Pay for annual season on two credit cards?

[coursemyhorse]

I have an annual season ticket on South Western Railway which I shortly want to renew. I have two questions about it.

1. The credit limit of my credit card is less than the cost of the ticket. Is it possible to split the payment so I use two forms of payment? I.e. One credit and one debit card. Two credit cards. One credit card and the rest cash?

2. My ticket is a smart card bundled with both my return ticket and a london travel card. Can I still renew at a ticket office or does it have to be online? Will this affect the above question 1? I also want to make use of the discount that will likely be in effect due to performance levels being under the charter requirements. Currently this is at 5% discount on my route due to punctuality not being good enough.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I don't know if (1) is possible, but if not you could possibly, if your card allows it, balance transfer the full credit limit from one card to the other and immediately spend it as soon as it appears. It technically breaches the T&C of most credit cards to put them in credit, but it is not normally noticed immediately. (I've done it by accident by paying a payment intended for one card onto another card that had a very small balance, it was fixed I think by balance transferring it back out to the correct card).

 

[bolli]

I have an annual season ticket on South Western Railway which I shortly want to renew. I have two questions about it.

1. The credit limit of my credit card is less than the cost of the ticket. Is it possible to split the payment so I use two forms of payment? I.e. One credit and one debit card. Two credit cards. One credit card and the rest cash?

2. My ticket is a smart card bundled with both my return ticket and a london travel card. Can I still renew at a ticket office or does it have to be online? Will this affect the above question 1? I also want to make use of the discount that will likely be in effect due to performance levels being under the charter requirements. Currently this is at 5% discount on my route due to punctuality not being good enough.

1 should be possible at a manned ticket office (certainly is with a STAR machine).

 

[Wallsendmag]

Possible with Tribute as well

 

[[.n]]

Its possible to use two payment cards - what I do is ask my credit card company to increase temporarily (for a month or two) my limit on my credit card

 

[RJ]

Can also confirm it can be done at my ticket office.

I don't know if (1) is possible, but if not you could possibly, if your card allows it, balance transfer the full credit limit from one card to the other and immediately spend it as soon as it appears. It technically breaches the T&C of most credit cards to put them in credit, but it is not normally noticed immediately. (I've done it by accident by paying a payment intended for one card onto another card that had a very small balance, it was fixed I think by balance transferring it back out to the correct card).

I think the payment may still have to be split, as it's most likely the credit limit is also the maximum transaction amount, even if the card is in credit.

 

[hangus78]

Buy e-vouchers with one card then use the second to buy the ticket part paying with the e-voucher?

 

[coursemyhorse]

Thanks for the replies. I will go to a ticket office for renewal. I hope they will let me renew for the discounted rate as well. Can I do this next week but delay the start date of the new season to start on 31st December?

 

[RJ]

Thanks for the replies. I will go to a ticket office for renewal. I hope they will let me renew for the discounted rate as well. Can I do this next week but delay the start date of the new season to start on 31st December?

Officially, you can only renew a season ticket up to seven days in advance.

Not sure if this still applies to tickets loaded to smartcards however - may be best to enquire at your chosen place of purchase.

 

[TUC]

I've seen people in supermarkets pay for shopping on two separate cards so there's no reason in principle why it can't be done.

 

[island]

Thanks for the replies. I will go to a ticket office for renewal. I hope they will let me renew for the discounted rate as well. Can I do this next week but delay the start date of the new season to start on 31st December?

No, too soon.

 

[gray1404]

Regarding credit card terms and conditions, I have a card that is commission free use abroad always and commission free and interest free (if paid off in full) on overseas ATM withdrawals. I was wanting to build up my account into credit before I go away so I would have a balance I could get out from the ATM.

However, how it is in breach of the terms and conditions to do it? Does it apply to all cards. Its a Barclaycard Platinum I have.

 

[paddington]

However, how it is in breach of the terms and conditions to do it? Does it apply to all cards. Its a Barclaycard Platinum I have.

You'll need to read the terms and conditions of your actual card (or any card) to know whether doing this breaches them.

For example, Halifax Clarity B7.3 says

B7.3 Payment amount

You must not pay us more than you owe when you make payments to your account, or transfer funds from another credit or store card if this creates a credit balance on your account. If there is a credit balance on your account at any time, we may apply it to any recent transactions not yet shown on your account, or to transactions made after the date your account goes into credit. We may also return any credit balance to the account from which the money has been sent or pay the funds into a deposit account you hold with us. We do not pay interest on any credit balances or take them into account for the purpose of any reward schemes.

In any case doing it once or twice is probably ok, making a habit of it will probably get them to cancel it. Also it may invalidate Section 75 protection if you are not "borrowing" money from the credit card company, but I don't think this has been tested either at the Financial Ombudsman or in court.

 

[pedr]

Regarding credit card terms and conditions, I have a card that is commission free use abroad always and commission free and interest free (if paid off in full) on overseas ATM withdrawals. I was wanting to build up my account into credit before I go away so I would have a balance I could get out from the ATM.

However, how it is in breach of the terms and conditions to do it? Does it apply to all cards. Its a Barclaycard Platinum I have.

A partial solution to this is to save up that money in your current account instead of overpaying into your credit card, then withdraw up to near the credit limit when you arrive at the overseas destination. Once the Barclaycard app shows the cash withdrawals (which may take a few days) you can use the app to pay off the balance from your current account then withdraw more cash and repeat if necessary.

 

[pitdiver]

I work in retailing and often have a group of people buy their shopping (I am near a center Parcs). Often each person wants to pay by card up to six in one case. Perfectly acceptable.

 

[sefton]

1. The credit limit of my credit card is less than the cost of the ticket. Is it possible to split the payment so I use two forms of payment? I.e. One credit and one debit card. Two credit cards. One credit card and the rest cash?

In previous years I have split the payment three ways; Delay Repay vouchers, and two credit cards.

All it required was saying put £x on this card and the balance on that.

 

[N/100]

1. The credit limit of my credit card is less than the cost of the ticket. Is it possible to split the payment so I use two forms of payment? I.e. One credit and one debit card. Two credit cards. One credit card and the rest cash?

I split payment between two cards once, paying at a manned southeastern ticket office. The transaction went fine, but when I had to ask for a replacement ticket because the magnetic strip had failed, they were unable to reissue it. It took some time to trace the block on the replacement ticket back to the original method of payment, but I was told that was the reason and "no-one had ever tried it before".