Best smartcard to get

[Wallsendmag]

Has everyone overlooked the fact that this is a secondary card , the op already has a Key Go card

 

[Aictos]

It's not pointless if you are continuing from Dorking (Main) on Southern services.

It is though if you start and finish from Deepdene, why is it valid at that station if there are no readers there?

That's the bit that's pointless, surely it's not impossible to install readers at that station so you CAN tap in or out there?

 

[mattdickinson]

I’m not sure they can, the OID, Operator ID needs to be known to the system.


There is one exception , we aren’t allowed to retail ScotRail flows onto Smartcards either ours or t

I'm unfamiliar with the jargon, and what you mean by it being "unknown to the system". But the problem needs to be solved if at all possible, as ITSO is supposed to be an interoperable system and as it stands it's miserably failing at that.

Another justification I've heard for not allowing it is liability - when trying to get a Go-Ahead subsidiary to issue a ticket on my Stagecoach card, I was told they won't do that because Stagecoach might hold Go-Ahead responsible if anything goes wrong with that card afterwards. That needs to be solved somehow as well.

ITSO and the transport industry have done an excellent job of making the underlying technology compatible and widely used - now they need to work on removal of the "red tape" policies which prevent the system from actually being any good.

It is though if you start and finish from Deepdene, why is it valid at that station if there are no readers there?

That's the bit that's pointless, surely it's not impossible to install readers at that station so you CAN tap in or out there?

It's a GWR station so Southern don't feel like paying to do that.

 

[MikeWh]

It is though if you start and finish from Deepdene

Agreed.

why is it valid at that station if there are no readers there?

So you can continue on another Southern train from the other Dorking station. I'd imagine quite a few people do it if they persuaded GWR to accept the tickets.

That's the bit that's pointless, surely it's not impossible to install readers at that station so you CAN tap in or out there?

Not impossible, no, but who pays?

 

[mmh]

Agreed.

So you can continue on another Southern train from the other Dorking station. I'd imagine quite a few people do it if they persuaded GWR to accept the tickets.

Not impossible, no, but who pays?

The taxpayer, as with everything else on the railway.

 

[Aictos]

Not impossible, no, but who pays?

Good question, I believe that should be the responsibility of the company managing that station in which case as it's Great Western? I believe it's in their best interest to allow smartcards to be used at that station, I mean if a GWR smartcard can be used at Folkestone Central or Canterbury East which are operated by Southeastern then surely Great Western can ensure it's possible for their own passengers plus others to be able to tap in or out at Deepdene.

 

[johncrossley]

I ended up getting an EMR smartcard, considering I use their app for eTickets. However, on the Scotrail mTicket thread it was mentioned that the Chiltern app offered smartcard for Scotrail journeys whereas the EMR app only offered Mobile tickets. So I thought I would add my EMR smartcard to the Chiltern app. However I was unable to do so because the Chiltern app said the smartcard number is invalid.

 

[mattdickinson]

I ended up getting an EMR smartcard, considering I use their app for eTickets. However, on the Scotrail mTicket thread it was mentioned that the Chiltern app offered smartcard for Scotrail journeys whereas the EMR app only offered Mobile tickets. So I thought I would add my EMR smartcard to the Chiltern app. However I was unable to do so because the Chiltern app said the smartcard number is invalid.

At the moment you need a Chiltern smartcard for the Chiltern app, but any tickets for smartcard enabled routes can be loaded on it.

 

[johncrossley]

Given there's a limit of 5 tickets on a smartcard, when do expired tickets get removed to make space? I bought and used two Day Travelcards this week and loaded them on my EMR card. The National Rail smartcard app shows that I've used 2 out of the 5 available slots and those two Day Travelcards are shown as 'expired'.

 

[CV110]

Given there's a limit of 5 tickets on a smartcard, when do expired tickets get removed to make space? I bought and used two Day Travelcards this week and loaded them on my EMR card. The National Rail smartcard app shows that I've used 2 out of the 5 available slots and those two Day Travelcards are shown as 'expired'.

When my Chiltern smartcard filled up with 5 tickets and I tried to add another using the app, I got an error telling me the smartcard was full and I needed to order a new one! So I gave up and went back to paper tickets. This was a couple of years ago and hopefully the app is now able to remove expired tickets.

 

[Haywain]

When my Chiltern smartcard filled up with 5 tickets and I tried to add another using the app, I got an error telling me the smartcard was full and I needed to order a new one! So I gave up and went back to paper tickets. This was a couple of years ago and hopefully the app is now able to remove expired tickets.

5 tickets is the maximum and expired tickets will be removed as new tickets are loaded.

 

[CV110]

5 tickets is the maximum and expired tickets will be removed as new tickets are loaded.

Yes I know. I tried to load a new ticket with the app, but it gave an error that the smartcard was full and I needed to order a new one. I presume the app didn't have the capability to remove expired tickets.

 

[dlj83]

Surely after GBR becomes operational there will be one national smart card for travel?

 

[Haywain]

Surely after GBR becomes operational there will be one national smart card for travel?

Will we have to apply for a day when we can use it?

 

[Wallsendmag]

Wait until the end of the week and grab a LNER with a photo

 

[centraluser]

When my Chiltern smartcard filled up with 5 tickets and I tried to add another using the app, I got an error telling me the smartcard was full and I needed to order a new one! So I gave up and went back to paper tickets. This was a couple of years ago and hopefully the app is now able to remove expired tickets.

If your Chiltern smartcard is full, space will be cleared if your next ticket is loaded at ticket barriers at the originating station (if there are barriers) or by using any Chiltern ticket machine. Unfortunately the Chiltern App(s) cannot clear up expired slots if attempting to load using a phone’s NFC functionality.

 

[johncrossley]

If your Chiltern smartcard is full, space will be cleared if your next ticket is loaded at ticket barriers at the originating station (if there are barriers) or by using any Chiltern ticket machine. Unfortunately the Chiltern App(s) cannot clear up expired slots if attempting to load using a phone’s NFC functionality.

Is that specific to just Chiltern smartcards? Can other apps remove old tickets?

 

[Wallsendmag]

Is that specific to just Chiltern smartcards? Can other apps remove old tickets?

Other apps can remove expired tickets. Keep an eye out for new LNER phot Smartcards coming to a website near you soon

 

[JaJaWa]

There is a National Rail app for managing smartcard tickets now:

‎NationalRail Smartcard Manager

‎The National Rail Smartcard Manager app allows you to view and load your Season Tickets, as well as activate your Flexi Season passes using your mobile device and smartcard.

apps.apple.com

NationalRail Smartcard Manager - Apps on Google Play

The NationalRail Smartcard app allows you to view and load your Season Tickets

play.google.com

 

[FenMan]

There is a National Rail app for managing smartcard tickets now:

‎NationalRail Smartcard Manager

‎The National Rail Smartcard Manager app allows you to view and load your Season Tickets, as well as activate your Flexi Season passes using your mobile device and smartcard.

apps.apple.com

NationalRail Smartcard Manager - Apps on Google Play

The NationalRail Smartcard app allows you to view and load your Season Tickets

play.google.com

Given the number of installs of the Android version since June is only 1,000+, is this an indication of the popularity of Flexi-Seasons?

 

[CV110]

If your Chiltern smartcard is full, space will be cleared if your next ticket is loaded at ticket barriers at the originating station (if there are barriers) or by using any Chiltern ticket machine. Unfortunately the Chiltern App(s) cannot clear up expired slots if attempting to load using a phone’s NFC functionality.

I wish they'd fix this, along with the misleading error message telling you to order a new "Smarcard" when the card is full.

 

[zcacmxi]

If for most users, 'all cards are the same', then the only real difference will be who you deal with in the event you lose it and want it cancelled / replaced?

I got the SouthEastern Key and also a SouthWestern Touch for a journey I do fairly regularly (between these two areas).
I've been using the SouthEastern Key without issues, via their app. See no reason to use the SouthWestern, unless the Southeastern app becomes unreliable, or if I lose it and they don't replace it quickly, etc...

 

[lancededcena]

Well, GA advertises their smart card as being only for season ticket holders but you can load any other regular ticket with railcard discount except for Super-Off Peaks on the smartcard normally, I don't know if other TOCs advertises it like that though.

 

[zcacmxi]

I think originally years ago SouthEastern only offered the smartcard option to gold/season ticket holders only. But now advertises to all.

Re. 'Railcard discount' and Smart. SouthEastern - 'Can not load railcard onto Smart' - Buy the ticket with discount as usual. Load it on to the card and carry the 'railcard' separately to show elegibility if asked. Same as with a paper ticket.

There are no other technical benefits, no pay as you go, etc. SouthWestern does have a 'tap&go' option, but no railcard either..

 

[ThisIsSurbiton]

SouthWestern does have a 'tap&go' option, but no railcard either..

I've just loaded Tap2Go (using the NR app from another thread), I just need to remember not to use it at weekends, which is the only time I get a worthwhile Railcard discount. It seems odd not to allow Railcard discounts on Tap2Go. If the product itself can't store the discount, but the back-end could, then it's the same problem TfL have with contactless fares, that there's no way to alert an inspector that the Railcard should be held.

And on the question of cards full of expired tickets, I thought I'd read in the spec, or perhaps just wished I had, that expired tickets could be removed at any validation, not just at the point of sale. Maybe it's a question of processing time to do that.