Oyster Gold Card discount

[maniacmartin]

I note that Gold Card holders can load the discount onto Oyster, and also that Gold card holders can travel with three other adults, receiving the 34% discount.

Can I buy 4 Oyster cards, and load my Gold card discount onto each of them, then lend them to my friends when we are travelling together after 10am? Or is that expressly forbidden?

 

[yorkie]

Good question, that page states it is available on Oyster and states you can get discounts for up to 3 other adults. There is nothing to say that the discounts only apply on paper tickets, so if there is such a rule it's not immediately obvious.

 

[Be3G]

I cannot see that it would be valid, because an Oyster with a railcard discount is supposed to be accompanied by the railcard at all times. In my mind, if a friend is using one of your discounted Oysters, it would would not be accompanied by the railcard because the railcard would be in your possession, not his/hers.

In fact, the page linked to above states the following (my emphasis):

Oyster Off-Peak pay as you go single fares and Oyster Off-Peak Daily price caps on National Rail, London Underground and Docklands Light Railway services in Greater London. The Gold Card discount must be loaded on the Oyster card at London Underground ticket offices and is available to the Gold Card holder only.

 

[Clip]

I cannot see that it would be valid, because an Oyster with a railcard discount is supposed to be accompanied by the railcard at all times. In my mind, if a friend is using one of your discounted Oysters, it would would not be accompanied by the railcard because the railcard would be in your possession, not his/hers.


In fact, the page linked to above states the following (my emphasis):

Though its worth pointing out that the OP did state they would be with them and their Goldcard when they were using the Oysters.

Though from the section you quote I would agree that it can only be used for one Oyster as it would leave it so open to fraud it would be unbelieveable. In fact would the system even let you register it to more than one given the system will already have it noted that one Oyster is loaded with a gold card of the same number? I doubt it would issue.

 

[island]

The Oyster discount for a Gold Card is valid for the holder only. Accompanying passengers may use discounted paper tickets; however, if the accompanying passengers use zone 1-6 Travelcards, the Gold Card holder must also buy a discounted zone 1-6 Travelcard unless his Gold Card is already valid in zones 1-6.

The system is not nearly sophisticated enough to detect the same Gold Card being loaded to multiple Oyster cards in separate transactions, although it is against the rules to do this. The only thing stored on the card is at there is "a railcard discount expiring on [date]".

 

[LexyBoy]

I had exactly the same question recently, when I noticed that it was cheaper for Mrs LexyBoy to use her (undiscounted) PAYG Oyster than for me to buy a Gold Card discounted paper single. Given that Oyster is supposedly just a medium, and that Gold Cards can be used to buy discounted tickets for fellow passengers, it would seem reasonable to be allowed to do this.

Unfortunately the rules are clear as posted by Be3G, and in the TfL Conditions of Carriage and Oyster Conditions of Use on National Rail Services.

If you hold a Railcard and are travelling with other people who are eligible for a discount on any printed tickets bought in association with your Railcard, the entire group, including you, must buy and use printed tickets.

The effect is that for most journeys within London, there is no discount for Gold Card holders if travelling in a group, unless travel justifies using Travelcards. (I think the stipulation for all passengers to use paper tickets is a bit dodgy too, but I'm not sure whether anyone's been challenged for falling foul of this).

 

[yorkie]

Given that Oyster is supposedly just a medium, and that Gold Cards can be used to buy discounted tickets for fellow passengers, it would seem reasonable to be allowed to do this....

Oyster is just a medium but certain products are not available on that medium.

I am opposed any further rollouts of smartcard technology until we have assurances that they will not be to the detriment of passengers. Extending Oyster PAYG area is fine providing they do not remove any paper tickets.

I bet the TOCs didn't declare all the downsides when they sought permission from the DfT to withdraw off peak paper tickets in London, and the DfT agrees to far too many of the TOCs demands (though not all of them, much to the frustration of EMT in particular)

 

[Mojo]

The system is not nearly sophisticated enough to detect the same Gold Card being loaded to multiple Oyster cards in separate transactions, although it is against the rules to do this. The only thing stored on the card is at there is "a railcard discount expiring on [date]".

When the Railcard is being added at the ticket office, or on the machine by staff, the Railcard number is supposed to be entered by them, in the appropriate field.

 

[island]

What would one enter in the said field for a Gold Record Card?

 

[Be3G]

I recall the ticket office clerk at Wood Green Underground station was wondering exactly the same thing a couple of years ago when the facility to load a Gold Card discount on to Oyster had first been introduced and my mother was trying to get it done… I think he said the answer was that the expiry date went in the railcard number field. Or something like that. Sorry, memory fails me.

(As a side note, when we approached him to ask him to enable the discount, he had no idea it could be done – but unlike many of the stories I read on here about NR TOC staff thinking they know everything, he was very helpful, realised it was he who was in the dark, and found out how to get it sorted whilst we waited.)