Gold Card, & partners card

[theageofthetra]

My mate has moved to Teddington (z6) & will shortly be getting a z1-6 annual Gold card. Could someone clarify how he goes about getting a partners card (if these still exist ) & does the £5 first class within the NSE area apply to him and the person travelling with him with the partner card. I also can't remember if anyone travelling with him can use the partners card or if it has to be a named person. Thanks for any help.

 

[yorkie]

The partners card has to be allocated to be a named person.

Fill out a normal Network Railcard form and bring that, along with the Gold Card, to a staffed station.

A photocard is not required.

 

[Prairie_5542]

^^ It costs £1 for a Network partner card.

 

[island]

The £5 first class supplement only applies to the Gold Card holder, not the partner, and while it still exists, my experience is that very few clerks know how to issue it and several, primarily employed by South West Trains, have claimed it doesn't exist.

Your friend should consider purchasing the Travelcard from London Marylebone, as doing so will entitle him to free weekend travel on Chiltern Railways. He will also have the option to have it loaded onto an Oyster card, obviating the need to have a paper Gold Card replaced every few months.

 

[theageofthetra]

Ok can see the confusion here. The partner card is just a £1 Network card which can be used if not travelling with the GC holder. What I am looking for info on is when you do travel with them. For example if I travel on a weekday after 10 with him do I get a 1/3rd off but without the £13 min NC restriction p? In another example if we both travel Waterloo -East Cowes we should get 1/3 off the whole trip incl Wight Link leg, but if he chooses to pay £5 for 1st class can I do the same as I am travelling with the GC holder?. I have been through the GC t & c's & can't see these scenarios answered. Thanks again for any help.

 

[island]

OK. Ignore the partner card for now. If you purchase GOLDC discounted tickets for a journey (so after 1000 M-F, anytime on S/S) for yourself and up to three accompanying adults, you can obtain the first class supplement for you and those adults. Note that the £5 is a day return price so applies to both leg if returning same day.

However, this is unlikely to be available at London Waterloo, per my above note on SWT clerks.

 

[Haywain]

However, this is unlikely to be available at London Waterloo, per my above note on SWT clerks.

If SWT clerks at Waterloo don't know about it, or refuse to sell it, that doesn't mean it's not available. It should be available for sale at all (staffed) stations in the Network Card area, and if SWT don't know how to sell it they damn well should do. If not, complain to SWT.

 

[theageofthetra]

I will get him to buy the GC at Marylebone as suggested. I can see a potential rugby trip where the Chiltern offer will be useful. Thanks for the help but can anyone answer the question as to whether the £13 min fare rule applies if you travel Mon -Fri after 10 with him and get 1/3 rd off .

 

[Be3G]

Note that the £5 is a day return price so applies to both leg if returning same day.

A small correction for the sake of the OP: the £5 covers all travel in a day, not specifically one day return trip.

Thanks for the help but can anyone answer the question as to whether the £13 min fare rule applies if you travel Mon -Fri after 10 with him and get 1/3 rd off .

Your friend's gold card discount (⅓ off with no minimum fare) is applicable for three other adults travelling with him (e.g. you!) too. Similarly, his ability to purchase the £5 first class supplement is also valid for three other adults.

 

[island]

I will get him to buy the GC at Marylebone as suggested. I can see a potential rugby trip where the Chiltern offer will be useful. Thanks for the help but can anyone answer the question as to whether the £13 min fare rule applies if you travel Mon -Fri after 10 with him and get 1/3 rd off .

The £13 minimum fare is when using the Network Partner card. There is no minimum fare for the holder of the Gold Card or up to three people travelling with him.

 

[causton]

If SWT clerks at Waterloo don't know about it, or refuse to sell it, that doesn't mean it's not available. It should be available for sale at all (staffed) stations in the Network Card area, and if SWT don't know how to sell it they damn well should do. If not, complain to SWT.

I've already complained to SWT about their rubbish training of ticket clerks... no response after 10 working days. Will get back to them tomorrow morning!

 

[TonyR]

I've already complained to SWT about their rubbish training of ticket clerks... no response after 10 working days. Will get back to them tomorrow morning!

Don't hold your breath. I've been complaint to FCC about it for five years and staff still don't know how to issue one.

 

[TonyR]

If SWT clerks at Waterloo don't know about it, or refuse to sell it, that doesn't mean it's not available. It should be available for sale at all (staffed) stations in the Network Card area, and if SWT don't know how to sell it they damn well should do. If not, complain to SWT.

The approach I've been taking is its not reasonably available at the station and therefore I am entitled to board and then buy one at the earliest opportunity. On the train I am willing to pay but its not available at all so they can't take my money. And at the destination it is no more available than at the start. But since I am entitled to travel 1st, its their problem not mine that they have no way of accepting my payment and provide no opportunity to buy one. That is on FCC. I used them all the time on SWT without problems for many years.

 

[jon0844]

Don't hold your breath. I've been complaint to FCC about it for five years and staff still don't know how to issue one.

I've managed to get FCC to sell me them, more than once. Also, Southern also sold me one and our journey home to London was part Southern and part SWT. However, every time there was certainly a bit of work to convince them of what it was!

The only thing to remember if getting one in the week is that the Gold Card owner can't travel in first class when using just the standard season - it does require the purchase of a new ticket, even if it's covering the same stations you've already paid for.

Of course, you could step out of first for those if you just get an extension and a FC supplement. No such problem on weekends, or anyone else who has bought a discounted ticket with you.

The approach I've been taking is its not reasonably available at the station and therefore I am entitled to board and then buy one at the earliest opportunity. On the train I am willing to pay but its not available at all so they can't take my money. And at the destination it is no more available than at the start. But since I am entitled to travel 1st, its their problem not mine that they have no way of accepting my payment and provide no opportunity to buy one. That is on FCC. I used them all the time on SWT without problems for many years.

Brave man. I'm not sure what some RPIs would think of that, given FCC can sell them and you'd struggle to argue that they wouldn't if you hadn't actually tried because of earlier problems.

 

[TonyR]

Brave man. I'm not sure what some RPIs would think of that, given FCC can sell them and you'd struggle to argue that they wouldn't if you hadn't actually tried because of earlier problems.

I have had correspondence with them over five years about the inability of their staff to sell them and they have admitted it is a very complex process on their system that makes it difficult to do. I then put them on notice that I considered the ticket was not reasonably available,as required by the penalty fares regs and that I did not intend to try every ticket window in a station just in case someone might know how nor was I going to go repeatedly go through the typically ten minute process of a ticket clerk trying and failing while the queue behind me got impatient and I risked missing my train. But I was perfectly happy to pay my five pounds on the train should they be able to issue me a ticket in return. I see no reason why I should be denied a benefit just because they are incompetent at issuing the associated ticket.

When I meet RPIs on the train I explain that the ticket office is unable to issue it and that I'm happy to pay if they can issue one and am either met with an instant "I won't even try" or ones that spend 10 mins trying and failing before letting me off.

 

[wibble]

I've already complained to SWT about their rubbish training of ticket clerks... no response after 10 working days. Will get back to them tomorrow morning!

You should've received an acknowledgement to your complaint once they'd received it. (e.g. a letter if you wrote in or an automated email if you emailed in.) They're running around a month behind so if you've contacted them before mid-May you should've received a response by now.

 

[Top Cat]

All SWT 'Commercial Guards' should be aware of how to issue the 'Gold Card' supplement - the information is is 'The Commercial Guide' which is issued to each Commercial Guard and should be carried by them. Additionally, this topic is normally rebriefed at least every 12/18 months.
On an Avantix machine, the supplement is issued by choosing 'supplements' from the secondary menu - the supplement is then selected - 'NFA' for an adult (£5) or 'NFC' for a child (£2.50). Once the supplement has been selected, the process is to tap the 'edit' box, enter the number of passengers, then hit 'enter' which will then go to the payment screen or shopping basket as appropriate.

 

[TonyR]

"Supplements; NFA" is what I learnt to tell the guards on SWT (or at the ticket counter) having asked one ticket clerk who knew how to do it what the trick was. It does not work though with FCC - or at least it used to work but then they changed their software to bury it in an obscure corner of the desk machines and remove it from the mobile ones.

 

[34D]

I have had correspondence with them over five years about the inability of their staff to sell them and they have admitted it is a very complex process on their system that makes it difficult to do. I then put them on notice that I considered the ticket was not reasonably available,as required by the penalty fares regs and that I did not intend to try every ticket window in a station just in case someone might know how nor was I going to go repeatedly go through the typically ten minute process of a ticket clerk trying and failing while the queue behind me got impatient and I risked missing my train. But I was perfectly happy to pay my five pounds on the train should they be able to issue me a ticket in return. I see no reason why I should be denied a benefit just because they are incompetent at issuing the associated ticket.

When I meet RPIs on the train I explain that the ticket office is unable to issue it and that I'm happy to pay if they can issue one and am either met with an instant "I won't even try" or ones that spend 10 mins trying and failing before letting me off.

Do you sit in first class when you try this? I guess you must do?

 

[TonyR]

Do you sit in first class when you try this? I guess you must do?

Yes. My Gold Card entitles me to travel in First off peak. Its not my problem they can't accept the £5 and if I sat in Standard Class until I got permission I might as well not bother asking.