Fares and capping
Pay as you go offers the best value equivalent 'anytime' fare for the journey you've made. We’ll use the taps you’ve made on your journey and the journey length (in distance), to calculate the route you took.
The table below outlines the typical savings customers can expect to see when using Pay as you go.
| Journey | PAYG Single | Non-PAYG Anytime Single |
Saving | PAYG Return | Non-PAYG Anytime Return |
Saving | PAYG Weekly Cap |
Non-PAYG 7- |
Saving |
| Newport to Cardiff Central |
£2.60 | £6.20 | -£3.60 | £5.20 | £7.00 | -£1.80 | £17.10 | £24.70 | -£7.60 |
|
Pontyclun to |
£3.20 | £5.40 | -£2.20 | £6.40 | £8.70 | -£2.30 | £21.00 | £30.50 | -£9.50 |
| Ebbw Vale to Cardiff Central |
£4.10 | £5.40 | -£1.30 | £8.20 | £8.70 | -£0.50 | £27.00 | £30.50 | -£3.50 |
| Bridgend to Cardiff Central |
£3.80 | £5.40 | -£1.60 | £7.60 | £8.70 | -£1.10 | £24.90 | £30.50 | -£5.60 |
| Cardiff Central to Cwmbran |
£2.90 | £10.40 | -£7.50 | £5.80 | £10.90 | -£5.10 | £18.90 | £46.10 | -£27.20 |
| Cardiff Bay to Cardiff Queen Street* |
£1.60 | £2.70 | -£1.10 | £3.20 | £3.30 | -£0.10 | £10.50 | £9.80 | £0.70* |
| Cardiff Central to Pontypridd |
£3.20 | £5.40 | -£2.20 | £6.40 | £8.70 | -£2.30 | £21.00 | £30.50 | -£9.50 |
* In some circumstances our standard walk-up fare may be the cheapest option, if this happens, we'll guarantee you pay the lowest fare possible. Below is an example:
- If an Anytime Day Single fare is cheaper than the Pay as you go Single Leg price, you'll be charged the Anytime Day Single fare.
- If an Anytime Day Return fare is cheaper than the Pay as you go Single Leg price x2, you'll be charged the Anytime Day Return fare.
- If a 7-Day Season fare is cheaper than the Pay as you go weekly fare cap, you'll be charged the 7-Day Season fare.
Pay as you go capping
To further enhance value for customers making mixed journeys during a day or week, zonal caps are also in place for Pay as you go
| Type | Daily cap | Weekly cap |
| Zone 1 | £5.70 | £17.10 |
| Zone 1 - 3 | £7.00 | £21.00 |
| Zone 1 -7 | £9.00 | £27.00 |
| Zone 2 - 7 | £8.30 | £20.70 |
Example of daily and weekly capping using Pay as you go with customers regularly travelling:
- Between Ebbw vale town to Newbridge will start their journey in zone 6 and will pass through zones 6, 5,4, and 3 they will therefore qualify for the zone 2 - 7 daily and weekly zonal caps.
- Between Cardiff Central to Pontyclun will start their journey in zone 1 and will pass through zones, 1,2, and 3 and therefore will qualify for the zone 1 - 3 daily and weekly zonal caps.
- Between Pontyclun to Ebbw vale parkway a customer will start their journey in zone 3 and will pass through zones, 1,2,3,4, and 5 and therefore will qualify for the zone 1 - 7 daily and weekly zonal caps.
- Between Cardiff Central, Newport, Pye Corner, and Rogerstone will only pass through zone 1 and will qualify for the zone 1 daily and weekly zonal caps.
The below map provides an outline of our network and the zone where our stations are located.
Pay as you go fares are calculated using geographical location and distance (km). This is an illustrative map only and does not show the true geographical location and distance. The purpose of the map is to inform customer which zone each station is located.
Zonal fare caps are calculated against each Monday to Sunday travel period, and we’ll continually review your travel to determine if a weekly ticket can be charged instead of multiple daily tickets.
Once you’ve reached a zonal cap, you will not be charged for journeys for the remainder of that week if you continue to travel within the zonal area. If you travel beyond a zonal cap area, you will be charged for your journeys until you hit another zonal cap.
For example:
A customer travelling frequently within zones 1 will be capped at £17.10. If the customer, then opts to travel into zone 3 after a cap has been applied, they will be charged for their zone 3 journey until they hit the zone 1-3 cap of £21.00.
At the end of each day, all your journeys will be assessed to calculate how much you need to pay.
Exemptions
Pay as you go is not available for journeys on GWR trains. If you board these trains when using our Pay as you go service, you may be charged an onboard ticket from the train manager.
First Class travel is not available when using our pay as you go service. Should you wish to travel First Class, you’ll need to either purchase a separate First-Class ticket or pay for a weekend or weekday First Class upgrade.
PAYG does not currently offer child or railcard discounts, which may mean that non-PAYG fares are cheaper in these instances.
