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Are e-tickets the way forward?

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johncrossley

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I don't use a credit card on a day to day basis, though I have one for emergencies and if I want to split a large purchase over a few months. I prefer to spend money I have. That isn't really a tech thing, it's a financial management thing.

But he mentioned it as part of a long list of 'old fashioned' things that he did. Personally I use a credit card wherever it is allowed to be used because, for the type of purchases I make, it offers superior cashback compared to any debit card alternative. I don't use the credit card for borrowing and I would spend the same whether I used a debit card, credit card or cash. I don't give into temptation the way others seem to.
 
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Bletchleyite

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But he mentioned it as part of a long list of 'old fashioned' things that he did. Personally I use a credit card wherever it is allowed to be used because, for the type of purchases I make, it offers superior cashback compared to any debit card alternative. I don't use the credit card for borrowing and I would spend the same whether I used a debit card, credit card or cash. I don't give into temptation the way others seem to.

I've never given into temptation, I just prefer everything coming out of my bank account. I did used to use a credit card in the way you do (settling each month) but I find it harder to manage that way, as I effectively have two spending streams, cash and card, and have to work out which is where to know my remaining disposable balance that month. Using my debit card I can see in the Monzo app in an instant what I have left that month.
 

Haywain

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normal people do not leave a gadget switched on when they're not using it.
Yes, they do. They leave the TV on standby, for example, along with so many other things. The people in your theoretical dreamworld are not 'normal'.
 

johncrossley

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Smartphones take quite a long time to boot up, not ideal if you need to make a call in an emergency. For that reason alone, it makes sense to have it switched on at all times, at least when not near a landline.
 

island

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I disagree: normal people do not leave a gadget switched on when they're not using it. Why would you leave your mobile phone switched on if you don't wish to be disturbed?
Yes, they do. I have never encountered a single person in real life who switches their phone on and off as and when they use it (unless it's maybe on critically low battery).
 

pemma

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I don't use a credit card on a day to day basis, though I have one for emergencies and if I want to split a large purchase over a few months. I prefer to spend money I have. That isn't really a tech thing, it's a financial management thing.

If your credit limit is lower than your savings balance then you can't spend money you don't have. A back up card can be useful if the issuer of your main card has issues, preventing payment or if they block your card for some reason.
 

Bletchleyite

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If your credit limit is lower than your savings balance then you can't spend money you don't have.

That isn't the way I account my spending; spending out of savings is a conscious move, not something I want to happen unwittingly. Therefore I want to know my disposable balance for that month. Monzo tells me this at a glance (it takes off committed spending like DDs for me). My financial management has been so much better since I started using it, it really is excellent (though anecdotally the very similar Starling Bank may be slightly better in terms of features).

A back up card can be useful if the issuer of your main card has issues, preventing payment or if they block your card for some reason.

Yes, which is why I have kept the credit card active even though I hardly ever use it.
 

Jurg

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Smartphones take quite a long time to boot up, not ideal if you need to make a call in an emergency. For that reason alone, it makes sense to have it switched on at all times, at least when not near a landline.
Turning off your smartphone when you're not making a call is like unplugging your home phone from your landline when you're not making a call. I can understand some people who mostly use a landline turning their mobile off when they're at home, but the proportion of people who do this when they're out and about must be very small, battery issues aside.

Is this the mythical S-ticket you were talking about? If it's now been launched, where can details of it be found?
I've been on tenterhooks for weeks wondering what an s-ticket could be. Is anyone able to put me out of my misery?
 

johncrossley

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I've been on tenterhooks for weeks wondering what an s-ticket could be. Is anyone able to put me out of my misery?

I bet there's no such thing. It is a wind-up! :)

Seriously, what formats exist in other countries that don't exist in the UK? Unless the UK is going to be the first in the world to bring out the 's-ticket', then it will be one of them. The only one I can think of is what they use in Switzerland, where you log in and log out of your phone at the start and end of your journey and it works out the best fare between the two locations.
 

Deafdoggie

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Why do people on this forum have a problem with phone batteries going dead?
There are five "children" in our house, all late teens to early twenties, all of whom do everything on their phone, watch TV, read books, listen to music, book tickets, etc. Never once do they run out of battery. Yet people on this forum appear unable to use e-tickets between Lelant & Lelant Saltings for fear the battery will die mid trip!
Indeed, one of the dear offspring recently decided they weren't going to make a trip by train as there were no e-tickets and they didn't want a bit of paper. I sorted them out as it was a cross London ticket and buying the two halves separately sorted the issue!
 

CaptainHaddock

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So you can show an e-ticket when asked? Because it isn't just a phone, it's used for all sorts?
But if you have a paper ticket you don't need to leave your mobile phone switched on! Just another reason why paper tickets are easier to use and more convenient than e-tickets.

And whilst yes, you can do other things with a mobile phone, its primary function is to make and receive phone calls - that's why it's called a smartPHONE! So if you don't wish to make or receive a call then there's no reason to leave it switched on.

Smartphones take quite a long time to boot up, not ideal if you need to make a call in an emergency. For that reason alone, it makes sense to have it switched on at all times, at least when not near a landline.
In the 15 years I've owned s mobile phone never once have I had to make a call in an emergency. The idea that everyone must be contactable at all times is just another myth the phone companies use to get you addicted to their products.
 

py_megapixel

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It's effectively the same but the PRT can't be held on a phone, etc.
But if I owned a thermal roll printer at home and decided to print out my e-ticket with that, it would be perfectly valid like that - so why can't ticket offices just do the same? Does it need to be a separate format?
 
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johncrossley

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In the 15 years I've owned s mobile phone never once have I had to make a call in an emergency. The idea that everyone must be contactable at all times is just another myth the phone companies use to get you addicted to their products.

But what if you need to call the emergency services?
 

Bletchleyite

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But if you have a paper ticket you don't need to leave your mobile phone switched on! Just another reason why paper tickets are easier to use and more convenient than e-tickets.

And whilst yes, you can do other things with a mobile phone, its primary function is to make and receive phone calls - that's why it's called a smartPHONE! So if you don't wish to make or receive a call then there's no reason to leave it switched on.

Mine isn't. It's a personal communications console. The voice call feature is probably the one I use the least. That's true of most people these days.
 

Haywain

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And whilst yes, you can do other things with a mobile phone, its primary function is to make and receive phone calls - that's why it's called a smartPHONE! So if you don't wish to make or receive a call then there's no reason to leave it switched on.
It may be called a phone, but phone calls are far from the primary use. And how do you receive calls if your phone isn't switched on - do they have to be scheduled in advance?
In the 15 years I've owned s mobile phone never once have I had to make a call in an emergency.
That's really good, but I hope if I ever have a serious need of medical assistance you're not the only person around.
 
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