Day Travelcards from Brighton on ITSO

[johncrossley]

How can I buy a Day Travelcard from Brighton on ITSO from a smartphone app? You used to be able to get it from the EMR app but that no longer seems to work. The EMR app does still sell them from other stations. For example, from Woking.

 

[mattdickinson]

How can I buy a Day Travelcard from Brighton on ITSO from a smartphone app? You used to be able to get it from the EMR app but that no longer seems to work. The EMR app does still sell them from other stations. For example, from Woking.

GWR offers it on their app (if you have a GWR smartcard)

 

[johncrossley]

GWR offers it on their app (if you have a GWR smartcard)

OK thanks. Looks like I'll have to get yet one more smartcard.

Does anyone have any idea why the EMR app stopped working?

 

[trei2k]

GWR offers it on their app (if you have a GWR smartcard)

Does the GWR app not accept any ITSO card? (I thought that was the whole point - let's ignore the ScotRail situation).

 

[Edvid]

Does anyone have any idea why the EMR app stopped working?

For reasons best known to Govia Thameslink Railway (or pre-GTR Southern Railway, initially) they created ITSO-specific 'Smart' ticket types instead of making existing paper ticket types fulfillable to ITSO smartcards like other TOCs have done. In recent months GTR/TSGN have removed some Smart tickets and made paper fares ITSO-compatible in their place so my suspicion is that GWR have adapted to this change on the web/app retail side whereas EMR haven't.

Does the GWR app not accept any ITSO card? (I thought that was the whole point - let's ignore the ScotRail situation).

For ITSO ticket purchases by app or web the retailer must also be the card issuer. This is not limited to GWR.

 

[johncrossley]

I'm on the GWR app and it seems to allow me to add the ticket to my EMR smartcard, although I haven't actually gone through with the payment as I ended up getting the ticket at the machine.

 

[Edvid]

I'm on the GWR app and it seems to allow me to add the ticket to my EMR smartcard, although I haven't actually gone through with the payment as I ended up getting the ticket at the machine.

In my experience the booking process either requires entry of a smartcard number at some point (to check it's one of theirs) or an application for a new smartcard from the retailer in question. I don't think GWR is any different in that respect.

 

[Wallsendmag]

I'm on the GWR app and it seems to allow me to add the ticket to my EMR smartcard, although I haven't actually gone through with the payment as I ended up getting the ticket at the machine.

It shouldn't allow that.

 

[Jim]

Always catches me out when seeing a normal out and back ticket on a smartcard when gripping, see it so rarely!

 

[Edvid]

Tried it myself on the GWR app (I have a GTR Key Smartcard rather than the EMR equivalent).



As per the above screenshot I received the following error message upon tapping my smartcard - Your smartcard cannot be used with adult tickets, please choose a different delivery type

Was it different for you @johncrossley?

 

[redreni]

Always catches me out when seeing a normal out and back ticket on a smartcard when gripping, see it so rarely!

For outboundary day Travelcards the only available formats are generally CCST or ITSO (not sure if Oyster is an option for something like a Gatwick Airport outboundary Travelcard? It certainly wouldn't be an option for anywhere outside the Oyster area).

Paper Travelcards are becoming a right pain at the London end. Much better to have it on ITSO.

 

[johncrossley]

Tried it myself on the GWR app (I have a GTR Key Smartcard rather than the EMR equivalent).

View attachment 211883

As per the above screenshot I received the following error message upon tapping my smartcard - Your smartcard cannot be used with adult tickets, please choose a different delivery type

Was it different for you @johncrossley?

This is what I get with the EMR smartcard. With the GTR smartcard, I get the same error as you. I don't use the GTR smartcard for Travelcards as I have KeyGo on it, so I avoid potential confusion.

 

[OscarH]

For reasons best known to Govia Thameslink Railway (or pre-GTR Southern Railway, initially) they created ITSO-specific 'Smart' ticket types instead of making existing paper ticket types fulfillable to ITSO smartcards like other TOCs have done. In recent months GTR/TSGN have removed some Smart tickets and made paper fares ITSO-compatible in their place so my suspicion is that GWR have adapted to this change on the web/app retail side whereas EMR haven't.

If switching to the normal ticket types has broken it that's horrifying

 

[Edvid]

View attachment 211886

This is what I get with the EMR smartcard. With the GTR smartcard, I get the same error as you. I don't use the GTR smartcard for Travelcards as I have KeyGo on it, so I avoid potential confusion.

How odd. That's the first time I've seen another operator's smartcard not being rejected at that stage of the booking process on an app, possible issues with completing the sale notwithstanding.

It's also surprising to see ITSO fulfilment offered for a Super Off-Peak ticket (including Evening/Sunday Out on SWR etc) - it happens on occasion but the Cubic gates and validators are incapable of validating them. Or have they given you green lights for that category as well?!

 

[Wallsendmag]

GTR don't use the RDG HOPS so it could be refused at an earlier point than the EMR one

 

[Edvid]

Yet another layer of complexity... ain't that a surprise?

 

[johncrossley]

I have now tried the GWR app with my other three ITSO cards. I get the same error as @Edvid with my Scotrail and Chiltern smartcards. However, my Metrocard (Liverpool City Region) works!

 

[MikeWh]

(not sure if Oyster is an option for something like a Gatwick Airport outboundary Travelcard? It certainly wouldn't be an option for anywhere outside the Oyster area).

Outboundary period travelcards can be sold on Oyster for Watford Junction, Broxbourne to Hertford East inclusive and Shenfield. Watford Junction is also included on a zones 2-9 and 4-9 travelcard.

 

[MrJeeves]

How can I buy a Day Travelcard from Brighton on ITSO from a smartphone app?

Will you shoot me down if I simply suggest buying it from a ticket machine?

There's plenty of them at Brighton (until GTR start turning some off like they've done in some other places!), all with ITSO smartcard readers and I've never seen them all in use. You should be able to do it in under a minute if you've done it before.

If you're not starting in Brighton, I'm pretty sure the S&B TVMs for GTR allow you to buy a ticket from another location in the Smartcard flow, but I'm happy to be corrected.

 

[winks]

It's also surprising to see ITSO fulfilment offered for a Super Off-Peak ticket (including Evening/Sunday Out on SWR etc) - it happens on occasion but the Cubic gates and validators are incapable of validating them.

Are you sure about this ? Are you saying SWR offer evening out and super off-peak tickets on their touch smartcard. I’m pretty sure they don’t currently offer it

 

[Edvid]

Are you sure about this ? Are you saying SWR offer evening out and super off-peak tickets on their touch smartcard.

Yes, it was discussed in another thread last April.

SWR smartcard issues 19/04/2026

Hi. Posting this in the disputes section however as far as I'm aware we aren't being prosecuted, this is more of a question of what went wrong/what to do next time - do say if this is incorrect. Two of us were travelling from Farnborough Main to London today and each bought Sunday Out...

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