I demonstrated it by indicating tickets priced at £13.50 and £10 which were also "tickets to London that include the travelcard".