I was in a rush to get to my train. I didn't have time to buy a ticket from the ticket office so I tried to pay by debit card when on the train. The ticket man told me it had been declined i dont know why becuase i had more than enough money to pay the £3 fair and I had no other way of paying, he said i will get a letter through the post. He didn't say where from and didn't take any details. What will happen now? I was traveling from Halifax to Brighouse station.
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Debit card declined
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Flamingo
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For the simple explanation; The on-board chip and pin machines go by the information contained within the chip. If the bank have set the information in the chip that they want a "telephone" authorisation of your card at every (or the next) use, then, as the on-board chip and pin machines can't do this, it will come up as declined as there is no telephone authorisation. You may have several million in your bank account, but the card has no way of telling this.
To prevent it happening again, you need a card that is authorised for "off-line" transactions.
If you had paid at the booking office, then it would have been accepted. Unfortunately, although there are several excuses that can be accepted for being on-board a train without a ticket, walking past an open booking office because you were late is not one of them. You had committed a bylaw offence by doing that. Being unable to pay (for whatever reason) has now compounded that mistake, as it sounds like the guard was prepared to overlook the initial offence, but you placed them in the position that they had to report it further.
Wait for correspondence from the TOC, but you may be looking at a large financial penalty to either keep it out of court, or pay a court fine. I'm presuming he took your name and address?
To prevent it happening again, you need a card that is authorised for "off-line" transactions.
If you had paid at the booking office, then it would have been accepted. Unfortunately, although there are several excuses that can be accepted for being on-board a train without a ticket, walking past an open booking office because you were late is not one of them. You had committed a bylaw offence by doing that. Being unable to pay (for whatever reason) has now compounded that mistake, as it sounds like the guard was prepared to overlook the initial offence, but you placed them in the position that they had to report it further.
Wait for correspondence from the TOC, but you may be looking at a large financial penalty to either keep it out of court, or pay a court fine. I'm presuming he took your name and address?
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First off, the bad news. By passing a ticket office and boarding the train without a ticket, you committed an offence. The only exception would be if there was a sign or an authorised person telling you that you could do so.
You probably have an 'online only' debit card which can only be used for transactions where there is a data connection to get the authorisation code in real-time.
If he didn't take any details, then I would say it's unlikely they will take it any further.
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If you do get one, and you did have the funds in the account, complain to the bank. Usually if you keep your complaint under what they'd be charged by the FCA to acknowledge a complaint you'll have a very easy time with the high level complaints teams....
The OP will have an online only card, they need one authorised for offline transactions. The easiest way to ask for this is probably to ask for a Contactless card, as to my knowledge these must be authorised for offline transactions.
The Financial Ombudsman Service you mean
I'm not sure that's entirely true for a case like this - I think its far from certain the FOS would rule in the customers favour - and whilst the fee is payable regardless of the outcome that's not a reason to settle a case if the bank thinks its in the right.
Flamingo
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Of course! I've edited my post accordingly.
Failed Unit
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The OP will have an online only card, they need one authorised for offline transactions. The easiest way to ask for this is probably to ask for a Contactless card, as to my knowledge these must be authorised for offline transactions.
The Financial Ombudsman Service you mean
I'm not sure that's entirely true for a case like this - I think its far from certain the FOS would rule in the customers favour - and whilst the fee is payable regardless of the outcome that's not a reason to settle a case if the bank thinks its in the right.
Not sure how many TOCs have contactless card readers?
It's irrelevant isn't it, the contactless card still can function as a normal card?
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Failed Unit
Established Member
May be mis-interpretation of the post on my part. Yes contactless can be read by swipe and chip and pin. But my interpretation was that if you asked for a contactless card it was only those transactions that could be done off-line. Otherwise why not just ask for a card that can be used off-line?
As I said could have the wrong end of the stick.
PermitToTravel
Established Member
It can.
I'm not sure though that contactless cards are guaranteed to work offline for chip-and-pin transactions. Nationwide now routinely issue contactless cards to under 18s.
To the best of my knowledge, credit cards will always work on trains. Of course, cash always will too.
I'm not sure though that contactless cards are guaranteed to work offline for chip-and-pin transactions. Nationwide now routinely issue contactless cards to under 18s.
To the best of my knowledge, credit cards will always work on trains. Of course, cash always will too.
thelongestroad
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Often it would appear contactless cards put through the chip & pin on Avantix will decline if the floor limit has been reached.... i.e because there have been too many contactless transactions.
GaryMcEwan
Established Member
Tesco Bank issue offline and online contactless debit cards. I'm with TSB and when they sent me out my non contactless card to begin with it was online only, but when I asked for a contactless they sent me out my card it was an offline card...
The OP will have an online only card, they need one authorised for offline transactions. The easiest way to ask for this is probably to ask for a Contactless card, as to my knowledge these must be authorised for offline transactions.
The Financial Ombudsman Service you mean
I'm not sure that's entirely true for a case like this - I think its far from certain the FOS would rule in the customers favour - and whilst the fee is payable regardless of the outcome that's not a reason to settle a case if the bank thinks its in the right.
Thats the trick, you dont send it to FOS.
You send it to the high level complaints team in the bank.
Would they rather give you £100, or give the FOS more simply for opening your complaint? The FOS charges em even if your complaint is groundless...
But not if you haven't gone through the bank's complaints procedure first.
GaryMcEwan
Established Member
Unless they take longer than 56 days or deadlock the complaint straight away...
PermitToTravel
Established Member
Then you just need to make sure that, if you ever need to buy a ticket aboard a train, you've either cash or a card that'll work - that one won't. Nothing will come of this incident.
Are you sure? Can't they trace me through my card of something?
plastictaffy
Member
In the morning peak, working a 12 car, I'd much rather card payments. Easy-peasy - LBZ-0035, 35 pound 80, thank you please. Issue the next one through "Last 16 Issues" and so on and so forth.
During the day, after the peak, I don't mind how you want to pay me, as long as you do!!!
Good to know it's not only our Thyrons that mysteriously unpair the moment you want to use them. Unfortunately, you don't realise until you try to put the payment through. Cue much muttered under your breath verbal lubrication while you reset the transaction and start again!!!!
cjmillsnun
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Yes, for the simple fact it needs to phone home and verify how much money is still loaded onto it.
...Which is partially why I'm saying go through the banks complaint procedure and partially because the guys at the top of that proceedire know how much the FOS will charge and seek to avoid that charge.
Flamingo
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No, but he'll probably remember your face, and if he catches you again, then there could be a world of nausea and at the least a bill for £80+, about three or four times that if it goes to court.
I wouldn't risk it again, at the very least have cash on you if you are going to run past the booking office - but remember that you could still be nailed even if you do that. Best thing (and the law) is to go into the booking office or machine before travelling. "I was running for the train" is the oldest and least effective excuse there is.
Technically it would be possible, but practically it won't happen (court orders aren't the easiest or cheapest things to get).
Consider yourself lucky and don't do it again, you could very easily have been looking at a three figure fine on conviction. And the conviction would have been a dead certainty given that you admitted walking past an open ticket office and boarding the train without a ticket.
PermitToTravel
Established Member
If the guard wanted to do anything about it, or had the authority to do so, they'd have taken details on the spot.
The discussion about which cards work on trains is still important, for whenever the OP doesn't have an opportunity to buy before boarding. You're very right though that in this case that wasn't okay, and was a problem even if payment methods wouldn't have been.
In areas where guards are happy to sell tickets on board, OP, most will generally be amenable to you asking before boarding if you may buy on board - this will leave you legally in the clear, as long as you bring an accepted payment mechanism.
ian959
Member
You copped a really lucky break, nothing will happen and you should make damn sure in future that you buy your ticket before boarding a train OR have enough cash on hand to pay the fare on board the train as it is unlikely that you will be so lucky again.
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