Yes. Just as off peak trains before 1000 weren't valid before, which is why if I had to travel earlier I'd buy a single to the next stop, where the time of departure was then 1001.
I assume you could do that at Gatwick too.
It's difficult to say. I don't think it is unreasonable to be held back until 0930 if you are going for the 0935, a bit tight possibly but not unreasonable, especially if you don't have lots of luggage in tow.
On the other hand, if you were going for the 0932, ...
Then I read this post earlier in the day which conflicted what the staff at Euston said, so I decided to go onto twitter and ask the virgin staff there. Initially the twitter person told me it's valid, but then I pointed out that I cannot buy that ticket online, after a few message exchanges she said "Yes. the £10.15 fare does not show on our systems for the Virgin service and so therefore is not valid."
Sounds like a mess and I don't understand why they made that specific rule...
What happens if you're told it's okay before boarding then stung on the train?
It's a communications issue. "Gold Card discounted tickets not valid on Virgin Trains services" is a rule which isn't hard to understand in itself, but effectively communicating such information to relevant staff isn't a strong point for some Train Operating Companies. One would be hard pressed to find a guard who will challenge the use of All Line Rovers before 10am for example, despite the rule coming into effect a couple of years ago.
Yes, but a ticket valid for catching services from 09:30 onwards should surely let me through a couple of minutes before? I was only going for the 09:35 Gatwick Express so it wasn't too tight.
My guess is that it might still be in 10am mode, but I'll check next time I'm coming through, by trying my ticket at 09:28, 09:29 etc...
Not bad though, a day's Travelcard and travel there & back on Gatwick Express for £12. My spreadsheet for the year will tell me whether this Gold Card trick has paid off!!
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Yes, there may be occasions where I buy my Boundary Zone ticket without a discount so I can catch the 09:23 - but still buy the associated Travelcard with the discount.
But if one buys a ticket valid for all services, how can that not be valid for a service?
The railcard discount means that it is not valid for all services. A similar example is an Anytime single with a Two Together railcard discount- the discount means it is not valid before 0930, regardless of any other restrictions.
The situation at Milton Keynes is ridiculous though. If you hold a Gold Card season ticket from Milton Keynes to London you can travel on Virgin Trains, but if your partner comes with you on a discounted ticket they can't.
That's great. Had a good laugh over that. Perhaps they are paying you off not to ask awkward questions.I emailed Virgin asking them to clarify the rules on Gold Card discounts from MK and they just sent me a £20 voucher with no explanation. If I send them more emails, I'll maybe get enough vouchers to not have to worry about losing the discount.
But if one buys a ticket valid for all services, how can that not be valid for a service?
It is, until you use a discount that restricts the way the ticket can be used.
My Network Railcard expires in a couple of weeks and I'm thinking of investing in an annual season ticket to get a Gold Card. I'm aware of the restrictions on some TOCs - it's mainly the minimum weekday fare with the Network Card I want to overcome. The 9.30 start time compared to 10am will also be very useful plus my daughter will be 16 in July so the saving on her initial YP railcard will be a bonus.
Am I right in thinking that Lichfield Trent Valley to Lichfield City is now the cheapest at £144 ?
Are there any drawbacks that may not be immediately obvious in comparison with the Network Railcard ?
This (lack of Gold Card discount) is not a lot different to buying an 'any permitted' fare with Groupsave discount and then finding there's nothing on the ticket to inform you it cannot be used on XC ...
Between Bournemouth and Basingstoke the 'no Groupsave on XC' appears on the PIS displays, but that's all.
The terms of use of the discount should be known and understood before it is used. Thus it shouldn't have to appear on tickets.
I agree, just pointing out that there are other existing precedents for the suggested 'issue'...
It shouldn't be an issue - the rule that the Gold Card discount only applies to participating TOCs is simple to understand. Things do get complicated when people want to use the discount, then ask questions that essentially concern ways to circumvent that rule.
At my station, we have stocks and stocks of Annual Gold Card information foldouts. They contain a map of the AGC area and a list of participating TOCs. They fit into standard ticket wallets and are given out to everybody that has a Gold Card. I do think the publishers have missed a trick by not making it very clear that some TOCs in the area don't participate. Such an omission is likely to cause problems.
All that said, I don't think there is any conflict with Condition 10 here - the ticket bears an indication of a discount that is TOC restricted, so it complies - I haven't yet seen a compelling argument to suggest this is not the case.
What happens when people who bought Gold Cards before Virgin stopped accepting GC-discounted tickets (and may well have bought them in December) buy one? They will have read nothing about tickets not being valid on Virgin.
What happens when people who bought Gold Cards before Virgin stopped accepting GC-discounted tickets (and may well have bought them in December) buy one? They will have read nothing about tickets not being valid on Virgin.
Tickets sold with a Gold Card discount should have a restriction code that basically states the details in that foldout card in a very easy to view page.