Travelcard question
Nov 5, 2018, 9:33 am
#1
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Travelcard question
I have a travel card and has saved me quite a sum of money over time. I normally use it when I take the fast train from Ashford to St Pancras then tube from Kings Cross to LHR. I get my ticket from the agent at Ashford for travel all the way through. This time my journey will be in reverse. Should I just use my Iphone ipay to get a one way tube fare from T3 to Kings Cross, walk across the street and use my travelcard to get a discount on the fast train to Ashford Int'l or should I see a ticket agent at T3 and have them ticket it all the way through? I would imagine the ticket booth at T3 underground is probably stalled with a long long all the time.
Nov 5, 2018, 2:07 pm
#3
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Nov 5, 2018, 2:36 pm
#6
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Well a Super Off Peak from STP to Ashford is Ł21.30 with a railcard. The tube fare is Ł3.10 (or Ł2.05 if you have your railcard loaded onto an Oyster card). So Ł24.40 total.
A through ticket from LHR is Ł27.35, so the separate tickets is cheaper here.
You can save more by buying an Advance ticket if available, but you then lose flexibility on timing. With a Super Off-Peak you can jump on any train.
As for picking up, just buy the ticket online and you can pick it up at one of the machines at either LHR or STP. You don't need to use the ticket office.
A through ticket from LHR is Ł27.35, so the separate tickets is cheaper here.
You can save more by buying an Advance ticket if available, but you then lose flexibility on timing. With a Super Off-Peak you can jump on any train.
As for picking up, just buy the ticket online and you can pick it up at one of the machines at either LHR or STP. You don't need to use the ticket office.
Nov 5, 2018, 2:50 pm
#7
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Well a Super Off Peak from STP to Ashford is Ł21.30 with a railcard. The tube fare is Ł3.10 (or Ł2.05 if you have your railcard loaded onto an Oyster card). So Ł24.40 total.
A through ticket from LHR is Ł27.35, so the separate tickets is cheaper here.
You can save more by buying an Advance ticket if available, but you then lose flexibility on timing. With a Super Off-Peak you can jump on any train.
As for picking up, just buy the ticket online and you can pick it up at one of the machines at either LHR or STP. You don't need to use the ticket office.
A through ticket from LHR is Ł27.35, so the separate tickets is cheaper here.
You can save more by buying an Advance ticket if available, but you then lose flexibility on timing. With a Super Off-Peak you can jump on any train.
As for picking up, just buy the ticket online and you can pick it up at one of the machines at either LHR or STP. You don't need to use the ticket office.
Nov 5, 2018, 3:09 pm
#8
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 8,767
Thanks. I can’t buy cheaper ticket as there is a window of time I’ll get into st pancras coming from lhr. Buying the ticket online I found out is a total waste of time as I need to re-check in with a machine at st pancras so I’ll just use my iPhone at the lhr tube entry and buy a ticket from a ticket office at st pancras.
If there's a Tube about to leave, you could still jump on that and pick up at STP.
Nov 5, 2018, 3:12 pm
#9
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The benefit of buying online is you could then pick it up at LHR if you have a few mins to spare before the next Tube departs. This would save you having to pick up at STP which could translate into a 30min time saving on a Sunday.
If there's a Tube about to leave, you could still jump on that and pick up at STP.
If there's a Tube about to leave, you could still jump on that and pick up at STP.
Nov 5, 2018, 3:15 pm
#10
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Nov 5, 2018, 3:24 pm
#11
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Nov 5, 2018, 4:58 pm
#13
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So there is a kiosk at the Lhr underground where I can pick it up? Normally I would have gone to the two kiosks next to the ticket office at STP that always have a line.
Another frustrating thing is the ticket doesn't say what platform. I do know it's usually 5 or 6 (the escalators in front of the Starbucks and that sushi place) but from there I have to flag down an employee to find out what platform the next express/fast train to Ashford International is. Ugh.
Nov 5, 2018, 5:29 pm
#14
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Not in the Underground station but from the rail ticket machines in the terminal. According to the trainline.com these are:
T2 and 3 - Opposite the Heathrow Express Ticket desk in the Central Terminal area - this is after you enter the station and before the lifts to platform level. [Note this is different to the Underground station - you walk past the rail station if going to the Underground from T3, but not from T2. I believe there are also machines in T2 and T3 Arrivals itself but am not 100% certain of this.]
T4 - on the Arrivals level opposite the Heathrow Express Ticket desk.
T5 - to the left of the ticket desk on Arrivals level.
You can find out live platforms for any train from the National Rail website or app, or that of any train operating company. However the Southeastern platforms at St Pancras are always 11-13.
T2 and 3 - Opposite the Heathrow Express Ticket desk in the Central Terminal area - this is after you enter the station and before the lifts to platform level. [Note this is different to the Underground station - you walk past the rail station if going to the Underground from T3, but not from T2. I believe there are also machines in T2 and T3 Arrivals itself but am not 100% certain of this.]
T4 - on the Arrivals level opposite the Heathrow Express Ticket desk.
T5 - to the left of the ticket desk on Arrivals level.
Another frustrating thing is the ticket doesn't say what platform. I do know it's usually 5 or 6 (the escalators in front of the Starbucks and that sushi place) but from there I have to flag down an employee to find out what platform the next express/fast train to Ashford International is. Ugh.