So you'd basically end the benefit for most people who genuinely have it? A zones 1-9 annual travelcard season is
only £3368. Going off you a little
Allow me to expand a little more.
Essentially we have two types of benefits in play, one is that of a season ticket, and the other that of a discount card which ideally should be available to all and valid nationwide. They actually have quite different characteristics and serve different purposes.
For the season ticket element, it makes commercial sense for companies to reward their most valuable customers (in simplistic terms those spending the most amount) the most, hence my quick example of a graduated/tiered model. It was only for illustration purposes and does not mean that those spending the least amount get nothing, just comparatively less. There may however be specific reasons to target those not spending the most amount with certain special offers, but that then starts to get into more complex territory, and does not fundamentally change the underlying reward structure.
As for the nationwide discount card, we do have regional ones, just need the TOCs to work together on one that is valid over a wider region, although my understanding is that some TOCs are all for it while some others vehemently against. The concept is fairly simple and has been discussed in numerous threads, hence I didn't really bother mentioning it specifically.
These two elements can overlap but should not be combined imo. My current opinion is that the Gold Card in its existing format is trying to play both roles and not doing either job very well. Politics between different TOCs are also causing unnecessary complexity in its usage, and does nothing to help project a positive image of the industry.