In case you missed it, with effect from 2 January 2015 the area that a Annual Season Ticket “Gold Card” discount is available was greatly enlarged. You can now travel as far as Worcester, Stourbridge Town, Birmingham, Shrewsbury and Stafford. The discount does not apply to travel on Virgin Trains services though.

You can also save money by linking your pay as you go Oyster card to your Annaul Season Ticket Gold Card. With the Gold Card discount set on your Oyster card you get a third discount on off-peak pay as you go fares and off-peak daily caps on Underground, Docklands Light Railway and London Overground, TFL Rail and most National Rail services in London. For further information look at the National Rail Enquiries Website “Annual Gold Card” pages and also the “Annual Gold Cards” pages on TFL’s Website.

The leaflets and Websites advise you that you will need to visit an Underground Station that still has a staffed ticket office. However staffed ticket offices are being phased out! At present London Bridge, Victoria and Liverpool Street Underground Stations ticket offices are still staffed. At other Underground stations some staff at the barrier line can log in to the self service ticket machines and link the two cards; my Gold Card and Oyster card were linked at Embankment Station.

Some national rail ticket offices at “major London Railway stations” are also able to link your Oyster and Gold Cards. There does not seem to be an authoritative list, but we hear that Victoria can do it.

There are other benefits relating to buying reduced price tickets for family and friends who are travelling with you; there are more details on the websites above.