I have an Oyster card that is auto-topped up if it falls below £20.
Currently I only use it on the buses, but I wonder if it's yet
possible to do the following with this card:-

1] Travel from East Croydon to St. Pancras by Thameslink train.

2] Travel from E. Croydon to Victoria by tain, then from Victoria tube
station to Kings Cross tube.

I did one of those trips (can't remember which) in Feb 2007, and my
Oyster card let me IN but wouldn't let me OUT - so I had to pay a
penalty. I'd innocently thought it would be possible, and wonder if it
is now?

Adam.

In message 
 of 
Tue, 8 Jul 2008 12:17:55 in uk.transport.london, Hobbyist 
 writes
>I have an Oyster card that is auto-topped up if it falls below £20.

My threshold is 5UKP.

>Currently I only use it on the buses, but I wonder if it's yet
>possible to do the following with this card:-
>
>1] Travel from East Croydon to St. Pancras by Thameslink train.
>
>2] Travel from E. Croydon to Victoria by tain, then from Victoria tube
>station to Kings Cross tube.

No! <http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/london/oystercard.html>

>
>I did one of those trips (can't remember which) in Feb 2007, and my
>Oyster card let me IN but wouldn't let me OUT - so I had to pay a

It should not have let you in.

>penalty. I'd innocently thought it would be possible, and wonder if it
>is now?

Can you come back in 2009? ;)
You can do it to SPI in about 80 minutes via Wimbledon by tram and 
thence by Underground. That compares badly with about 30 by FCC direct.
You may want to look at a one day Travelcard: 11.30 peak; 6.50 off-peak.
-- 
Walter Briscoe

On Tue, 8 Jul 2008 12:17:55 -0700 (PDT), Hobbyist
 wrote:

>I have an Oyster card that is auto-topped up if it falls below =A320.
>Currently I only use it on the buses, but I wonder if it's yet
>possible to do the following with this card:-
>
>1] Travel from East Croydon to St. Pancras by Thameslink train.
>
>2] Travel from E. Croydon to Victoria by tain, then from Victoria tube
>station to Kings Cross tube.
>
>I did one of those trips (can't remember which) in Feb 2007, and my
>Oyster card let me IN but wouldn't let me OUT - so I had to pay a
>penalty. I'd innocently thought it would be possible, and wonder if it
>is now?

Oyster (pay as you go) is not acceptable on any services from East
Croydon as far as I know.  I am sirprised you were let in!  The LU
fares leaflet
(http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/guide-to-fares-and-tickets-08-01-02.pdf)
page 10 lists which rail servcies on which Oyster can be used.
-- 
Peter Lawrence

On 8 Jul, 20:17, Hobbyist  wrote:
> 1] Travel from East Croydon to St. Pancras by Thameslink train.
>
> 2] Travel from E. Croydon to Victoria by tain, then from Victoria tube
> station to Kings Cross tube.

No, you can only use Oyster PAYG on these routes (ie almost none of
South London):
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/london/OysterPAYG.pdf

I suspect you were let in at St Pancras International, but Oyster PAYG
is only valid on that route as far as London Bridge or Elephant &
Castle.

If you had a weekly or longer season ticket loaded onto your Oyster
card, then you can use it on any train in the ticket's zones.

U

--
http://londonconnections.blogspot.com/
A blog about transport projects in London

Thanks to everbody who answered. A one day travel card it is, then.
I'd ordered train tickets online for a return trip to Newcastle from
East Croydon and had wanted to travel via Kings Cross Thameslink, as I
did the previous year, but the web site wouldn't allow it, so I'm
having to buy separate tickets for the E Croydon-Kings X journeys

I've since learnt that Kings X Thameslink station has closed, but that
I can do E. Croydon - St. Pancras instead. Now, wouldn't you have
thought that Gordon Brown would have personally informed me of this
important closure? When will that man ever learn?

Adam.