Annual Gold Card - who sets the area?

[capers123]

My wife commutes from Stroud to Swindon on an annual season ticket. This is outside the Annual Gold Card area, although bizarrely - for example - Evesham to Worcester (also a GWR route) would not be even though it is further from the 'South East'.

I asked GWR who to contact about it. They told me National Railcards, who told me to speak to GWR. As did Network Rail. GWR then said that they retailed the card but the Terms and Conditions are set by Rail Delivery Group.

Does anyone know who I should contact to argue the case for extending the area - after all we have plenty of people commuting from Stroud to London?

 

[Failed Unit]

From the historical point of view it was set generally by the Network south east area - which is why many of the issues exist. Don’t think much desire exists to remove them.

 

[higthomas]

Although of course it was recently extended some way beyond the traditional Network South East area as far as Shrewsbury. As to who to speak to I'd have thought the Rail delivery group, not that I think you'll get anywhere.

 

[OwlMan]

Anybody commuting to London from Stroud can have a gold card as long as they buy the season ticket within the Gold Card Area

National Rail Enquiries
When you buy an adult Annual Season ticket or Annual Travelcard at a station within the Annual Gold Card area and the origin and/or destination are also in the Annual Gold Card area, you are automatically issued with an Annual Gold Card or a Gold Record Card if your Season ticket is issued on smartcard or an Oyster card.

 

[A Challenge]

It must be a smart card as well:

National Rail Enquiries
When you buy an adult Annual Season ticket or Annual Travelcard at a station within the Annual Gold Card area and the origin and/or destination are also in the Annual Gold Card area, you are automatically issued with an Annual Gold Card or a Gold Record Card if your Season ticket is issued on smartcard or an Oyster card.

 

[Starmill]

No, that's only for a Gold Record Card.

 

[maniacmartin]

Ambiguous wording, but the intent is this:
If you buy a paper ticket, it doubles up as a Gold card. If you buy a smartcard/Oyster, it is issued with a paper Gold Record card instead.

 

[Haywain]

Although of course it was recently extended some way beyond the traditional Network South East area as far as Shrewsbury.

Essentially because London Midland wanted the area extended. In the same way Greater Anglia wanted to extend the area which is how most (all?) of East Anglia is now in the Gold Card area. I doubt there will be much success in getting Great Western to take the same approach.

 

[Starmill]

I believe the area was extended to include March - Ely earlier this year. For some reason it still does not include Huntingdon - Peterborough or March - Peterborough.

The Gold Card does area does not include LM services to Liverpool Lime Street or Hereford. Greater Anglia services to Peterborough are excluded.

 

[Hadders]

Although frustratingly VTEC and VTWC refuse to accept the Gold Card, even for Stevenage-Kings Cross and Milton Keynes-Euston which were both valid before the area was extended and are still allowed with a Network Railcard.

Makes no sense....

 

[thedbdiboy]

My wife commutes from Stroud to Swindon on an annual season ticket. This is outside the Annual Gold Card area, although bizarrely - for example - Evesham to Worcester (also a GWR route) would not be even though it is further from the 'South East'.

I asked GWR who to contact about it. They told me National Railcards, who told me to speak to GWR. As did Network Rail. GWR then said that they retailed the card but the Terms and Conditions are set by Rail Delivery Group.

Does anyone know who I should contact to argue the case for extending the area - after all we have plenty of people commuting from Stroud to London?

Sadly it's all too common for a TOC to refer issues of validity to RDG[ATOC]. All national products are governed by schemes managed by the TOCs themselves via RDG. If GWR wanted to extend the Gold Card area it could do so, via the scheme. It's understandable if it doesn't but it's very tiresome to have the representatives of the TOC palm queries off to RDG/Network Rail/etc instead of simply explaining what is effectively their own decision.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Worcester-Hereford also now seems like an anomalous omission, given that every train serving it has been valid for Gold Card discounts for the rest of its journey. (Apart from the occasional ex-Wessex service to Malvern, I guess.)