Ticket-on-departure with a non-Chip & Pin card

[whole diary]

[inspector_blakey]

I think this is a simple question, hopefully there's a simple answer...

WebTIS sites will let me register with my overseas address and book rail tickets, which is great. Logically enough, too, the only delivery option available to me is Ticket-on-departure. However, banking in the USA hasn't made a lot of progress post-1776, and my credit card has neither chip nor pin, just the magnetic stripe.

Can FastTicket machines read a non-chip credit card? If not then will I be able to collect booked tickets from a ticket office window by providing the card and booking confirmation?

Thanks!

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

no they can't and not all ticket offices will issue the ticket

[inspector_blakey]

Any more detail on which ticket offices will or won't...? FWIW^▸ (for what it's worth) likely to be trying to collect at Reading.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

When you get to the window start with i need to collect this ticket from here because my card does not have a chip and that should prevent any problems (you will still need the booking ref) all main stations can issue the tickets but this is one of the few circumstances where it is freely issued (the guards can not issue the ticket as the machines they carry does not have a connection to the database) one of the reasons for only being able to collect from the self serve is to keep queues down in busy stations, so please make it clear what type of card you have

[Ollie]

Speaking for FGW^▸ (First Great Western), just the card is fine in ticket office (star machines) whether chip and pin or not. Collection ref isn't always required, but will help if several bookings exist on the card.

[inspector_blakey]

Thanks Ollie. I was able to use the card to purchase tickets from an FGW^▸ (First Great Western) station a few weeks ago with no trouble, although the machine didn't seem to like the mag stripe so the clerk had to key in the details, just like Ye Olden Dayes.

Hypothetically speaking, looking at the worst-case scenario, if the mag stripe on the card fails to read for some reason, will the staff still be able to release the tickets by keying in the card details manually if the booking reference is also to hand?

[johoare]

Just a thought.. would it be worth having a UK^▸ (United Kingdom) issued credit/debit card (with chip and pin obviously) for occasions such as this? You can still register it to your US address?

[Ollie]

Hypothetically speaking, looking at the worst-case scenario, if the mag stripe on the card fails to read for some reason, will the staff still be able to release the tickets by keying in the card details manually if the booking reference is also to hand?

Yep - certainly the case on Star, can't speak for any of the other issuing machines though.

[thetrout]

I wonder if it would be worth phoning FGW^▸ (First Great Western) and explaining the situation Inspector?

Only reason I suggest this is when I was 16 I booked a ticket over the phone for travel on FGW on my Mothers Credit Card, to travel to Castle Cary to meet my Dad, who was working away from home at the time. As it was an advanced ticket booked the day before travel, I needed to collect it at the station - Exeter St Davids as it happens. Now obviously my Mother wasn't going to give me the Credit Card to collect the tickets at Exeter, when she was living in Liskeard at the time! So we explained this to the chap on the phone, who basically said don't worry, just bring the booking reference number and some form of identification and you'll be fine. So this is what I did! When I actually got to the station, the tickets were already printed for me in an envolope which the cherry chap at EXD^» (Exeter St Davids - next trains) checked and confirmed I was who I said I was and gave me the tickets. I was then on my way.

Just as an aside, before anyone says it, Visa Electron Cards didn't work for tickets online when I was 16. That's a fairly new thing and even now, some TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)'s websites still reject them :-(

Ironically though, on a Virgin Train, you can use an Visa Electron in the Buffet Car as their card machines are GPRS^▸ (General Packet Radio Service) connected. But try and buy a ticket on the train and they don't accept it!

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

Ok I will explain the reason for having to explain in detail to the clerk why they need to issue ticket.... Most see online booking as a threat to their jobs, I personally will issue them as its good customer service but issuing without the code just bypasses the fraud prevention failsafe which is in place and I we should only issue from the counter if there is a problem with the self serve or that type of card or if they can confirm address and what the tickets are.... I don't have a problem with people buying online it just bugs me when I ask if a booking fee has been paid and it's a ticket they can buy more easily on the day... These sites really need to make it clearer to what ticket is being sold to them some don't even explain the rules on advance fairs

[Ollie]

These sites really need to make it clearer to what ticket is being sold to them some don't even explain the rules on advance fairs

Which site is this?

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

The same one that lets you get network card discount before 10am during the week when no easements are in place

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

The most frequent one is trying to go to London one day coming back another and being offered a one day travel card for that journey ......

[Ollie]

The same one that lets you get network card discount before 10am during the week when no easements are in place

Yes but which company, as personally I haven't seen this.

[inspector_blakey]

Hypothetically speaking, looking at the worst-case scenario, if the mag stripe on the card fails to read for some reason, will the staff still be able to release the tickets by keying in the card details manually if the booking reference is also to hand?

Yep - certainly the case on Star, can't speak for any of the other issuing machines though.

Thanks - will almost certainly be at an FGW^▸ (First Great Western) station using STAR so that's just what I needed to know!