LNER Season Ticket on Smartcard - issue of Gold Record Cards

[enkc]

Has anyone successfully received a Gold Record Card in the post with the purchase of an annual season ticket (eligible London Terminals ticket on Southeastern route) on LNER on Smartcard?

There's a 10% cashback deal on Amex right now so want to take advantage - purchased the same ticket on paper stock last year with LNER and had no issues (as ticket was issued on Gold Card stock) but not sure what happens when the ticket is issued on their smartcard.

(I can always go to Kings Cross and buy it in person but it's a bit of a trek so want to explore this first.)

 

[Wallsendmag]

We send them out through a third party so there shouldn't be any problems, some of the offers specificaly mention not valid on seasons though.

 

[maniacmartin]

I don’t know about LNER, but last time I bought a season ticket through a Trainline-powered website, it posted to my credit card with a slightly different merchant name and did not trigger the AmEx offer I had active at the time.

 

[Wallsendmag]

I don’t know about LNER, but last time I bought a season ticket through a Trainline-powered website, it posted to my credit card with a slightly different merchant name and did not trigger the AmEx offer I had active at the time.

LNER don't use Trainline as their site provider

 

[Watershed]

It's worthwhile double-checking the full terms and conditions of the offer. In my experience, Amex offers have a lot of exclusions and I would be very surprised if seasons weren't excluded here, since the commission on selling these is much lower than that paid on other tickets.

 

[enkc]

I got the full cashback from Amex last year and just purchased the ticket so will report back. Nothing in the T&Cs about season tickets.

 

[Wallsendmag]

I got the full cashback from Amex last year and just purchased the ticket so will report back. Nothing in the T&Cs about season tickets.

Nope , I have the same offer and can't see anything about seasons this time

 

[zero]

Last time I used Amex in person at an LNER ticket office and I got the cashback.

 

[enkc]

Confirming cashback received too

 

[Notsograndmac]

I can confirm that I too received my Amex cashback (though only 5%) upon buying an annual season ticket for London Terminals to a Southeastern Railway station located in Zone 3, using the LNER website.

However, I was disappointed that it could only be loaded on to the LNER Smartcard instead of issuing me with a paper ticket like LNER did last year. This was further compounded that the ticket would not load on to the LNER Smartcard at my local train station instead showing Error 57 on the Oyster card reader.

The KGX ticket office could not resolve the error 57 on their system so after dealing with the 2 helpful male staff for over an hour which included trying all of the LNER TVM machines in the main concourse, I walked away with yet another LNER smartcard but this one actually works and can be read by the National Rail Smartcard Manager app on my mobile phone as having a valid ticket. The KGX ticket office no longer have the ability to take pictures to print on the smartcard so I have been advised to use my old photocard even though SE railway no longer require this.

It should be noted that I did have to link the new smartcard with the LNER app before anything showed up on both the SE railway and National Rail apps. This automatically unlinked the non-working smartcard from the annual season ticket.

At the time of writing, even though I bought the ticket online using the LNER website on the 24th January 2024 and the ticket is valid from 31st January 2024, I have still yet to receive my Gold Record Card from LNER.

I wonder who I need to contact to get this sorted out?

Has anyone successfully received a Gold Record Card in the post with the purchase of an annual season ticket (eligible London Terminals ticket on Southeastern route) on LNER on Smartcard?

There's a 10% cashback deal on Amex right now so want to take advantage - purchased the same ticket on paper stock last year with LNER and had no issues (as ticket was issued on Gold Card stock) but not sure what happens when the ticket is issued on their smartcard.

(I can always go to Kings Cross and buy it in person but it's a bit of a trek so want to explore this first.)

BTW, the KGX ticket office don't provide the gold record card as I tried to obtain one last year when attempting to switch over from my annual season paper ticket to the LNER smartcard. The ticket office staff advised me that the reasoning for this is that they don't run any services to a destination within the annual gold card area. Whether or not this goes against what is said on the National Rail website here, I don't know: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/tickets-railcards-offers/promotions/annual-gold-card/

 

[CyrusWuff]

BTW, the KGX ticket office don't provide the gold record card as I tried to obtain one last year when attempting to switch over from my annual season paper ticket to the LNER smartcard. The ticket office staff advised me that the reasoning for this is that they don't run any services to a destination within the annual gold card area. Whether or not this goes against what is said on the National Rail website here, I don't know: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/tickets-railcards-offers/promotions/annual-gold-card/

<panto> Oh yes they do! </panto> (Unless they've suddenly stopped calling at Stevenage.)

Unless there's something odd in the configuration, the Ticket Issuing System that LNER use in their Travel Centres will automatically issue a Gold Record Card when a qualifying Annual is loaded onto a Smartcard.

 

[Hadders]

<panto> Oh yes they do! </panto> (Unless they've suddenly stopped calling at Stevenage.)

Unless there's something odd in the configuration, the Ticket Issuing System that LNER use in their Travel Centres will automatically issue a Gold Record Card when a qualifying Annual is loaded onto a Smartcard.

This is my experience. I got a Gold Record card issued at Kings Cross ticket office.

 

[Haywain]

<panto> Oh yes they do! </panto> (Unless they've suddenly stopped calling at Stevenage.)

Good grief! Have they completely forgotten that LNER run services to London King's Cross?!!

 

[Notsograndmac]

<panto> Oh yes they do! </panto> (Unless they've suddenly stopped calling at Stevenage.)

Unless there's something odd in the configuration, the Ticket Issuing System that LNER use in their Travel Centres will automatically issue a Gold Record Card when a qualifying Annual is loaded onto a Smartcard.

Sadly I never got one even this year when they transferred over my annual season ticket to the new smartcard.

I think that in my case, the moral of the story is to avoid buying any annual season ticket online with LNER and visit KGX instead.

 

[Wallsendmag]

“No longer have the facility to take a photo” is short term and will be fixed imminently, and they should definitely issue you with a GoldCard Record Card.

 

[Notsograndmac]

“No longer have the facility to take a photo” is short term and will be fixed imminently, and they should definitely issue you with a GoldCard Record Card.

Thanks for letting me know that the picture thing is only a glitch. I think that I wasn't offered a GRC because the ticket purchase had been made online therefore the ticket office staff wouldn't have known that I had/had not already received a GRC.

I recall that they weren't able to provide me with a GRC last year because they didn't have any available which according to some of the posters on here tell me that this wasn't exactly the situation.

This year, all I had done was to have my LNER ticket recoded (?) to a new smartcard and the other one was deactivated even though it was never able to load a season ticket on to it.

I am going to wait a few more days for the Royal Mail in case a GRC is going to turn up in the post, though if it doesn't what are the steps available to me in order to get my hands on one?

I have noticed that LNER doesn't seem to be a participant of the Gold card scheme which might make things a bit difficult even though last year I received my annual season ticket on gold card stock.

I have to chuckle that TfW are signed up for the gold card scheme even though they are nowhere near the south of England.

TIA!

 

[Wallsendmag]

If your GRC doesn’t arrive drop me a message with your booking reference. Is your season ticket a GTR flow?

 

[Notsograndmac]

If your GRC doesn’t arrive drop me a message with your booking reference. Is your season ticket a GTR flow?

Hi Wallsendmag,

Thanks for the offer, my ticket is for Southeastern Railway so might be part of the same group as GTR.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Hi Wallsendmag,

Thanks for the offer, my ticket is for Southeastern Railway so might be part of the same group as GTR.

No SE are part of DOHL

 

[Notsograndmac]

No SE are part of DOHL

Thanks for clarifying, I had forgotten that SE are now a direct award owing to the previous financial shenanigans.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Thanks for clarifying, I had forgotten that SE are now a direct award owing to the previous financial shenanigans.

Not a direct award it's Operator of Last Resort

 

[cona321]

I can confirm that I too received my Amex cashback (though only 5%) upon buying an annual season ticket for London Terminals to a Southeastern Railway station located in Zone 3, using the LNER website.

However, I was disappointed that it could only be loaded on to the LNER Smartcard instead of issuing me with a paper ticket like LNER did last year. This was further compounded that the ticket would not load on to the LNER Smartcard at my local train station instead showing Error 57 on the Oyster card reader.

The KGX ticket office could not resolve the error 57 on their system so after dealing with the 2 helpful male staff for over an hour which included trying all of the LNER TVM machines in the main concourse, I walked away with yet another LNER smartcard but this one actually works and can be read by the National Rail Smartcard Manager app on my mobile phone as having a valid ticket. The KGX ticket office no longer have the ability to take pictures to print on the smartcard so I have been advised to use my old photocard even though SE railway no longer require this.

It should be noted that I did have to link the new smartcard with the LNER app before anything showed up on both the SE railway and National Rail apps. This automatically unlinked the non-working smartcard from the annual season ticket.

At the time of writing, even though I bought the ticket online using the LNER website on the 24th January 2024 and the ticket is valid from 31st January 2024, I have still yet to receive my Gold Record Card from LNER.

I wonder who I need to contact to get this sorted out?



BTW, the KGX ticket office don't provide the gold record card as I tried to obtain one last year when attempting to switch over from my annual season paper ticket to the LNER smartcard. The ticket office staff advised me that the reasoning for this is that they don't run any services to a destination within the annual gold card area. Whether or not this goes against what is said on the National Rail website here, I don't know: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/tickets-railcards-offers/promotions/annual-gold-card/

I purchased a zone 1-4 weekly season ticket through LNER and have now received the full 10% cash back. However I did have a problem with the loading the ticket onto my LNER smart card, it wouldn't let me do this through the national rail smart card app. I went to the Great Northern ticket office at my local station and they updated the card. They said they still couldn't see a ticket on it but it worked when I tapped it in to get on the train.

 

[Notsograndmac]

I purchased a zone 1-4 weekly season ticket through LNER and have now received the full 10% cash back. However I did have a problem with the loading the ticket onto my LNER smart card, it wouldn't let me do this through the national rail smart card app. I went to the Great Northern ticket office at my local station and they updated the card. They said they still couldn't see a ticket on it but it worked when I tapped it in to get on the train.

It sounds like the ITSO cards are still not ready for prime time.

 

[Wallsendmag]

I purchased a zone 1-4 weekly season ticket through LNER and have now received the full 10% cash back. However I did have a problem with the loading the ticket onto my LNER smart card, it wouldn't let me do this through the national rail smart card app. I went to the Great Northern ticket office at my local station and they updated the card. They said they still couldn't see a ticket on it but it worked when I tapped it in to get on the train.

Can you message me your card number and I'll look into it.

 

[cona321]

Thank you for that, the ticket showed on the smart card on the app and at the ticket machine, once it was refreshed at the ticket office.

 

[nickhaywardshe]

Hi i’ve left this late so please no criticism! I tried to take advantage of the lner offer via amex on a replacement season ticket today. Smartcard applied for - but not yet posted and it will not arrive before the price increases on Sunday. Does anyone know a workaround to either buy a LNER season ticket without a smartcard, or an ability to link an unknown smartcard number to my account? LNER livechat cannot help.

 

[Haywain]

Does anyone know a workaround to either buy a LNER season ticket without a smartcard, or an ability to link an unknown smartcard number to my account?

LNER will sell paper season tickets, where they are available, but you need the smartcard number to link to your account (although I thought that it should automatically link if ordered from LNER, but not until it's been created and posted). At an LNER station you can add a season ticket to almost any TOC smartcard.

 

[nickhaywardshe]

LNER will sell paper season tickets, where they are available, but you need the smartcard number to link to your account (although I thought that it should automatically link if ordered from LNER, but not until it's been created and posted). At an LNER station you can add a season ticket to almost any TOC smartcard.

Thank you.

 

[Wallsendmag]

LNER will sell paper season tickets, where they are available, but you need the smartcard number to link to your account (although I thought that it should automatically link if ordered from LNER, but not until it's been created and posted). At an LNER station you can add a season ticket to almost any TOC smartcard.

Not always anything over a month is only available on a Smartcard

 

[SouthwestLon]

Does anyone have any recent experience of buying the season ticket and getting the gold record card sent out by LNER? I have done it multiple times with Chiltern and they are very good at sending it out shortly after I buy it but I am worried LNER do not understand the process. I want to buy it through LNER to take advantage of the AMEX offer but not if they are unable to send out the record card.