Free travel with a London Freedom Pass is only valid on Gatwick Express services between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport under the following conditions: An extension ticket must be purchased before travelling to cover your journey outside the London Freedom Pass zone between Coulsdon South and Gatwick Airport.

This is a common question, and the answer is yes, but with important restrictions.

Your Freedom Pass allows free travel on most Transport for London (TfL) services. To get to Gatwick Airport, you must use a route that stays within the TfL network for the entire journey.

Here’s the breakdown:

You CAN travel to Gatwick for FREE if you use:

• London Buses: You can take TfL buses all the way to Gatwick. The most direct route is the N87 night bus from central London. Daytime journeys would require multiple bus changes and take a very long time (3-4 hours).
• London Trams: You can take a tram to East Croydon station, but from there you would need to switch to a National Rail train, which is not covered.

You CANNOT travel to Gatwick for FREE on:

• National Rail trains (Thameslink, Southern, Gatwick Express): These services are not part of the TfL network. Your Freedom Pass is not valid on these trains to or from Gatwick Airport station.
• Gatwick Express: This is a dedicated, non-TfL service and is not covered.

The Key Boundary: The TfL Zone System

Your Freedom Pass is valid for free travel on National Rail services only within the TfL fare zones (Zones 1-9, plus some specific out-of-zone stations).

Gatwick Airport station is far outside the TfL zones. Therefore, you would need to purchase a separate train ticket for