CCST stock being withdrawn doesn't mean that you will require a smartphone to travel by train.
It seems that my post has sparked off this about paper tickets actually being withdrawn. That wasn't what I meant, (or said as far as I can see). Changes may well come with the withdrawl of CCST (not sure what that stands for, 'Credit Card' something I suppose), but I was making a case for:
a) not forcing those who can't or won't have a smartphone to need one to travel
and
b) suggesting a cheaper paper ticket type that didn't have some of the negative aspects of CCST stock that have variously been mentioned in this thread, e.g.
cost (part down to the mag stripe)
durability (not dependent of protection from strong magnets)
less risk when being read (not ingested by gate readers)
faster to read (assuming that links to back-end processing improve - particularly relevant to 4G and 5G network roll-outs)
can be printed at home (i.e. exactly the same image that can be sent to an online buyer can be printed at home - or of course displayed on a portable device as some might want to)
c) also pointing out that such a ticket retains the benefits that CCST stock brings such as can fit in a credit card wallet, and with at least as much supplementary information space
The image of a Trainsplit ticket that I attached convinced me that such a ticket style could meet all of the above attributes.
Given the government's appetite for putting everything online and the TOC's wish to divest themselves of some of the inconveniences of paper documents, my point was that there may be some pressure put on those who don't/can't go that way.