Dispute with SWR (wanting to part pay with RTV, ended up paying nothing)

Northern advise you to phone them up if the method of payment was not listed in the options available. As for what happens when you do phone them up is unknown, might try it next time I am delayed by them.
Sam

 

And there is the answer - open one.

 

Not everyone who travels by rail in the UK has (or wants) a UK bank account.

 

All the people described above are able to open a UK bank account that accepts BACS payments. Foreign nationals who are not living in England excepted.

 

And for non UK residents it’d probably be cheaper to allow IBANs than maintain the charade of RTVs just for tourists.

 

I say abolish RTV’s. Anyone working or on benefits has a bank account. Anyone who hasn’t got a bank account can have a cheque, this can be cashed without a bank account at any branch of the issuing bank or some post offices.

 

I'm quite happy with RTVs and I think so are the TOCs - as it guarantees that the money flows back into the industry!

 

I suspect they are happy with them as many are never ‘cashed’

 

I suspect cheques will disappear before RTVs. In the original plans, this was the last year that they (cheques) would've been in general use.

 

In fact, EEA residents can now open a UK bank account as of last year.

 

The money had never left the industry in the first place though with an RTV.

Yup and if they dont want that they can open a OnePlus account too

 

That souls leaves a not-insignificant number of people who can't (or won't want to) open bank accounts.

 

Given that benefits are paid through bank accounts and Basic Bank Accounts and similar are widely available including to children, anyone choosing not to have a bank account is cutting themselves off from many aspects of society by choice.

 

Not if they are non-EEA citizens in the UK for an extended period (e.g. working on a six month contract in their company's UK office or a student on a short course). Why would they want to open a UK bank account?

 

If I was living in a foreign country for any significant length of time I'd open a bank account, subject to local laws or restrictions. It's a pain in the backside to try and pay by card on the continent as the amount of places that won't accept Visa or Mastercard is staggering to someone who has always lived in a country where card payments are widely accepted. I was on holiday in the Netherlands recently and established that places are more likely to accept Maestro(?) - I think it was - which I gather the local banks issue.

 

For a year, I probably would too. For three months, probably not - especially if my wages were still being paid into my native country bank account. Just withdraw cash at an ATM/Western Union/etc and use it to get a local pre-paid card.

 

For three months I'd just pay and withdraw cash as necessary using a credit/debit card.

But does working around this really need an expensive infrastructure of RTVs? Allowing a payment to an IBAN would deal with that in the once in a blue moon that such a person actually did claim.

 

They can usually pay any amount back onto any credit card, and many debit cards too. So you don't need a bank account, just a card with an international card issuer (e.g. Visa or Mastercard)

 

Are RTVs actually expensive given that they already exist?

 

One assumes there is a need for a clearing house to process them. Unless they're just done "on the side" by whoever does ORCATS.

 

Given the volume of RTVs in question I suspect that is more than likely the case.

 

But it’s still a cost.

 

I suspect it's so small a cost that it's lost in the noise.

 

Aren’t RTVs also used as the mechanism for other forms of travel warrant, so processing is still an issue while they exist?

 

Well, one month on from the email, the BACS payment still hasn't appeared in my account. Meanwhile I have received advice that a cheque is on its way for the second claim (despite requesting RTVs !).