Weekly capping for keyGo starting 29 April

[Vexed]

Earlier today I got an email from Thameslink announcing weekly capping at the season ticket price, from Monday - Sunday. This isn't something I have a use for myself right now but it's good to see as SWR's Tap2Go already has weekly capping. This will apply across GTR with the first week of operation being next week! That does feel like not much notice but as it will only make things cheaper I guess it doesn't matter much. It seems they are only capping point-to-point seasons and not weekly Travelcards. There is alreay daily zonal capping at the same cost as the TfL fares.

We are contacting you to let you know about updates we have made to the keyGo conditions of use.

The updates are centred around the introduction of keyGo weekly capping on 29 April.

What does this mean for keyGo customers?

KeyGo customers can make as many journeys as they like between two stations on our network across the week and will never pay more than a weekly season price.

• Daily charges will continue to be processed in exactly the same way as they are now, until a relevant “cap” is reached.
• Only journeys made within the same week (04.30 Monday – 04.29 the following Monday) will be eligible for weekly capping.

Please note as a keyGo account holder you will automatically be opted in for keyGo weekly capping when it is launched on 29 April.

Don't forget to check the expiry date of your key Smartcard. You can check your expiry date by visiting the key Smartcard Tickets section of your online account.

If you continue to use keyGo, you are agreeing to the updated keyGo Conditions of Use. If you do not agree, you can cancel your keyGo account by logging into your online account.

Visit our website for updated keyGo FAQs and click here to download our updated conditions of use.

New conditions

https://www.thameslinkrailway.com/-/media/goahead/gtr-all-shared-pdfs-and-documents/key-documents/keygo-conditions-of-use-v11.pdf

7. Fares

7.1. When travelling by train keyGo is available with a “capped day fare” offer when you use your Key Smartcard in accordance with these Conditions. Based on the combination of “touch ins” and “touch outs” that you make, and the time that you travel in a Rail Day with keyGo, keyGo will calculate the lowest point to point fare or daily travelcard fare applicable for your Journey(s)1. The capped day fare will not apply however where four hours thirty-six minutes (4hrs 36mins) or more elapses between a “touch in” and a corresponding “touch out”. For more information on “capped day fares” and an example, see Annex 1.

7.2. In addition, when travelling by train, keyGo is available with a “capped weekly fare” offer when you use your Key Smartcard in accordance with these Conditions. We will continually review your travel in each Rail Week (meaning the period starting at 04:30 on a Monday and ending on 04:29 on the following Monday) to identify where a weekly point to point season ticket can be charged in place of daily tickets, in order to provide you with the capped weekly fare for that travel period. For more information on “capped weekly fares” please see Annex 1.

7.3. It is not possible to withdraw from daily or weekly capping, its application is compulsory.

7.4. RESTRICTIONS ON CAPPED WEEKLY FARE. Please note the capped weekly fare offer (weekly capping) will not apply where:

7.4.1. You hold a pre-loaded travelcard on your Key Smartcard and you repeatedly travel to/from within your Travelcard’s zone of validity to/from a destination outside of that zone but within the keyGo network area in a Rail Week. In these circumstances no weekly fare capping will apply and you will be charged: (i) for journeys that start within your Travelcard’s zone of validity: a capped day fare from the last station within the zone of validity of your Travelcard to your destination; or (ii) for journeys that start outside of your Travelcard’s zone of validity: a capped day fare from your origin station to the last station within the zone of validity of your Travelcard.

7.4.2. You hold a preloaded point to point season ticket on your Key Smartcard, and you repeatedly travel beyond the validity of that ticket within a Rail Week. In these circumstances you will be charged the capped day fare from the final station within your season ticket’s validity to your destination within the keyGo network area, and no weekly fare capping will apply.

Annex 1 – Capped Day Fare and Capped Weekly Fare explained

A) “Capped Day Fare”

Subject to the exceptions set out in section 7 above, the capped day fare offer is based in comparison to tickets that can be bought for your Journey(s) on the day of travel. We will charge you the cheapest fare based upon the taps you have made on your Journey(s) and the Journey(s) length to best guess the route you took and keyGo will calculate the lowest point to point fare or daily travelcard fare applicable for your Journey(s).

Where Journeys occur within the London zones 1-6, Journeys will be Price Matched with the equivalent Oyster zone day fare or, for Journeys that begin or end outside the London area, Travelcard price.

When a Journey is made within the keyGo area, your bus and rail Journeys will be reviewed, and the capped fare calculated on your behalf.

For example, if travelling between Hove and Southwick and touched out at Fishersgate, touched back in at Fishersgate and continued your Journey to Southwick, you would be charged for a single between Hove and Southwick. If a bus tap was also registered, then the bus fare would be added to the single rail fare.

B) "Capped Weekly Fare "

Subject to the exceptions set out in section 7 above, the capped weekly fare offer works by continually reviewing your travel in each Rail Week based upon the taps you have made on your Journey(s) and the Journey(s) length to best guess the route you took. Where a weekly point to point season ticket is less expensive than the equivalent Peak, Off-Peak Day and Super Off-Peak Day single and Day return routed ‘Any Permitted’, ‘Southern only’, ‘Thameslink only’ point to point day fares for Journeys made in the relevant Rail Week, then you will be charged that cheaper price.

Sections 7.2-7.4 are new and Annex 1 has been heavily modified.

I don't see any other significant changes. Just clarifications on railcard validity and child fares automatically ending at 16 though these might have been introduced before as I might be comparing with another version that's a few versions old.

New FAQ section

https://www.thameslinkrailway.com/tickets-and-payment-methods/ways-to-pay/keygo

What is keyGo weekly Capping?

keyGo Capping will limit how much you will be charged for keyGo journeys in a travel week (04:30am Monday – 04:29am Monday). You can make as many keyGo journeys as you like between two stations on the keyGo network across the week and only pay the equivalent of a weekly season ticket.

How do I opt-in for weekly capping?

keyGo customers will be automatically opted-in for weekly capping from 29 April 2024.

Can I opt out of weekly capping?

No, if keyGo is loaded to your smartcard you will automatically benefit from weekly capping. However, if you do not have keyGo on your key smartcard, you can continue to preload single, return or season ticket(s).

How is a weekly season ticket identified using keyGo capping?

Weekly capping is identified based on the journeys taken in a 04:30 Monday – 04:29 Monday travel window. A weekly season is identified when it matches the origin and destination of at least 4 journeys (one journey = single keyGo journey) in the travel week that can be covered by a weekly season ticket.

What happens if more than one weekly season ticket is identified as potential, for weekly capping?

Only one cap can be applied to a keyGo account, therefore the best value weekly season will be applied where more than one cap is identified.

How will I be charged for the journeys I take before weekly capping is applied (if applicable)?

You will be charged the applicable keyGo price for the journey being made daily until you reach the value of the weekly season fare. To reach the cap you may be charged a percentage of the final journey price that takes you up to the price of the season ticket.

Once you have reached the cap you will not be charged for any further journeys covered by the weekly season ticket.

Will my journeys continue to be auto filled if I fail to tap in/out?

No, with keyGo capping being introduced you must ensure you touch in at the beginning of your journey and touch out at the end of your journey. If for any reason you are unable to, you must complete your journey via your online account.

Will Incomplete Journey Charges (IJCs) still apply if I fail to complete my journey(s)?

Yes, IJCs will still apply. It is important that you complete your journey(s) to avoid incurring an incomplete journey and miss out on weekly capping being applied. Incurring an incomplete journey will appear as if you have not met the criteria for weekly capping.

If I have a pre-loaded season ticket on my Key Smartcard, will I still be eligible for weekly keyGo capping?

No, if you hold a pre-loaded season ticket on your key Smartcard you can continue to use keyGo outside of the validity your season ticket however it will not be capped except for traveling within the TfL Zones 1-9 (where you will benefit from daily capped zonal fares).

Can I claim Delay Repay?

Yes, you can claim Delay Repay. When using keyGo, Delay Repay will be calculated at the end of the Monday to Monday travel window. This will ensure you receive the correct compensation depending on the journey(s) that have been settled i.e., the price of a weekly season ticket rather than single keyGo journeys.

Can I sign up for auto-Delay Repay notifications if I use keyGo?

Yes, by signing up for auto-Delay Repay notifications, we will proactively contact you when we believe you are entitled to compensation.

Do keyGo journeys have to be completed on consecutive days? i.e., can I do the same journey Monday – Wednesday and then again on Saturday but do different journeys on the Wednesday and Thursday but still be capped?

Consecutive travel is not required. It should be noted that capping is applied when the value of a weekly season ticket is reached, therefore if you travel off-peak it will take more journeys for weekly capping to be applied (as capping is always applied against the equivalent value of the weekly season ticket).

If you start your travel later in the Monday – Sunday travel window ie Thursday, you may not meet the weekly capping criteria as the value of the journeys made is less than the price of the equivalent weekly season ticket.

Will weekly capping be applied if travelling to/from Group Stations i.e., Bedford Stations, Croydon Stations, London Thameslink, London Terminals, Dorking Stations?

Yes, weekly capping is applied when travelling to/from group stations.

Does weekly capping apply if a I travel to a Group Station on another Train Operating Company ie West Croydon, Dorking Deepdene?

Yes, if the station(s) are within the keyGo network area.

 

[MrJeeves]

Does weekly capping apply if a I travel to a Group Station on another Train Operating Company ie West Croydon, Dorking Deepdene?

Yes, if the station(s) are within the keyGo network area.

That implies that you can travel on another TOC to West Croydon, when GTR is the only TOC you can use keyGo on for that route!

Please note as a keyGo account holder you will automatically be opted in for keyGo weekly capping when it is launched on 29 April.

From the FAQs:

keyGo customers will be automatically opted-in for weekly capping from 22 April 2024.

Which one is it?!

 

[Vexed]

Is this the end of auto complete? No as the first word seems pretty clear but it's unclear if this applies for all journeys or just ones after the cap has been reached.

Will my journeys continue to be auto filled if I fail to tap in/out?

No, with keyGo capping being introduced you must ensure you touch in at the beginning of your journey and touch out at the end of your journey. If for any reason you are unable to, you must complete your journey via your online accoun t.

Conflicts with this old and still on the website FAQ:

If I forget to touch in or out on my journey, what should I do?
[...]
Where possible, we will auto-fill your journeys based upon your regular journey patterns. If the auto-fill is incorrect you can amend this through your online account.

I wonder if the cap is at all flexible. They mention station groups as working for but for example Luton - London Thameslink is £131 and it's the same price from Leagrave. So what happens if you hit a cap commuting weekdays and the go to Leagrave at the weekend? It seems to imply caps are based on 4+ exact point to point taps (Luton & Leagrave aren't in a station group).

Weekly capping is identified based on the journeys taken in a 04:30 Monday – 04:29 Monday travel window. A weekly season is identified when it matches the origin and destination of at least 4 journeys (one journey = single keyGo journey) in the travel week that can be covered by a weekly season ticket.

There are other places where keyGo is cheaper than the FAQs say so it might be better behind the scenes.

 

[Fenchurch SP]

Is there a reason why (like Oyster/contactless) it has to be Monday to Sunday? Not convenient for people who work shifts starting on a different day.

 

[Haywain]

It seems they are only capping point-to-point seasons and not weekly Travelcards.

As KeyGo canot be used other than on GTR services Travelcards are out of scope.

 

[mattdickinson]

As KeyGo canot be used other than on GTR services Travelcards are out of scope.

It can be used on some SWR services, although the T&C writer seems to have got confused with the Tap2Go validity on Southern.

6.1.3. Operated by First MTR South Western Trains Limited (trading as
South Western Railway) between Dorking and London Victoria or London
Bridge, including all intermediate stations.

 

[MrJeeves]

It can be used on some SWR services, although the T&C writer seems to have got confused with the Tap2Go validity on Southern.

Or, perhaps, you can only use SWR within the validity of the map, which means Dorking to Epsom where you'd have to change to Southern.

Worth contacting GTR for clarification.

 

[Haywain]

It can be used on some SWR services, although the T&C writer seems to have got confused with the Tap2Go validity on Southern.

That doesn't alter the fact that Travelcards would not be included in the capping.

 

[Somewhere]

That implies that you can travel on another TOC to West Croydon, when GTR is the only TOC you can use keyGo on for that route!



From the FAQs:


Which one is it?!

Automatically opted-in implies you can opt-out. But it says its compulsory. Not sure whoever writes the T&Cs has a decent grasp of the English language

Is there a reason why (like Oyster/contactless) it has to be Monday to Sunday? Not convenient for people who work shifts starting on a different day.

Its ridiculous. Something like capping would be ideal for shift workers, whereas people who do a normal working week can buy a normal ticket. These things are nowhere near as flexible as they could be, effectively making them a gimmick

 

[Ralph Ayres]

Is there a reason why (like Oyster/contactless) it has to be Monday to Sunday? Not convenient for people who work shifts starting on a different day.

Flexible weeks would mean the system having to apply moving 7 day windows and keep reassessing and adjusting the weekly caps already paid for all previous travel to guarantee best value. Depending on the journeys made on each day it might be cheaper to have one or more days charged for that day's fares in isolation and start a new period later (you might have made a longer/shorter journey or only travelled in one direction, or have intermittent random days not travelling at all), but that won't necessarily become clear until the end of that new period, and that in turn might mean a previous charging period should be moved to cover a slightly different 7 days or a different end-to-end season instead if that would be better value overall. That would be a database nightmare as well as being impossible for most passengers to understand, as I've probably demonstrate by trying to explain it. Maybe being able to designate your own start date would help but that requires planning and is only one step back from having to buy a Season ticket in the first place.

 

[Haywain]

Is there a reason why (like Oyster/contactless) it has to be Monday to Sunday? Not convenient for people who work shifts starting on a different day.

As with the journey that crosses the 04:30 change of day, this is a case when we have to recognise that KeyGo is not suitable for every use case.

 

[Hadders]

I'm surprised that KeyGo is being enhanced in this way, given that Project Oval will effectively superceed it. That said, Oval seems to be well behind in being rolled out.

 

[MrJeeves]

I'm surprised that KeyGo is being enhanced in this way, given that Project Oval will effectively superseded it. That said, Oval seems to be well behind in being rolled out.

For the areas they overlap, sure, but Oval isn't planned to go to many of the places that keyGo covers. Not sure how Oval will help someone commuting from Worthing to Brighton, for example?