dg comments

please empty your brain below

Rather annoying that those of us who live almost next to a tube station, but not in a London borough, (Watford Met) can't take advantage of this. It must be similar for Amersham and Chorleywood residents, where Londoners can also visit them for free via Marylebone but they can't do vice versa.

Also, on the linked TFL page, their further link "If you're 60 or over and live in a London borough" goes to an error page in my Firefox, Chrome and Edge, which is not great.

Graham | 23.02.25 - 7:42 a.m. | #

I would be surprised if the photocard element is ever actually checked in practice.

Paul | 23.02.25 - 7:45 a.m. | #

When I obtained my 60+ Oyster card seven years ago, I celebrated by visiting, within a week, all 668 stations and tram stops you could then travel to for free. It was considerably easier back then as TfL operated services could be used at any time. An account of my travels is at this website.

(When I got my Freedom Pass six years later, I celebrated in a completely different way.)

Nigel | Homepage | 23.02.25 - 7:53 a.m. | #

The map shows Chiltern Railways calling at West Hampstead. Whoops!

Tony | 23.02.25 - 7:59 a.m. | #

Amazing stuff, Nigel - meticulously planned, repeatedly thwarted and doggedly determined.

You'll be pleased to hear I don't intend to beat your challenge.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 23.02.25 - 8:01 a.m. | #

Don't forget that actually you can use your 60+ card from 09.27 (8.57 for TfL services). Normally this is unimportant but just occasionally it can make a big difference. Especially if the service is only half-hourly.

There used to be a Thameslink service at Purley departing at 09.28 departing from a platform near the ticket gates. Then its departure time changed to 09.27.

Pedantic of Purley | 23.02.25 - 8:11 a.m. | #

It was a Sunday 19 years ago when I was eligible for a Freedom Pass, in those days you got it from a Post Office counter which on Sundays were closed.
Determined to use it from day one I went to Heathrow terminal 2 as they had a Sunday opening post office and was able to use it that day.

John | 23.02.25 - 8:16 a.m. | #

Back in my LUL days the freedom pass holders (or whatever they were back in the 1990s) that turned up well before 9:30 used to be referred to as Twirlies.

As in "Ooh, am I too early?".

Putters | 23.02.25 - 8:41 a.m. | #

This gap bridging by Johnson feels like vote buying. Is it necessary or even truly advantageous for any other reason? Tying it to an age, or anything other than actual pensioner status, means people can double dip into retirement-age benefits while working.

toby | 23.02.25 - 8:42 a.m. | #

Whatever else people might think of Boris Johnson, I'm very grateful to him for introducing the 60+ Oyster card.
I'm slightly surprised that the concession wasn't withdrawn post-pandemic, but I'm very pleased that it wasn't.

Carllo | 23.02.25 - 8:45 a.m. | #

AFAIC, it's impossible to travel between the Ruislips on Chiltern between 9 and 9.30 weekdays and pretty awkward the rest of the day if that's what you really want to do!

felix | 23.02.25 - 8:45 a.m. | #

The only down side is that you will be unable to trace your previous journeys online.

scrumpy | 23.02.25 - 8:46 a.m. | #

What a fascinating link. I guess the hiatus in one station beyond adventures was due to waiting for your impending free travel to reach them all / most of them.

Nigel highlighted the Ewell West <--> Ewell East problem where he says that you can't visit Epsom as it is not a valid station. However, on the National Rail website it is the same (notional) price for me to travel from Clapham Junction to Cheam, directly or via Epsom. Therefore, am I allowed to take the longer route as a pass holder when it gets me home quicker, as I am only changing trains at Epsom?

Ken | 23.02.25 - 8:51 a.m. | #

While the Freedom Pass is now available from age 66, this will increase to 67 over the period from April 2026 to April 2028, in line with State pension age.

Bryn Davies | 23.02.25 - 9:20 a.m. | #

You can trace your journey history with a 60+ card, as it is Oyster & you can register it like any other Oyster card. However, the 66+ Freedom Pass doesn't let you do this and you then lose the ability to trace journeys.

Nigel | 23.02.25 - 9:22 a.m. | #

Ken - Not allowed, no.

Likely to be caught? Also no, unless you have to pass through a barrier at Epsom.

Similar to getting a direct train from Wimbledon (Zone 4) to Strawberry Hill (Zone 5) with a Travelcard not valid in Zone 6.

timbo | 23.02.25 - 9:24 a.m. | #

Ken - Travel to or from Epsom would be illegal if you only have 60+ Oyster, in the same way you can only use the Overground line to Cheshunt and not Greater Anglia via Enfield Lock.

Nigel | 23.02.25 - 9:26 a.m. | #

That card is one of my most precious possessions. It's a minor quibble that the journey history doesn't record what the journey would have cost normally, so to keep track of its financial value would involve a lot of dull work.

I'm looking forward to the results of super-charged DG mobility.

NickW | 23.02.25 - 9:40 a.m. | #

Tying it to an age, or anything other than actual pensioner status, means people can double dip into retirement-age benefits while working.

Is this a good or a bad thing? I know there is some resentment about this. But with the government (or at least the previous government) wanting pensioners to continue working voluntarily it probably also wants to discourage early retirement which, it seems, more and more people consider as a lifestyle choice (including one DG).

IF 60+ people considering retiring are swayed by the thought of leaving a bit later, avoiding the morning peak period and getting free travel as a perk for doing so then maybe it is good for the economy. And the psychologists say it would be better if we wound down gradually rather than come to a sudden lifestyle change.

There is, of course, no official retirement age these days. There is only a date at which you start receiving your state pension - retired or not.

Pedantic of Purley | 23.02.25 - 9:42 a.m. | #

You write that it's all Overground stations - but the map stops at Cheshunt - probably abstraction of revenue.

It would be nice/logical if Waltham Cross was available.

I heard that at one time TfL staff passes were valid to Hertford on the buses (when the 310/A/B were all running/competing) and TfL were talking to Arriva about adding the 310 to the main network.

Still Anon | 23.02.25 - 10:07 a.m. | #

What day are you riding the No.60 bus? 😁

Malcolm | 23.02.25 - 10:10 a.m. | #

Worth mentioning that if you have a Freedom Pass(or a 60+ Oyster card), and you want to travel beyond the Freedom Pass boundary, buy a ticket to your destination from the last station in the FP area or from what is known as Boundary Zone 6. The disadvantage of the latter is that they do not seem to be available from ticket machines and you have to go to the ticket office. Savings can be considerable, particularly for FP owners who can travel on the Elizabeth line to Reading and buy an onward ticket from there.

JohnC | 23.02.25 - 11:00 a.m. | #

I was able to buy a boundary ticket to St Alban's from the ticket machine in Hendon.

Tom | 23.02.25 - 11:27 a.m. | #

A lot of ticket machines can issue Boundary Zone 6 tickets- press the 'tickets from other stations' button and it generally appears as a choice.

Jeremy | 23.02.25 - 11:28 a.m. | #

And when you catch the 60 bus to Coulsdon, you can walk over to The Fox Pub for a convivial lunch, onto Happy Valley and down to Coulsdon South, which is the last station you can use your 60+ Card on. And if you time it right for dusk on a clear November day, the view from Farthing Down makes The Shard look like it is on fire from the setting sun. We managed this on my wife's 60th birthday.

south london lad | 23.02.25 - 11:45 a.m. | #

My 60+ oyster has been a life-changer for me, and one of the few salves for that bitter pill of entering a new decade in life!
I am laying the groundwork for my sibling who can apply for theirs in 3 weeks but who is oddly reluctant - mainly because of the need to carry a card rather than tapping with their phone!
Are they really related to me?!

Cornish Cockney | 23.02.25 - 11:57 a.m. | #

A friend of mine has recently moved out to Essex and has just told me he is really feeling the loss of his Freedom Pass. An Essex bus pass is no substitute.

JohnC | 23.02.25 - 12:06 p.m. | #

Tom, I suspected some train company ticket machines allow you to buy Boundary Zone tickets. Unfortunately, my local C2C ticket machines don't, so I sometimes buy a ticket from the last station in the FP area if there's a queue at the ticket office.

JohnC | 23.02.25 - 12:12 p.m. | #

I'm looking forward to mine! Looking at the map, I hadn't realised that in a couple of cases the National Rail eligibility actually is for the 1st station OUTSIDE Zone 6, making Dartford and Swanley accessible for example.

Combining that with all the TfL services that travel outside London (other than the Liz Line past West Drayton) AND the Zone 6 stations which are outside London anyway (Elstree, Ewell etc) the card covers a generous area.

Mikey C | 23.02.25 - 12:15 p.m. | #

Nigel… Wow!! What an amazing challenge! Very well done.

Cornish Cockney | 23.02.25 - 12:22 p.m. | #

Another difference to look forward to with the Freedom Pass is free travel on local buses in England, which opens up a whole new set of challenges. Nice options from Reading, for example (other English cities are available, but not on TfL rail lines).

Strabismus | 23.02.25 - 12:40 p.m. | #

PS: From May 2023, Edmonton Green ceased to be served by Greater Anglia commuter services towards Cheshunt, thus simplifying that corner of the 60+Oyster map.

felix | 23.02.25 - 12:55 p.m. | #

Thanks for all this information. I was chatting with a chap yesterday who recently turned 60 and joked that "at least you can get your Oyster card". He had not heard of the scheme so was pleasantly surprised to hear about it. His only reservation was that it may not be worth the £20 investment as he doesn't travel very often.

Anyoldname | 23.02.25 - 1:19 p.m. | #

Being able to use my Over 60 Pass to commute was as good as a £3500 pa increase in salary (as I had the good fortune to earn enough to be a higher rate taxpayer). It did mean having a 30-minute bus ride to reach my nearest Tube station as the first train I could use at my local station was at 0942, but being pre-COVID I could start out as early as I liked.

John C - That can work, but not with all operators. I was pulled up at the barrier at St Pancras for using a Luton to Boundary Zone 6 ticket plus Freedom Pass on East Midland - apparently only accepted by Thameslink

timbo | 23.02.25 - 2:13 p.m. | #

A 60+ pass when combined with a Senior Railcard and boundary ticket reduces the return fare from my local station to Stevenage from £17.10 to a much more pleasant £9.50.

mclm | 23.02.25 - 3:30 p.m. | #

I so envy all my London friends who have the benefit of 'free' travel. If I had one I'm sure that I'd use it every day, but most are blasé and take it for granted.

Frank F | 23.02.25 - 4:07 p.m. | #

Sometimes the Boundary Zone ticket isn't cheaper as in the Gatwick to Victoria case! (Purley is the recommended option).

matthieu1221 | 23.02.25 - 4:20 p.m. | #

Thanks to those who confirmed that it is not permissible. I did it once a few years ago without realising with my 60+ card, having previously done it many times validly in my pre-pass days.

However, it is an anomaly where no-one is really inconvenienced other than two different operators are used for this trip/the better part of this trip. This will disappear in the not too distant future with Great British Railwaysi. Perhaps an exception will be written into the guidance then for this and possibly others mentioned?!

dg writes: no

Ken | 23.02.25 - 5:41 p.m. | #

Unfortunately those of us old fogies who live where no form of public transport is available (just 5 miles from a city centre} are not particulary interested in how much they might charge.

kev | 23.02.25 - 6:27 p.m. | #

the over 60 card is valid to East Croydon. i use it to travel on the aforementioned East Croydon to Watford service AND on Thameslink services to and from London Bridge and on Sothern services to and from Victoria.

Peewit | 23.02.25 - 7:18 p.m. | #

Highly questionable, in my opinion, that the Oyster 60+ targets those people who would benefit from it most.

Yes, there are plenty of people in the 60-66 age bracket who have spent their working lives toiling for low pay, and continue to do so. There will be others, however, who were able to afford to buy a home when house prices were far more sensible than they are now, have paid off the mortgage, have progressed through their career to a senior position (and salary to go with it), are doing rather nicely for themselves, and now get free travel (albeit now only after 09:00) - but paid for by whom?

If I recall correctly, when Boris Johnson introduced the Oyster 60+ card, he provided TfL with no funding for it. Instead, the loss of revenue had to be made up for by whacking the fares up for everyone else (Johnson did seem quite relaxed about imposing above-inflation fare rises upon users of London's public transport system).

This piece from the Evening Standard a few months ago suggests the Oyster 60+ costs TfL around £80million a year in lost revenue.

Malc M | 23.02.25 - 10:15 p.m. | #

Free transit to and from Heathrow!

Alex | 24.02.25 - 6:50 a.m. | #

Absolute game-changer for me, as it means I've been able to go to far more events, galleries, museums etc in London than without it. I'd be surprised if it doesn't make a significant positive influx to London's economy

Also works well in conjunction with a senior railcard for trips outside London, especially if you are able to book from the last stop inside the 60+ zone - for example I recently made a significant saving booking a rail ticket to East Anglia by starting from Stratford instead of Liverpool Street

Chris S | 24.02.25 - 7:46 a.m. | #

Absolutely agree with Malc M’s comment. TfL needs to seriously consider the future of this card.

Kate | 24.02.25 - 8:21 a.m. | #

Kate/Malc M. The considerations need to cover both the terms of the offer (is it socially just) but also all the concessionary cards need a technology refresh to improve their broader utility. I think the way that the (now demised) Citymapper Pass worked technically provided a good technical working model (white label contactless payment card that would only accept transactions from TfL).

MilesT | 24.02.25 - 2:04 p.m. | #

The map is an interesting design to show how one might show a scalable map.

Just major interchange stations (Including 'Bow') and a 'big' terminal station shown with a square marker: 'Heathrow'

Imagine a map that starts like this, but shows more detail when you zoom in.

Alex Gollner | 25.02.25 - 12:52 p.m. | #

In the West Midlands early travel on buses (before 0930 in our case) is reduced if you show a 60+ card. Does this happen in London?

Richard Morris | 02.03.25 - 11:46 a.m. | #

Don't join the Twirlies.

scroops | 02.03.25 - 12:21 p.m. | #

I've already whinged about the advantage you have over those of us who live where buses do not exist, but also, despite being 5 years older than you, I have to survive and wait another 2 years to get free travel on buses which don't exist. If I understand correctly, 60+ is only available in London, Wales, Scotland and Liverpool.

kev | 02.03.25 - 5:48 p.m. | #

I'm just hoping they're still around when I qualify for one in 12 years or so.

dncn | 03.03.25 - 3:37 p.m. | #

Promoting the private hoarding of wealth

Hat | 03.03.25 - 10:09 p.m. | #

Can’t wait for my 60+ in three weeks time. (Apply soon!)

Can’t do the amount of steps to/fro these days so can get a helping hand with the to or fro LOL.

More chance of a mooch like end of line meander and hopping on something to shops.

(BTW, thanks for the guide)

Ole kitty | 07.03.25 - 1:12 a.m. | #

Is 11 days including your 60TH birthday (or not) ?

I.e. Birthday 28/3 apply 17th or apply 18th?

dg writes: 17th

Ole Kitty | 07.03.25 - 2:50 a.m. | #

Thanks dg

Ole Kitty | 07.03.25 - 7:34 p.m. | #

Well, 60+ deed is done & await postie 5-7 days (it says) if ok.

Good, advises where to insert passport numbers

Passport image fiddly to get within online box, photo easy lemon squeasy.

Ole Kitty | 17.03.25 - 1:27 a.m. | #

Took a week in the post…

First go, tube to Canada Water (newish red board walk over the dock and lunch further up)

Ole Kitty | 24.03.25 - 2:29 p.m. | #

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