RedDragon101
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Good Afternoon could you please offer me some advice with regards Purchasing a Gold Card - ( including links ) & the cheapest one to purchase.
Thank you
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Cheapest Gold Card
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The cheapest Annual Season that qualifies for a Gold Card at present is between Hatton and Lapworth in Warwickshire, at a price of £212.
You should be able to buy it at any Ticket Office in the Gold Card Area and you'll need to supply a passport photo if you don't already have a Season Ticket photocard. You can also get a Photocard sent to you by post through the LNER website.
You can also buy one online and either have it sent by post (Special Delivery) or loaded onto a Smartcard. If you choose the latter, you'll receive a Gold Record Card separately in the post. So if you wish to use the discount within about a week of buying the ticket it's best to buy at a Ticket Office.
I have a Hatton to Lapworth Gold Card, issued at my local station which is nowhere near Hatton or Lapworth! Personally, I would buy this at a station to make sure what you get is correct - eg. issued on Gold Card stock. In recent years, some staff have struggled to issue them - in some cases wanting to issue on smartcard (not a problem as such but if you're using it as a defacto railcard it means having to carry an extra smartcard around), in other cases issuing on non-Gold Card stock or even issuing incorrectly on Travelcard Gold stock!
We've seen a couple of reports that purchasing online through LNER can be problematic in that they haven't sent out Gold Record cards and come up with all sorts of nonsense excuses as to why not! IIRC they only got solved when forum members with appropaite contacts at LNER intervened!
We've seen a couple of reports that purchasing online through LNER can be problematic in that they haven't sent out Gold Record cards and come up with all sorts of nonsense excuses as to why not! IIRC they only got solved when forum members with appropaite contacts at LNER intervened!
Wallsendmag
Established Member
We have made some changes so that shouldnt happen any more, plus I now have the ability to reissue a Goldcard through our web support tool.
And, worth mentioning, these discounted seasons are not eligible for a Gold Card.
...but many will still end up with one anyway! I did for my first child season, for example.
Leisurefirst
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Hi,
Going to buy the Hatton to Lapworth Gold Card today.
Previously I was buying an IOW one with SWR to use my remaining SWT Weekend tickets but seeing as they've stopped taking them... (yes, I know it's been years but unfortunately COVID years plus multiple ill health in the household since...)
Is there any particular benefit to buying it from Chiltern before I go out of my way to Marylebone?
Thanks.
Going to buy the Hatton to Lapworth Gold Card today.
Previously I was buying an IOW one with SWR to use my remaining SWT Weekend tickets but seeing as they've stopped taking them... (yes, I know it's been years but unfortunately COVID years plus multiple ill health in the household since...)
Is there any particular benefit to buying it from Chiltern before I go out of my way to Marylebone?
Thanks.
Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
No.
If it was worth more than £150/month or £1500/year then it would be, as you would get free weekend travel on the whole Chiltern Railways network. But the Hatton to Lapworth doesn't get close to that figure.
Existing customers | Chiltern Railways
We hope the links below will help you get the most from your Season Ticket. Don't miss out on the many benefits, especially for holders of Monthly and longer tickets.1. Tickets and Photocards2. Special Benefits for Season Ticket holders3. Renewing your ticket4. Lost season Tickets5. Sick or Off...
Leisurefirst
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Thanks for the replies folks.
bubieyehyeh
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About 5 years ago I used to buy that season ticket from Marlebone, but haven't since covid.
I only used Marylebone after two different southern ticket offices refuse to sell it to me, one accusing me of trying to commit fraud!
I only used Marylebone after two different southern ticket offices refuse to sell it to me, one accusing me of trying to commit fraud!
Leisurefirst
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...how dare you...!
I've been looking at buying the Hatton to Lapworth ticket on my Southeastern Key card, approximately how long would it take for Southeastern to post the separate Gold record card.
Ideally I would like to buy the digital annual season ticket but apparently (from what I've read on two seperate train company websites) it's saved on the app as a barcode and that I might need to activate it before first use.
Ideally I would like to buy the digital annual season ticket but apparently (from what I've read on two seperate train company websites) it's saved on the app as a barcode and that I might need to activate it before first use.
Call me old fashioned but I’d just buy it from the ticket office at your local station. No need to faff around downloading apps, activating tickets or waiting for Gold Record Cards etc.
The only downside is it’s a physical ticket and photocard that has to be carried. If that’s an issue then just stick them in the back of your phone case.
In time digital season tickets might be the way forward, but I’m not sure we’re there yet.
Ticket Offices can quite happily issue seasons on Smartcards and the Gold Record Card at the same time.
I know GWR can issue Smartcards on demand at most of their Ticket Offices, and I believe LNER do as well (I'm sure @Wallsendmag will correct me if I'm wrong!)
I have had my Hatton to Lapworth Gold card issued on a smartcard but it meant I then had to carry:
Photocard
Smartcard holding the ticket
Gold Record Card
in addition to my Oyster card plus KeyGo card.
I agree that smartcards work well for season tickets but when a season ticket is a de facto railcard it’s less clear.
First world problem, to be fair…
Haywain
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You could have had the season loaded to your Key card.
I tried buying it through the Southern website, but it wouldn't allow loading onto my KeyGo card.
Haywain
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I as thinking in terms of buying at a station, although I don’t know why it wouldn’t allow it through the Southern website. KeyGo, incidentally, is a product on a Key card and doesn’t preclude loading other tickets.
Wallsendmag
Established Member
Buy it at Kings Cross and combine the Smartcard and photocard
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Yes and you can get one with your photo on at Kings Cross, Peterborough, Doncaster, York or Newcastle
Yes it does.
RyanOPlasty
Member
What are the benefits of a Gold card over an ordinary railcard that justify paying over £200 for a season ticket?
- Gold Card area covers all of East Anglia and WM Trains as far as Stafford
- Discount available from 09:30 on weekdays compared to 10:00 with a Network Railcard
- No minimum discounted fare
- Can be added to an Oyster card for discounted off peak travel in the Oyster PAYG area
- Discount available on 1st class tickets
- You can buy a railcard for a friend or family member for £10
Also Chiltern all the way to Stratford-upon-Avon and Stourbridge Junction, and WMR and TfW out to Shrewsbury via Wolverhampton and local WMR services around the West Midlands.
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