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Does the Gold Card trick still work?

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Ianno87

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I understand that even in its heyday and with the possible attraction of the swt free tickets the Ryde Esplanade ticket only reached sales iro 200 pa. This is despite its virtues being extolled by Barry Doe in Rail magazine. I doubt anyone is going to break a sweat over those figures tbh.

If the numbers sold are that low, it sort of proves my point upthread that the "niche" spot it is filling (that is not satisfied by the Network Railcard) is for very specific circumstances/usage requirements.
 
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[.n]

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Well apart from the odd member of staff who might take exception I guess. Not that hit one yet for the Exter season ticket but I did change the station I buy from in case of issues, as I was aware someone couldn't buy it on gold card stock and had to buy a more expensive one.
I bought one recently and it automatically came on gold stock - it was trying to make in a smartcard that we (the ticket office) couldn't manage. There was no other hint of staff not wanting to issue it
 

infobleep

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I bought one recently and it automatically came on gold stock - it was trying to make in a smartcard that we (the ticket office) couldn't manage. There was no other hint of staff not wanting to issue it
That is good. I certainly wouldn't order it online in case it got issued on none gold card stock and then I'd need to sort it out
 

Ibl0010

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Glad i found this post. I am gathering as much research as possible to take the plunge on buying Hatton to Lapworth so i can add to my oysters card. If i may i have some questions to ask:

1. When you buy Hatton to Lapworth season ticket, do they give you 1 season ticket and a separate gold card or it is combined.

2. What is the current price of Hatton to Lapworth season ticket.

3. When you go and buy the ticket, do you just ask for season Hatton to Lapworth season or what do you ask for to get the gold card with it.

4. What are the current area and operators gold card can be used in.

5. Do i also need to purchase a separate network rail card to get a third off train ticket or does the gold card serve this purpose also.

6. When linking gold card to oyster, is this on register oyster card or pay as you go.

7. Currently what restrictions if any are there when using the gold card to buy returns train tickets, day travel card or single oyster journey.
 

Watershed

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1. When you buy Hatton to Lapworth season ticket, do they give you 1 season ticket and a separate gold card or it is combined.
If you obtain it in paper form, online or from a station within the Gold Card area, the season ticket should be printed on Gold Card stock. That would then be your Gold Card. It would look something like this.

You would obtain a separate Gold Record Card if you obtain your season ticket in an electronic format (smartcard etc.).

2. What is the current price of Hatton to Lapworth season ticket.
£176 a year.

3. When you go and buy the ticket, do you just ask for season Hatton to Lapworth season or what do you ask for to get the gold card with it.
You should ask for that season, and check with the member of staff that they will be issuing it on Gold Card stock.

4. What are the current area and operators gold card can be used in.
See this map. Note that not all operators within the area participate - CrossCountry don't accept Gold Card north of Banbury, and Avanti and LNER don't accept it at all.

5. Do i also need to purchase a separate network rail card to get a third off train ticket or does the gold card serve this purpose also.
The Network Railcard is a different kind of Railcard. It offers similar benefits to the Annual Gold Cards, but over a smaller area and with more restrictions. The only advantage is that it can be used on Avanti and LNER.

With your Gold Card, you can buy any one-year Railcard (except the 16-17 Saver or Veterans Railcard) for yourself or a friend/family member for £10. So in theory you could buy a Network Railcard for £10, but there would not be much point.

6. When linking gold card to oyster, is this on register oyster card or pay as you go.
You need to have a registered Oyster card and go to an Underground station to get your discount applied. You will then receive 1/3 off Off-Peak PAYG fares and daily caps.

7. Currently what restrictions if any are there when using the gold card to buy returns train tickets, day travel card or single oyster journey.
The main one is that, on ordinary tickets (singles/returns/Travelcards), you cannot use a Gold Card discounted ticket before 09:30 Mondays-Fridays (except Bank Holidays). You also do not receive any discount on Advance tickets.

On Oyster, you will only receive a discount on Off-Peak PAYG fares and daily caps. There is no discount on Anytime fares, except that in the Oyster evening peak - 16:00-19:00 - anything you are charged will count towards your Off-Peak cap.
 

paul1609

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I don't know how good they are at sending out the gold card record cards but you can buy the Southern Newhaven and Pevensey ones instantly online and download them on to the GTR key.They are both £180, £4 more than the Lapworth one.
When I registered my senior railcard on Keygo it took Southern 2 hours to update the card. The introduction of the Veterans Railcard means the Gold card is no longer advantageous for me.
 

kristiang85

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Well apart from the odd member of staff who might take exception I guess. Not that hit one yet for the Exter season ticket but I did change the station I buy from in case of issues, as I was aware someone couldn't buy it on gold card stock and had to buy a more expensive one.

I had Exeter last year for around £160 (I think), but when I tried to renew this year in a ticket office they were charging nearly double that.

So I now have the Hatton one.
 

infobleep

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I had Exeter last year for around £160 (I think), but when I tried to renew this year in a ticket office they were charging nearly double that.

So I now have the Hatton one.
Well, the ticket office must have made a mistake because I purchased mine for £156, which is the price on National Rail Enquiries. This was in July.

Can a Gold Record Card be issued on a smart card or is it just paper?
 

paul1609

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Well, the ticket office must have made a mistake because I purchased mine for £156, which is the price on National Rail Enquiries. This was in July.

Can a Gold Record Card be issued on a smart card or is it just paper?
From the Southern website:
"If I buy my Annual Season ticket on a Key Smartcard, do I still receive my Gold Card benefits?
Yes you can. If your Annual Season ticket is for travel in the South East of England, you will still receive your Gold Card discounts on leisure rail travel for yourself and others, if your Season ticket is on the Key Smartcard. The only difference is you will receive a separate Gold Record Card in the post from your Key Smartcard, and your actual season ticket for travel will be held on your smartcard. Use your Gold Record Card when buying discounted tickets for yourself and others.

For further information about Annual Gold Card discounts please visit National Rail Enquiries."
 

infobleep

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From the Southern website:
"If I buy my Annual Season ticket on a Key Smartcard, do I still receive my Gold Card benefits?
Yes you can. If your Annual Season ticket is for travel in the South East of England, you will still receive your Gold Card discounts on leisure rail travel for yourself and others, if your Season ticket is on the Key Smartcard. The only difference is you will receive a separate Gold Record Card in the post from your Key Smartcard, and your actual season ticket for travel will be held on your smartcard. Use your Gold Record Card when buying discounted tickets for yourself and others.

For further information about Annual Gold Card discounts please visit National Rail Enquiries."
I guess the only point in me getting my season ticket on a smart card is that it protects better from loss.

No other other reason as the gold record card is still paper based and I don't actually put my season ticket through any barriers.
 

Kite159

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Anybody tried to purchased a Lapworth - Hatton season ticket from the GWR website before? [To get the extra 2500 nectar points] [To see how reliable it is to printing on gold card stock]

Although a quick play seems the Pevensey Season ticket has free postage available, the Lapworth one doesn't have free postage available, so might be worth paying the extra £3 for a Pevensey season to save any potential hassle of it being sent on regular season ticket stock.
 

Cdd89

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No other other reason as the gold record card is still paper based and I don't actually put my season ticket through any barriers.
Does it need to be presented along with the smart card, and/or does it require a photo card? I used to have a TfL annual travelcard and never knew how to prove GRC entitlement outside the Oyster area.

If the answer to both is “no”, then it could have the advantage of needing to carry less stuff.
 

Haywain

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Does it need to be presented along with the smart card, and/or does it require a photo card? I used to have a TfL annual travelcard and never knew how to prove GRC entitlement outside the Oyster area.

If the answer to both is “no”, then it could have the advantage of needing to carry less stuff.
If you want a Gold Card discount, you must show the Gold Card Record card.
 

paul1609

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Does it need to be presented along with the smart card, and/or does it require a photo card? I used to have a TfL annual travelcard and never knew how to prove GRC entitlement outside the Oyster area.

If the answer to both is “no”, then it could have the advantage of needing to carry less stuff.
From Southern website
"Season ticket identification
For season tickets held on The Key Smartcard, you may need to produce identification to prove that the card is yours. Suitable forms of identification include a pink photocard (which can be obtained from ticket offices), a passport or driving licence. If you are using your Key Smartcard for train travel on another operator’s services, you will need to obtain a pink photocard if you don’t already hold one."
 
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Anybody tried to purchased a Lapworth - Hatton season ticket from the GWR website before? [To get the extra 2500 nectar points] [To see how reliable it is to printing on gold card stock]
First year: Gold card stock.
Second year: Not gold card stock.

For year two it took a phone call and a couple of emails to get them to send a gold card record card.
 

Cbob

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For those commuting using Oyster PAYG, that’s overly restrictive. You can get (some, perhaps not incredible) per-trip value with just an AM+PM journey where either the morning journey isn’t in the AM peak, or the evening journey isn’t in the PM peak. That’s a much wider group; half my office leaves at 4pm!

(And that’s before all the non-commuting patterns where there is far more obvious value — either justifying it on its own, or helping to justify a weaker ‘commuting’ case).
Was certainly useful for me before for long days at work, used to touch in ~0632 (TfL provide a little leeway) and return after the evening peak
 

73128

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You've missed;
-discounted 1st class travel
-in the old SWT area, the ability to continue to use free weekend tickets
the free SWT tickets went when SWR arrived (around the same time as the GWR season ticket travel benefits so i think DfT inspired) and the validity of those already issued was a year.
 

[.n]

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the free SWT tickets went when SWR arrived (around the same time as the GWR season ticket travel benefits so i think DfT inspired) and the validity of those already issued was a year.
If you look around the forum, there are a number of posts that actually point out the validity, isn't a year, its contingent on still having an SWT/SWR area Annual Gold Card - it was a big discussion topic around a year after SWR came into existence for precisely this reason.
 

maniacmartin

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One thing to note with Gold Record cards as you have to allow for the time for them to be printed and posted. My other half bought an annual Travelcard on Oyster online from TfL a few years ago around New Year, and it took about 2 weeks for the record card to arrive in the post. This was a bit annoying as there were a few journeys in early January which it would have been useful for
 

Ibl0010

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If you obtain it in paper form, online or from a station within the Gold Card area, the season ticket should be printed on Gold Card stock. That would then be your Gold Card. It would look something like this.

You would obtain a separate Gold Record Card if you obtain your season ticket in an electronic format (smartcard etc.).


£176 a year.


You should ask for that season, and check with the member of staff that they will be issuing it on Gold Card stock.


See this map. Note that not all operators within the area participate - CrossCountry don't accept Gold Card north of Banbury, and Avanti and LNER don't accept it at all.


The Network Railcard is a different kind of Railcard. It offers similar benefits to the Annual Gold Cards, but over a smaller area and with more restrictions. The only advantage is that it can be used on Avanti and LNER.

With your Gold Card, you can buy any one-year Railcard (except the 16-17 Saver or Veterans Railcard) for yourself or a friend/family member for £10. So in theory you could buy a Network Railcard for £10, but there would not be much point.


You need to have a registered Oyster card and go to an Underground station to get your discount applied. You will then receive 1/3 off Off-Peak PAYG fares and daily caps.


The main one is that, on ordinary tickets (singles/returns/Travelcards), you cannot use a Gold Card discounted ticket before 09:30 Mondays-Fridays (except Bank Holidays). You also do not receive any discount on Advance tickets.

On Oyster, you will only receive a discount on Off-Peak PAYG fares and daily caps. There is no discount on Anytime fares, except that in the Oyster evening peak - 16:00-19:00 - anything you are charged will count towards your Off-Peak cap.
1. I thought the season ticket and gold card are printed onnthe same paper. I went to marylebone station few day ago and was gonna get the Hatton and Lapworth season ticket to get the gold card but the guy told me that the season ticket and the gold card are issue on two separate paper. Is this true?

2. @ watershed, i get that i can't use gold card to get discount on single, returns and transfer tickets before 09.30 but does the 4pm to 7pm peak time restrictions apply to gold card as well.

3. I plan to link the gild card to an oyster card and if i touch it at 05.30am and touch out at 06.20 am, will the gold card discount be applied as off peak and likewise, if i touch in 3.30pm and touch out at 4.20pm, will the gold card discount be applied as off peak or do i have to wait untill 9.30 am or 7pm to use gold card to get oyster off peak discount.
 

Watershed

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1. I thought the season ticket and gold card are printed onnthe same paper. I went to marylebone station few day ago and was gonna get the Hatton and Lapworth season ticket to get the gold card but the guy told me that the season ticket and the gold card are issue on two separate paper. Is this true?
If you get a paper ticket, yes then the ticket stock would be your Gold Card. But as long as they issue you a season ticket on Gold Card stock, or give you a Gold Record Card, it doesn't really matter which you get.

2. @ watershed, i get that i can't use gold card to get discount on single, returns and transfer tickets before 09.30 but does the 4pm to 7pm peak time restrictions apply to gold card as well.
The Gold Card can be used to discount single/return/Travelcard tickets from 09:30 onwards, including during the evening peak. For some journeys, Off-Peak tickets are not valid during the evening peak - but you will still get the Gold Card discount on an Anytime ticket where this applies.

On Oyster, the Gold Card discount will only give you a discount on Off-Peak fares and daily caps. For most journeys (there are exceptions), Off-Peak fares are charged before 06:30, between 09:30-16:00, and from 19:00. In terms of daily caps, everything you are charged from 09:30 onwards will count towards your daily Off-Peak cap - regardless of whether it's a Peak or Off-Peak fare.

It's difficult to generalise with Oyster - as it all depends on the journey you make. For example, if you travel from somewhere outside Zone 1 (say East Croydon) into Zone 1 (say Victoria), there isn't an evening peak. Therefore you would be charged Off-Peak fares at all times except 06:30-09:30. During the evening peak you would get your full Gold Card discount - you would be charged £3.45.

However, if you did the same journey in the opposite direction at 5pm (Victoria to East Croydon) the Peak fare would apply, and you wouldn't receive a Gold Card discount at all - you would be charged £7.30.

It's probably easiest to look up what you'll be charged on the brilliant LT Fares website. It explains it all quite clearly IMO.

3. I plan to link the gild card to an oyster card and if i touch it at 05.30am and touch out at 06.20 am, will the gold card discount be applied as off peak and likewise, if i touch in 3.30pm and touch out at 4.20pm, will the gold card discount be applied as off peak or do i have to wait untill 9.30 am or 7pm to use gold card to get oyster off peak discount.
The time of touching in is what determines what you'll be charged.

So as long as you touch in by 06:30, you will be charged Off-Peak fares and will therefore receive a Gold Card discount, even if you only touch out at 08:00.

Again, if you touch in at 15:30, this is Off-Peak for all journeys and so even if you only touch out at 17:00, you will be charged Off-Peak fares and will therefore receive a Gold Card discount.
 

Haywain

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So as long as you touch in by 06:30, you will be charged Off-Peak fares and will therefore receive a Gold Card discount, even if you only touch out at 08:00.
Would the same apply to Oyster with a Senior Railcard discount?
 

Watershed

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Would the same apply to Oyster with a Senior Railcard discount?
It applies equally to all Railcards and Gold Cards. The only exception is the Disabled Railcard, which additionally receives a discount on peak fares.
 

Ibl0010

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It applies equally to all Railcards and Gold Cards. The only exception is the Disabled Railcard, which additionally receives a discount on peak fares.
There is a big price difference between network rail card and gold card, so is the gold card really worth it over network railcard.

If you get a paper ticket, yes then the ticket stock would be your Gold Card. But as long as they issue you a season ticket on Gold Card stock, or give you a Gold Record Card, it doesn't really matter which you get.


The Gold Card can be used to discount single/return/Travelcard tickets from 09:30 onwards, including during the evening peak. For some journeys, Off-Peak tickets are not valid during the evening peak - but you will still get the Gold Card discount on an Anytime ticket where this applies.

On Oyster, the Gold Card discount will only give you a discount on Off-Peak fares and daily caps. For most journeys (there are exceptions), Off-Peak fares are charged before 06:30, between 09:30-16:00, and from 19:00. In terms of daily caps, everything you are charged from 09:30 onwards will count towards your daily Off-Peak cap - regardless of whether it's a Peak or Off-Peak fare.

It's difficult to generalise with Oyster - as it all depends on the journey you make. For example, if you travel from somewhere outside Zone 1 (say East Croydon) into Zone 1 (say Victoria), there isn't an evening peak. Therefore you would be charged Off-Peak fares at all times except 06:30-09:30. During the evening peak you would get your full Gold Card discount - you would be charged £3.45.

However, if you did the same journey in the opposite direction at 5pm (Victoria to East Croydon) the Peak fare would apply, and you wouldn't receive a Gold Card discount at all - you would be charged £7.30.

It's probably easiest to look up what you'll be charged on the brilliant LT Fares website. It explains it all quite clearly IMO.


The time of touching in is what determines what you'll be charged.

So as long as you touch in by 06:30, you will be charged Off-Peak fares and will therefore receive a Gold Card discount, even if you only touch out at 08:00.

Again, if you touch in at 15:30, this is Off-Peak for all journeys and so even if you only touch out at 17:00, you will be charged Off-Peak fares and will therefore receive a Gold Card discount.
Thanks again for the detailed explanation of my questions. Just few more questions if you don't mind:
1. In terms of gold card network area, does this operators (chiltern, c2c, tfl, london overground, dlr, and Thameslink) fall within the gold card network area.

2. Including the gold card holder, how many additional people can i buy network rail card for and can this be done at any time during the validity period of the gold card.

3. Would i still be able to get the Lapworth / Hatton season ticket even though my address is in london or is address not provided when buying the gold card
 
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THC

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Thanks again for the detailed explanation of my questions. Just few more questions if you don't mind:
1. In terms of gold card network area, does this operators (chiltern, c2c, tfl, london overground, dlr, and Thameslink) fall within the gold card network area.

2. Including the gold card holder, how many additional people can i buy network rail card for and can this be done at any time during the validity period of the gold card.

3. Would i still be able to get the Lapworth / Hatton season ticket even though my address is in london or is address not provided when buying the gold card

1. Yes
2. One. Yes.
3. Yes. I have a Lapworth-Hatton ST precisely for the Gold Card, and I live in Essex.

THC
 

paul1609

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There is a big price difference between network rail card and gold card, so is the gold card really worth it over network railcard.
It's an incredibly complex calculation depending on where you live and what journeys you make ( in terms of both frequency and location) and if you can make use of the reduced price railcard. I've had a notional gold card for 3 years in the past but only made a saving for 1 of those years. For the majority of people I'd suggest it's at the best marginal.
For me the introduction of the Veterans Railcard means it's a game I no longer have to play.
 

Watershed

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There is a big price difference between network rail card and gold card, so is the gold card really worth it over network railcard.
The Network Railcard can't be added to an Oyster card and its minimum fare of £13 on weekdays makes it much less valuable for shorter journeys. Also, unlike a Gold Card, it doesn't offer a discount on First Class fares or for other people travelling with you.

Which one is worthwhile will depend on exactly what journeys you'll be doing. But in essence, if you want a discount on Oyster fares, or you'll mostly be making shorter journeys on weekdays (where the discounted fare is less than £13), the Gold Card will be a better bet.

If you're not too fussed about the Oyster discount and mainly make longer distance journeys (where the discounted fare is more than £13), or or mostly travel on weekends/BHs, the Network Railcard will do the job just fine.

There is no requirement to live near Hatton or Lapworth to get a Gold Card season between the two - lots of people buy it (despite never making the actual journey it covers) purely for the Gold Card discount.

Each year's Gold Card lets you buy one Railcard for the discounted price of £10; that can be any Railcard except a 16-17 Saver or a Veterans Railcard. It can be for you or for someone else. You can do this at any stage during the year.

The Gold Card is valid throughout the network of all of the operators you've mentioned (though note that for the DLR, there is no discount on paper tickets, only on Oyster fares). The Network Railcard wouldn't be valid north of Banbury.
 

paul1609

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The significance of the £13 minimum fare has deminished over time as it has been overtaken by time as fares have increased. Taking the maximum benefit of the goldcard you have to make a minimum of 32 journeys to recover the £137 price difference on min avoidance alone. Theres also now loads of advance flows significantly below the £13.
 

Kite159

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The significance of the £13 minimum fare has deminished over time as it has been overtaken by time as fares have increased. Taking the maximum benefit of the goldcard you have to make a minimum of 32 journeys to recover the £137 price difference on min avoidance alone. Theres also now loads of advance flows significantly below the £13.
Although that only helps on those journeys which are planned in advance which have those cheap advance fares available at the times you want to travel.
 

paul1609

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Although that only helps on those journeys which are planned in advance which have those cheap advance fares available at the times you want to travel.
If you live in Kent, Sussex or the Southampton to Portsmouth line currently nearly every train that arrives in London after 10 am has advances available at the booking deadline (day before). Typically it will be morning highest tier £12, afternoon £8.50, evening lowest tier £5. I don't generally book weeks in advance but I do generally know Im going to make a trip the day before. South of London advances would currently wipe out any chance of making a profit on a spurious gold card for me.
 
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