This article is sponsored by CommuterClub
Sponsored Post: Commute daily from Brixton? CommuterClub might be able to help you save money.
Considering the savings, buying an Annual Travelcard to commute to work is a bit of a no-brainer. For example, Brixtonites buying a Weekly Travelcard for the whole year pay well over £1600* (compared with £1256 for the annual). The problem for many of us is that you need to buy an Annual Travelcard upfront, which makes them accessible only to people with savings, or those fortunate enough to have a decent work scheme.
Until CommuterClub came along.
Their idea is simple. They pay upfront for the full cost of your Annual Travelcard, so you benefit from those big savings. But you still get the flexibility of paying monthly through their low-cost credit instalment plan.
CommuterClub charge interest of 5.6% on the total cost.** But it still means you only pay 11 months at the usual Monthly Travelcard rate. From Brixton, or any Zone 2 station for that matter, this equates to a saving of £120 compared to buying a monthly travel card – and even more if you are used to buying weekly.
There’s a hidden benefit too. Buying annually means you lock in those TFL fares – so you miss the fare hikes we have become so accustomed to after Christmas!
Sounds good. Here’s what James, a local had to say. He’s has been using the service since spring, to commute into town.
So, what do you actually save?
I’ve always paid monthly so the way it works means I save £120 each year, or the equivalent of one month’s payment.
Is CommuterClub easy to use?
Yes, it only took a few minutes to sign up as you just go online, fill in your details and choose your zone. CommuterClubthen buy your annual travel card and set your repayments up on a direct debit. My brand new Oyster Card came through the post a couple of days later.
What about the flexibility?
The great thing is you can cancel at any time without a penalty. So it’s not like you are locked in – plus you get your card replaced if you lose it. Fingers crossed I haven’t lost one yet J.
Aside from the savings, what else do you like about it?
It’s much less hassle than renewing every week, or month. No more queuing to top up, that’s for sure. And you also get the benefits of an Annual Gold Card, which means amazing discounts on national rail travel.
For many of us, queues at Brixton tube have been a recent memory. And we can’t always blame those pesky broken escalators. Think about that first Monday after payday when you stand nose to neck with other commuters, desperate to blow your hard earned cash on a Travelcard to, erm… get to work.
So to make Monday mornings a little easier this scheme has to be worth a look – especially if you can save at least £120 big ones in the process.
You can check out CommuterClub further here. They’ll answer all your questions and help you sign up.
*Based on 52 Weeklies each costing £31.40
**Representative Example for Zone 1-2: Zone 1-2 Annual (amount borrowed): £1,256. Interest: £70 Total payable: £1326 in 11 monthly instalments of £120. Representative 14.1% APR. Interest rate: 5.6% pa (fixed)
