Using a London travel-card for a Reading-Oxford-London-Reading trip

I would like to make the journey Reading-Oxford-London-Reading. At Oxford I was told I can do this on an Oxford-London Travelcard: I just need to hold on to the ticket when I arrive at Oxford. At Reading I was told I can't do this: arriving at Oxford is the end of the ticket's validity.

The conditions say that my ticket is invalid (apart from further Zone 1-6 travel) after the completion of my return leg, but I would argue that this leg isn't complete upon my arrival at Oxford (I complete it on my return to Reading).

Which is the correct advice, and what are my chances of persuading the gate staff that my ticket is valid to leave Reading (where they will likely have seen me buy an Oxford travelcard) and on arrival at Oxford to keep it?

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Can I use a Travelcard to Reading?

The day travelcard from Reading covers zones 1-6 and all buses. It's available in both peak (expensive) and off-peak (cheaper) versions. Forget a saver unless you are staying overnight.

Is Reading in a London travel zone?

TfL planned to introduce daily and weekly capping for contactless pay-as-you-go users, so travelling to Reading is included in passengers' use of public transport around London.

What do London Travelcards cover?

A Travelcard (in the zones it's valid for) gives you unlimited travel at any time on bus, Tube, Tram, DLR, London Overground, Elizabeth line and National Rail services in London. You can use it on all buses, and if valid in zones 3, 4, 5 or 6, on all trams. Travelcards can start on any day.

Can you use Oyster card to Reading?

Contactless pay as you go can now be used on both GWR and TfL Rail services between Reading and London Paddington. Now there's no need to top up or queue for tickets at the station.

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Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Kamaji Ogino, Tim Samuel, Gotta Be Worth It, Ollie Craig