Tickets and mobiles

[David Sinnett]

Don't know whether this has been said before but why is there no warning, when buying tickets, about having them next to your mobile and consequently losing their magnetism? All it needs is a sign next to the ticket window or machine. There must be several people from each busy train that suffer from this problem.

 

[GodAtum]

It is especially annoying when I have an all zones travelcard and have difficulty getting in/out at the tube stations.

 

[Mojo]

Can't say I've ever had this problem. The only ticket I managed to demagnetise was the one I put in my coat pocket, which has magnets in it.

 

[Helvellyn]

Mobile Phones, Pagers, Blackberries - those sort of devices can demagnetise a ticket. As can anything with a magnet on, including clasps of purses, mobile phone pouches, etc.

 

[SWT Driver]

Staff Barrier passes too.

Still waiting for a replacement 3 weeks after requesting a replacement one! :roll:

 

[EM2]

Conversely, you shouldn't keep your Oyster card near your credit/debit cards, 'cos it can bugger up the magnetic strip on them apparently.

 

[philjo]

Someone who travels each morning on the same train as me regularly found that his season ticket was no longer working in the barriers & had to get a replacement at least once a week (I think his record once was less than 30 minutes after the ticket was issued before it stopped working)
He tried to keep it away from his phone, wallet, etc - made no difference.

Turns out that it was his work security pass (one of the proximity passes) that was wiping the magnetic strip on his ticket.
Once the two were not kept in the same pocket, he had no problems.

 

[barrykas]

The usual "cause of death" for a paper ticket, IME, is keeping it in the same place as a Blackberry due to the magnet in the Blackberry's cover.

I keep my gate pass in the same wallet as my Oyster card, next to my mobile phone (a G1, aka HTC Dream, at present) and my record is 9 months before it's died, despite going through barriers several times a day.

Incidentally, the Rail Settlement Plan specification for paper tickets requires "normal" stock to survive 20 passes through the barriers, and "sandwich" constructed tickets (e.g. Annual Seasons) to survive 3000 passes in normal use.

Cheers,

Barry