SWR Smartcard on GWR

[Lewlew]

I'm just about to buy an Annual Season ticket from Basingstoke to London Terminals (Any Permitted) for £4604. I have an SWR smartcard and would like to load it on that for automatic delay repay, easier to use the ticket barriers etc. However, I will also be frequently travelling to Reading and Paddington.

Is the ticket valid on the smartcard? Because as stated on the SWR website, when I applied for the card I had to be travelling between stations on the map.

I'm sure it will be valid but am I going to encounter problems when travelling on GWR/XC and trying to exit at Reading and Paddington?

Thanks

 

[EastCoastway]

https://smartmap.nationalrail.co.uk

I would say yes...

 

[Lewlew]

Never seen that before. Thanks for posting it

 

[hkstudent]

I'm just about to buy an Annual Season ticket from Basingstoke to London Terminals (Any Permitted) for £4604. I have an SWR smartcard and would like to load it on that for automatic delay repay, easier to use the ticket barriers etc. However, I will also be frequently travelling to Reading and Paddington.

Is the ticket valid on the smartcard? Because as stated on the SWR website, when I applied for the card I had to be travelling between stations on the map.

I'm sure it will be valid but am I going to encounter problems when travelling on GWR/XC and trying to exit at Reading and Paddington?

Thanks

Yes, it's valid to go via Reading as it is permitted route
Transferring the ticket (the content) from paper form to smart card form (medium) doesn't affect it's validity to TOC-specific one.

There shouldn't be an issue for crossing barriers at Reading as SWR says so on their smart card map. However, you may have to be manually let go at Paddington (and being amazed by staff that you are seemingly being sold a "wrong" form of ticket (not the content)

Similar post for reference: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/gtr-great-northern-key-card-not-valid-on-vtec.146077/ (GN ticket on VTEC / LNER)

Once again, this is the stupidity of DfT implementing TOC-specific smartcard rather than nationwide smartcard, despite they are using the same smart card standard. As long as the smart card runs in different back offices, instead of a uniformed clearing house, cross TOC smart card issue can't be solved.

 

[swt_passenger]

There shouldn't be an issue for crossing barriers at Reading as SWR says so on their smart card map. However, you may have to be manually let go at Paddington (and being amazed by staff that you are seemingly being sold a "wrong" form of ticket (not the content)...

There’s only one paid area at Reading so there should normally be no need to go near any barriers, unless breaking the journey...

 

[alistairlees]

Once again, this is the stupidity of DfT implementing TOC-specific smartcard rather than nationwide smartcard, despite they are using the same smart card standard. As long as the smart card runs in different back offices, instead of a uniformed clearing house, cross TOC smart card issue can't be solved.

Interoperability across TOCs is being sorted.

 

[hkstudent]

There’s only one paid area at Reading so there should normally be no need to go near any barriers, unless breaking the journey...

Yeah.
OP mentioned the intention of getting to Reading on some occasions.

 

[Lewlew]

Thanks for putting my mind at ease everyone

 

[Joe Paxton]

Interoperability across TOCs is being sorted.

Only a decade or so after it should have been...