Ticket collection didn’t ask for card

[alxndr]

Just collected a ticket purchased via the Rail Staff Travel site and collected at a ScotRail TVM. I was only asked for the reference number and not asked to insert a card at any point.

The booking confirmation advised that the reference and card would be required as usual.

Has something changed in the last couple of months since I last used the train? Or is this a glitch?

 

[lxfe_mxtterz]

Indeed it has changed. A briefing came through at my TOC a few weeks ago advising that TVMs would no longer require a card to collect tickets.

Although I wasn't aware it was a nationwide thing - I had assumed it was only at my TOC.

 

[OscarH]

Thank god for that. Been a very long time coming.

Everyone has to comply by next summer, but specific timelines could very by TOC and TVM supplier.

To clarify - they are being changed to ask for the reference first, then only ask for the card if the booking requires "same card collection", which many retailers don't these days. It isn't that it will never ask for the card, just it won't when it's completely unnecessary

 

[Mike395]

Hopefully GTR get the memo soon, they're one of the only TOCs now I think that dont even yet allow Contactless (and hence Apple/Google Pay) collection of tickets.

 

[alxndr]

Interesting thanks! Caught me completely off guard as I’d not heard of any changes. Certainly speeds up ticket collection.

 

[Haywain]

This is rather surprising because the RST confirmation email specifies that to collect the ticket you need the card used to make the booking, emphasised by the bit about what to do if the card has been changed:

To collect your tickets, you must have both the credit/debit card used to purchase the tickets and your ticket booking reference. If you do not have them, a new ticket at the full fare will have to be bought to travel. If your payment card has been replaced since you made your booking, please contact our Website Support team on 0330 1233 872before starting your journey.

However, it is possible for a TVM operator to override the same card collection setting themselves which might be what has happened here.

 

[Vexed]

I noticed this on an SWR TVM a couple of weeks ago, after using the same one about a month ago when it did require a card or contactless.

 

[HughT]

Greater Anglia machines at Cambridge changed recently. My wife was taken by surprise!

 

[alxndr]

This is rather surprising because the RST confirmation email specifies that to collect the ticket you need the card used to make the booking, emphasised by the bit about what to do if the card has been changed:

However, it is possible for a TVM operator to override the same card collection setting themselves which might be what has happened here.

The message when choosing the delivery method doesn’t specify it has to be the same card though, not that it says “a physical card” and not “the physical card”:

The payment card and booking reference will be required for collection.You need a physical payment card to collect your ticket

I have a feeling RST used to explicitly warn against using virtual cards as well as this is why I book on a traditional card (although I have tested using a virtual card on a low fare and it worked). I can’t find that message now though, so not sure if it’s changed or I just can’t find it.

 

[CyrusWuff]

I have a feeling RST used to explicitly warn against using virtual cards as well as this is why I book on a traditional card (although I have tested using a virtual card on a low fare and it worked). I can’t find that message now though, so not sure if it’s changed or I just can’t find it.

Worldline WebTIS (which is what the RST site is a white label version of, along with GWR, SWR and TPE) traditionally defaulted to Same Card collection, so all of them had the warning about not using a virtual card.

It would appear that's now changed, though whether that's for everyone or just "trusted" users (as with Trainline) I couldn't say.

 

[OscarH]

This is rather surprising because the RST confirmation email specifies that to collect the ticket you need the card used to make the booking, emphasised by the bit about what to do if the card has been changed:

However, it is possible for a TVM operator to override the same card collection setting themselves which might be what has happened here.

It wouldn't surprise me if some retailers are saying same card in the emails, but actually setting any card

 

[trainophile]

Just collected one from Lime Street, the machines near the information desk, same thing. Ticket bought on Trainsplit a couple of days ago.

Don’t lose your little bits of paper with your collection references on them!

 

[Haywain]

The message when choosing the delivery method doesn’t specify it has to be the same card though, not that it says “a physical card” and not “the physical card”:

That is selective reading. The piece you quote starts by saying "the payment card". The bit after that simply clarifies that a virtual card won't do it.

 

[alxndr]

That is selective reading. The piece you quote starts by saying "the payment card". The bit after that simply clarifies that a virtual card won't do it.

Apologies, you’re quite right. My eyes were drawn to the bold part and missed the nuance in the first sentence (the bold is how it is formatted on the site).

 

[davews]

Collected tickets for my Christmas trip to Melton Mowbray this afternoon at Martins Heron. It certainly insisted on reading my card.
I was a bit amazed that it dished out no fewer than 9 CCST tickets, including four for reservations on the sections for which there are no reservations. Surely that is a total waste of card.

 

[HughT]

Collected tickets for my Christmas trip to Melton Mowbray this afternoon at Martins Heron. It certainly insisted on reading my card.
I was a bit amazed that it dished out no fewer than 9 CCST tickets, including four for reservations on the sections for which there are no reservations. Surely that is a total waste of card.

All part of the plan to discourage you from using paper tickets - and then saying that nobody uses them... OK, just kidding (I think).

 

[davews]

All part of the plan to discourage you from using paper tickets - and then saying that nobody uses them... OK, just kidding (I think).

In this case a cross London journey hence the need for paper tickets....

 

[Hadders]

Hopefully GTR get the memo soon, they're one of the only TOCs now I think that dont even yet allow Contactless (and hence Apple/Google Pay) collection of tickets.

GTR are hopeless at maintaining their TVMs at Stevenage.

One of the TVMs hasn't been able to issue ToD for at least a year. It simply says 'transaction terminated' when you enter your card. This happens whatever card you use. There is of course no sign to indicate that ToD is unavailable from that machine.

Another two TVMs are now behaving in the same way. Despite me reporting it to several members of staff nothing gets done.

Perhaps someone at GTR might see this and do something about it...

 

[Southern Beau]

Using a Northern TVM today to pick up tickets booked on Avanti’s site and I was required to present card and enter ref number

 

[dvboy]

Used an Avanti machine at Birmingham NS on Thursday to pick up tickets purchased from LNER. Didn’t like me using a card other than the one I booked with which I no longer have, so had to get them printed off at the booking office.

 

[Chiltern006]

Southeastern have changed over now aswell. First noticed it in Scotland around a month ago and was pleasantly surprised

 

[williamn]

Seems like two divergent things happening at once - some machines not needing a card at all while some retailers insisting on you having the same card you booked with which recently caused me no end of anxiety with an expired card.

 

[Joe Paxton]

Seems like two divergent things happening at once - some machines not needing a card at all while some retailers insisting on you having the same card you booked with which recently caused me no end of anxiety with an expired card.

The expired card will work fine for collecting pre-purchased tickets, as you may have discovered. (Though it won't work if you've cut in in two, as is recommended by the banks!)

 

[Mike395]

Seems like two divergent things happening at once - some machines not needing a card at all while some retailers insisting on you having the same card you booked with which recently caused me no end of anxiety with an expired card.

The latter has always been the case for some retailers (others, like TrainSplit who powers the forum ticketing site, have gone the other way and set all bookings to any-card) and this won't change with the new system, it'll ask for the card after entering the reference if the one used when booking is required.

 

[williamn]

The expired card will work fine for collecting pre-purchased tickets, as you may have discovered. (Though it won't work if you've cut in in two, as is recommended by the banks!)

The card had been cut up for many weeks! Happily my local ticket office printed them without asking for the card. LNER helpfully told me to rebook (on the day, to Aberdeen from the Southcoast, sure to be a bargain).

 

[trainophile]

Just collected a ticket from Lime Street and all the machines at the top end near the ticket office were asking for the booking card again. Contactless didn’t work so back to the faff. Wonder why.

 

[Bungle965]

Just collected a ticket from Lime Street and all the machines at the top end near the ticket office were asking for the booking card again. Contactless didn’t work so back to the faff. Wonder why.

The Avanti ones will ask for the booking reference first and just spit the tickets out if set to any card.

 

[OscarH]

Just collected a ticket from Lime Street and all the machines at the top end near the ticket office were asking for the booking card again. Contactless didn’t work so back to the faff. Wonder why.

If it asked for the reference first then it's still almost certainly the new software, you're just using a bad retailer

 

[trainophile]

No it asked for the card as soon as I selected Collect Tickets.

 

[OscarH]

No it asked for the card as soon as I selected Collect Tickets.

Oh, very odd if they've been downgraded after already having the new software