Indeed that now seems to be the case, which makes sense. It was over 10 years ago when I was refused entry to the tube with a CIV London International ticket at Paddington. 

Don't think it includes transferring via London underground though.  Certainly I had to buy another ticket when Eurostar left from Waterloo.

Or alternatively exchange it for a Ryde Esplanade to Ryde St Johns Road gold card.  This is done on an entirely pro-rata basis.  This doesn't require you to pay the admin fee, will probably give you a bigger refund, allow you to continue to receive gold card benefits for a while longer and could be useful if you ever go to the Isle of Wight.

See http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/season_tickets/season_ticket_conditions.html under "Changeovers"

 

A slightly delayed followup.  There was some delay in processing the refund and it has only just reached my credit card.

Based on bignosemac's recommendation I thought I would see if I could exchange my season ticket for a  Ryde Esplanade to Ryde St Johns Road Annual Season.
Seems you can and it results in a much better refund as it is a simple prorata over the year.  The new gold card cost ^56.17 until the end of the year, but I got a refund of ^1,222.04 and there was no ^10 admin fee.

In fact I can think of very few occasions where you would be better off asking for a refund.

Thanks for all your advice.

Thanks very much for the additional detail.  Planning on returning it on Friday (17/08), which should produce just over ^600.  My concern was they might base the refund on this years monthly price without the performance discount - which would have reduced this quite a bit.

As the refund is not managed by the ticket office I was worried I may not get a opportunity to keep hold of it if the refund was minimal.  I may append these calculations when I return my ticket!

Hi,

I am intending to return my 12 month gold card season ticket soon (Cholsey - Paddington) and am trying to work out my likely refund.  It expires 31 Dec 2012.    When working out the cost up until mid-August will FGW^▸ (First Great Western) use the price when I purchased the ticket (eg last years prices) and will they all include the 5% performance discount I got when I purchased the annual?  This could make all the difference in whether it is worth getting the refund. 

Thanks

Season tickets from Cholsey to Paddington are the same price as from Reading and quite a bit cheaper than from Didcot (+parking). The direct HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) are the ones to aim for, particularly in the morning.  Most journeys involve a change at Reading with a Cholsey to Reading service every 30 minutes or so.

I renewed from a monthly to an annual a few years ago and I got the discount.  Seemed illogical at the time, but I didn't like to argue.

Spotted this today
http://lcc.org.uk/discussions/paddington-station-cycle-racking-slash-parking

Seems burger franchises and, until recently, large amounts of scaffolding is more appropriate for a grade 1 listed railway station than some innovative cycle racks!

Wokingham to Waterloo trains stop at Clapham Junction.  Depending where you are in Zone 2 you could jump on the overground?  Might even be cheaper without needing to go into zone 1?

I was on the 1730.  The taxi firms of Maidenhead had a good evening.  Curious to know if the promise "road replacement service" ever showed up - it hasn't by 1945 when I left.

Indeed I am slightly outraged by the prospect of having to pay ^274 a year (assuming it actually stays at 75p per day) to park my bike at Paddington.  I can see myself more rather than less likely to lug a folding bicycle onto crowded FGW^▸ (First Great Western) trains if no dingy free bicycle parking remains at Paddington.

As a regular commuter from Paddington I nearly always end up chancing it in a reserved seat in the evening and have never been asked to move by the seats rightful owner.

To be honest even if someone has a reserved seat on a particular service they are likely to arrive for the train with plenty of time to avoid missing it, and therefore have a choice of seats (reserved or not).   I often wonder if some people sit in the seat next to their reserved seat in the hope of getting a adjacent vacant seat for their journey.......

Returning to the original question, given that I believe that

1) Season tickets prices to Paddington from Reading are the same as from all intermediate stations to Didcot (eg Tilehurst etc)
2) These intermediate stations still qualify for a 8% discount
3) Season tickets allow you to alight at any intermediate station on your journey

Then you could change your season ticket to Tilehurst -> Paddington, still board at Reading and getting a 8% discount on your ticket price?