Great Western Coffee Shop

We are travelling up to Bristol on Wednesday from MDN (and breaking our journey at Bath on the way back, the same day).

This link (I hope) shews the page we were given.

http://tickets.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/gw/en/JourneyPlanning/MixingDeck

What I don't understand is why we were given two return fares to 'choose' from ( !!!! ) one ^21 10 for two seniors and one (among others) ^32.

In fact for ^30.50 we could have tickets that were not restricted same day, so I don't grasp this at all. 

Any insight please, welcomed.  Sorry if my info is guff.  I assume, there being no ticket machine at MDN, we can purchase from the guard?

The ^32 fare is one without Railcard discount. It's shown because with some Railcards there are minimum fares or time restrictions that would make buying the undiscounted fare cheaper for certain services.

Brilliant SS.  Why didn't they say then?   >:(

I hope the guard can issue day return tickets, I expect he can with this amazing Avantix thing.  Will he take my Master Card?

If you hover over the boxes at the top, one will say "with railcard" and the other won't.

Yes and yes.  Guards are equipped with portable chip and pin machines which connect wirelessly to their Avantix.

Yes and yes.  Guards are equipped with portable chip and pin machines which connect wirelessly to their Avantix.
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You need to make sure the card supports Offline Transactions however, as the Avantix machines doesn't process the payment in 'real time' but download the transaction data at the end of the shift.

However as you said MasterCard I am wondering if you have a MasterCard Credit Card? In which case that will almost certainly support offline transactions. It's certain types of Visa Debit Cards which appear to cause the problem. Particularly those issued with Basic Bank Accounts.

You can tell the difference normally by whether the card has raised numbers on it vs. printed numbers. The former being Offline Supported and the latter Online Only!

Nearly every Basic Bank Account now issue what looks like a standard Debit Card with raised numbers. Only Halifax Easycash issue a VISA Electron with printed numbers. Many of the cards now issued with a Basic Bank Account also no longer have printed on them, 'Electronic Use Only'.

Prepaid Credit Cards (those that you load with funds) will also not work offline. MasterCard branded ones typically have raised numbers, VISA branded ones are typically printed. Although the opposite may be true with some issuers. Both are more likely to have printed on them 'Electronic Use Only'.

So, if you only have one of these cards that used to be known as 'Electron' cards, and insufficient cash, are you permitted to pay at the other end?

It is hardly the fault of the cardholder that the TOC doesn't use terminals that can 'phone home' to check your balance....

Thanks everyone, most kind.  I've got loads of cards, all with raised surfaces, so one should work.  I have travelled on the Weymouth Bristol train before, but simply could not remember what I did (once a year normally).  The train was like a bus in its standard of accommodation but a very cheap and cheerful experience with friendly staff.  I wonder if we will get anything swankier tomorrow?

You will gather from previous correspondence that AXM is my home station.  I did look up services from there to Bristol (you can go via Salisbury as well as Exeter, if just to Bath) but that costs two and a half times as much.  So then one works out what the petrol costs to MDN.  Of course if one was car-less, one would travel from Dorchester, as the coastal 31 bus, laid on by John Prescott (blessed be his name) is available.

In a rural environment, one is faced with multiple choices, none of which are particularly handy.  In the old days we would have just got on the train at Bridport.   >:(  ::)

Now that was a truly magnificent trip, especially when you could see out of the front window of the diesel train on the return descent to Bridport.  Ah well!   

I've been in similar situation before about 2 - 3 years ago. RPI at Bath Spa tried to sell me a ticket on an Avantix at the end of the journey and my card at the time was a VISA Debit "Electronic Use Only" card. However this was not printed on the card. It almost instantly declined.

Then the argument ensued as to why I was fare-dodging and that I was being unfair to FGW, showing the guy my bank balance on my iPhone (Which really shouldn't have been necessary, I may be many things, a fare dodger isn't one of them!) having been paid the very same day shut him up very, very quickly indeed. He then went on to say that I shouldn't be using an online only card. To which my reply was a slightly cheeky: "Well if you can wave a magic wand and give me a better credit rating, then maybe the bank would give me an offline use card"

Since then I no longer use that erroneous bank... Normally now always pay with a MasterCard Credit Card which has yet to fail me... ;)

Mastercard credit card did not fail us today either on the 0918 ex MDN.

I was annoyed that he came along while I was in the loo and thus missed seeing how it all worked, what with the senior cards, etc.

Why didn't Mrs SWR take due note?  Pigs seen flying over Yeovil would occur first.