Cant put fare on smartcard

[faringdon]

Hi,
Ticket machine not working at Camberley station.
So got laptop out and tried to buy an anytime day return to Reading and put it on my SWR smartcard.
However, it wouldnt let me do it unless i ticked against a particular time train on the return journey.
So i could only travel on specific trains, which is no good as i can be held back at work at short notice.
So is it not possible to buy an "anytime day return" and put it on one's smartcard?

 

[_toommm_]

When you buy tickets, most websites will ask you to select a specific train to make sure the fare you're selecting is valid for that train, and issue a seat reservation (if requested, and possible). By selecting a specific time, you're not tying yourself to that particular train (as long as you don't buy an 'advance' type ticket).

There are websites that will allow you to buy tickets without selecting specific trains i.e. brfares.com - although they don't do smartcard fulfilment AFAIK.

 

[themeone]

I was able to select an Anytime Return for this journey with Deliver to Smartcard on the app though I did have to go through the charade of selecting specific trains. Obviously with this ticket type you don't then have to travel on these trains.

With the website on my laptop, however, it was the same (i.e. had to select specific trains, which I wouldn't have to travel on) but Smartcard was not among the delivery options.

 

[signed]

Hi,
Ticket machine not working at Camberley station.
So got laptop out and tried to buy an anytime day return to Reading and put it on my SWR smartcard.
However, it wouldnt let me do it unless i ticked against a particular time train on the return journey.
So i could only travel on specific trains, which is no good as i can be held back at work at short notice.
So is it not possible to buy an "anytime day return" and put it on one's smartcard?

As @_toommm_ says, your anytime day return is valid on all trains that day, they only check the validity of it with the itinerary. Beware with minimum fares if you have such a railcard that you don't accidentally take a train that would be bound by the minimal fares with a discounted ticket under the minimal fare.

The issue with smartcard fulfilment is that you need to use the app (sometimes website but rarer) of the TOC that issued your card, no ways around it, you can't buy a ticket on GWR to load on SWR smartcard.

 

[themeone]

Just tried it again using the Southwestern website, and this time I did get Smartcard as a fulfilment option. The first time I did it I wasn't logged in, so I guess the system didn't know I had one. To get an Anytime Return I had to go to Other Fares, then I think still had to select trains, which is a bit daft.

 

[fandroid]

Sometimes, the options for fulfilment when buying online don't mention smartcards until you've gone through the first layer of options. I haven't pinned down the logic for certain yet but I think it mostly follows selection for e-tickets.

Although it wasn't an option for @faringdon, any TOC smartcard can be loaded at ticket machines

 

[themeone]

When booking on websites for Smartcard fulfilment, there's the additional issue of how the ticket will be delivered to the smartcard. The options seem to be load to smartcard via app (in which case you might as well have used the app for the whole process), or load at gateline. But with load at gateline some TOCs still seem to want a two hour window before the ticket will be available for loading.

Personally I prefer to have the ticket loaded prior to travelling, just in case there's a problem with it not loading at the gateline. As @fandroid says ticket machine is by far the easiest option - when working!

 

[faringdon]

Thanks, i must admit, i am not sure how one would know, that if one had selected certain go and return trains....and then not travelled on those actual trains....then how does one know that one won't face some sort of fine or charge?...or are you saying indeed , that one (with a laptop and not a sacred smartphone) needs to go through this "Train selection charade" in order to get to the "Promised land" of the "anytime day return"?

 

[signed]

then how does one know that one won't face some sort of fine or charge?

All retailers will show “can travel on any train”, “can travel on any train after 09:30”, or “only valid on booked train”… in clear text in the booking process

are you saying indeed , that one (with a laptop and not a sacred smartphone) needs to go through this "Train selection charade" in order to get to the "Promised land" of the "anytime day return"?

Laptop or phone, unless you use the few apps or retailers that allow you to save specific fares and put them in the basket without a itinerary or use the new BRFares.com booking engine, you will have to go through itinerary selection