As many of you will know , it is now possible to travel towards London from Swanley Station using an Oyster card, as Swanley has recently been designated Zone 8
on the London rail system. Using an Oyster card or a registered contactless payment card will see fares from Swanley reduced, and onward travel on the tube more convenient.  Of course , one of the downsides to the Oyster system is the closing of ticket offices, with the associated loss of staff, and I wonder how long  Swanley ticket office lasts?
Having purchased an Oyster card many years ago I decided to use it on a recent journey to London, and as I also have a Senior Railcard, I discovered I could “link” this to my Oyster, and benefit by further savings.

To Link a railcard to an Oyster card:

• First purchase your Oyster card!
• Purchase a suitable Railcard
• Register your Oyster card …can be done online
• Go to an open Tube ticket office-not many about
• Go to the visitor centre at Victoria station
• Fill in form and register …again
• Your Oyster card is now ready to use and is linked to your Railcard

The savings using an Oyster card are definitely worth having… my previous old Travelcard fare was £9, with a linked Oyster card it is now £7.85 for travel to London and tube and bus use (off peak).

When using an Oyster card on the tube , rail or DLR , don’t forget to swipe in AND out of your journey.

On bus and tram journeys only swipe your Oyster on the yellow reader when you get on, there is no need to swipe when you get off!

Hope this information has been helpful, and have a nice trip!
JC