Getting a receipt when using an e-Ticket

[gray1404]

Having been pulled up and asked why I didn't scan in at a station that has barriers, I have reverted back to getting ticket on departure. Even when I explained and showed by separate ticket for the connecting train I'd got off I was still treated with suspicion.

Now I only use etickets for that journey if it suits me. In other words if I might not have time to be able to stop by a TVM.

 

[z444z]

How would you get through the gate though ?

It’s the natural question but it doesn’t matter, there’s unlikely to be sufficient evidence to prosecute for any offence, whether passing through a barrier improperly under the byelaws, or travelling without a ticket under the byelaws or RoRA.

 

[bcarmicle]

I think what is meant (and what all here are likely to agree on) is that there is no legal need to scan an eTicket, but there may be a practical need to, in order to operate a gate.

 

[Alex365Dash]

How would you get through the gate though ?

As gateline staff, there are various reasons a gate can be left open - if gateline staff needs a PNB/break and there’s nobody to cover, or at smaller stations where gateline staff may be responsible for passenger assists, and as above, there’s nobody to cover them. Faults with gates also happen and this isn’t an exhaustive list either.

RPIs should be aware of this and understand that customers may have been able to walk through open gates and that there is no requirement to scan an eTicket. This should’ve been an open-and-shut case considering gateline staff log every time the gates are left open, why and for how long, but for some reason it’s gone further despite the fact that there’s no case to answer.

 

[Hadders]

Bear in mind that, in due course, credit card sized tickets will be phased out and their replacement will have barcodes.

 

[fandroid]

There is a grey zone in a related area. If you load a ticket onto a Smartcard, the Smartcard conditions as given on the TOC's website say that you must tap in at the start of your journey(s). That's true of SWR's Touch card. I've ignored this so far (about 18 months in) whenever confronted by open gates or lack of gates. I can't recall if any of these particular journeys ever involved an RPI check.

It would be interesting to hear from users of GTR's Key card, as to what their experience is with loaded tickets

 

[Haywain]

RPIs should be aware of this and understand that customers may have been able to walk through open gates and that there is no requirement to scan an eTicket.

RPIs will also be aware of the likelihood of gates being left open and I can tell you that at Luton that hardly ever happens during the day, only in the later evening.

 

[jfollows]

RPIs will also be aware of the likelihood of gates being left open and I can tell you that at Luton that hardly ever happens during the day, only in the later evening.

True, but I think it’s where they’re unexpectedly left open that problems arise - GTR again on here a while back refusing to believe that gates at Gatwick Airport had been left open.

 

[johncrossley]

There is a grey zone in a related area. If you load a ticket onto a Smartcard, the Smartcard conditions as given on the TOC's website say that you must tap in at the start of your journey(s). That's true of SWR's Touch card. I've ignored this so far (about 18 months in) whenever confronted by open gates or lack of gates. I can't recall if any of these particular journeys ever involved an RPI check.

It would be interesting to hear from users of GTR's Key card, as to what their experience is with loaded tickets

Maybe this condition exists because the card can be used in pay as you go mode and so they avoid having to have a separate rule when tickets are loaded onto the card instead.

 

[ivorytoast28]

Bear in mind that, in due course, credit card sized tickets will be phased out and their replacement will have barcodes.

I'd happily use E-Tickets but have always been forced to use paper on most journeys due to cross London journeys (even on Thameslink when not required) - will these new tickets fit in TFL barriers?

 

[Hadders]

I'd happily use E-Tickets but have always been forced to use paper on most journeys due to cross London journeys (even on Thameslink when not required) - will these new tickets fit in TFL barriers?

That is the last thing to be resolved. It’s going to take some time but it will happen - eventually.

In many parts of the country CCST has practically disappeared already.

 

[WestAnglian]

I'd happily use E-Tickets but have always been forced to use paper on most journeys due to cross London journeys (even on Thameslink when not required) - will these new tickets fit in TFL barriers?

Why would they when they've just about dropped acceptance of all paper? From my last journey into London very few gates accepted credit-card sized tickets. At Harrow on the Hill most had the slot taped over, and most of those remaining wouldn't draw in the card. TfL really don't want to handle paper. It was a similar situation at other gatelines. When using the Hainault loop a year or so ago I didn't find a single gate that worked with my paper ODTC.

 

[Hadders]

CCST tickets are dead as far as journeys wholly within London are concerned and have been for years. Just stand by the gateline at a busy underground station - no-one uses paper tickets, it’s all contactless.

The only real use of CCST within London is for outboundary travelcards and cross-London connections on long distance journeys:

The Travelcard issue can be solved by moving to smart cards, although cost of the card for one-off journeys needs to be factored in.

Project Oval will largely see Travelcards become redundant due to daily capping. Granted to really move the dial railcards need to be sorted, although Project Oval and remaining travelcards on smart cards could see paper travelcards eliminated very quickly.

That just leaves cross-London connections on through journeys to solve.

 

[jon81uk]

I lost my phone in Derby a few years ago. But I didn't lose my wallet with my convenient orange tickets!

I've lost my wallet twice, which at the time had my Oyster card annual season ticket in it causing me to need to find another way to pay to get home. But never lost my phone. So its likely different strokes for different folks. My phone is insured so would only cost me a £75 excess. Wallet means loss of any cash and tickets that can't be replaced (although Oyster can be reissued so just the £7 fee) and £20 for a new driving license, plus the faff of getting credit/debit card replaced.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Jan 2026 ==

The Travelcard issue can be solved by moving to smart cards, although cost of the card for one-off journeys needs to be factored in.

I've used the metro in Athens and other countries were tickets were single use RFID. If TfL wanted to move to removing mag stripe tickets they could go for these for one day travelcards, with a slightly higher cost compared to the contactless cap. But in reality I expect even tourists will use contactless, I do abroad where it is available.

 

[redreni]

CCST tickets are dead as far as journeys wholly within London are concerned and have been for years. Just stand by the gateline at a busy underground station - no-one uses paper tickets, it’s all contactless.

The only real use of CCST within London is for outboundary travelcards and cross-London connections on long distance journeys:

The Travelcard issue can be solved by moving to smart cards, although cost of the card for one-off journeys needs to be factored in.

Project Oval will largely see Travelcards become redundant due to daily capping. Granted to really move the dial railcards need to be sorted, although Project Oval and remaining travelcards on smart cards could see paper travelcards eliminated very quickly.

That just leaves cross-London connections on through journeys to solve.

Funnily enough I am currently planning a trip from SE London to Chippenham at the end of March where a non-stop split involving an inboundary day Travelcard appears to be very much the cheapest option, even when compared to Contactless in conjunction with GWR's 50% off promo Advances from Paddington. If the Advances were being sold at the usual price, it wouldn't even be close.

And if you live in Zone 6 and are travelling wholly within London, the Network Railcard discounted day Travelcard remains significantly cheaper than Contactless or Oyster PAYG in a wide range of circumstances. This will remain the case until and unless Project Oval provides support not just for Railcards in general, but for Network and Two Together Railcards in particular.

I try, where possible, to get the Day Travelcard on my GWR Smartcard rather than as a CCST, not because the CCST is itself inherently inconvenient, but because the barriers are getting increasingly bad at accepting them (with some even programmed to reject them if Railcard-discounted). So it may look to a casual observer like I am using Contactless PAYG, but I'm not, I'm using a Day Travelcard.

 

[Starmill]

Incorrect evidence is not the same as no evidence. You would still need to present a defence.

I read it that @saismee was suggesting a submission of no case to answer would be likely to succeed in similar circumstances. Of course, you're 100% right also that there's still risk were a case to proceed that far.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Jan 2026 ==

That was what I thought as well, so I was surprised to see that it is a condition. This is really quite concerning and I'm seriously considering stopping buying them.

Just to make you aware for the future, if you're referring to a specific post in another thread, it's usually easier for others who've not seen it if you were able to quote from it. I haven't read the other thread so much of this discussion made very little sense without a search for it.

You can quote a post in a different thread by copying and pasting the BB code, this can be edited by pressing the three dots on the right beside the viewfinder icon and then pressing the '[ ]' button, or alternatively by pressing the double quote marks button on the top line and then pasting a snippet of a quote from another thread, followed by a copy and paste of a link to that thread below it.

 

[jon81uk]

You can quote a post in a different thread by copying and pasting the BB code, this can be edited by pressing the three dots on the right beside the viewfinder icon and then pressing the '[ ]' button, or alternatively by pressing the double quote marks button on the top line and then pasting a snippet of a quote from another thread, followed by a copy and paste of a link to that thread below it.

Or just press the +quote button to add it to multiquote and then insert quotes in the other thread.

 

[sheff1]

Maybe i should have said theres no need to scan your ticket unless the station had gates.

Still incorrect. Some stations have gates on one entrance and not another. Others have gates on all entrances but some banks are open whilst others are closed (Birmingham New St for example). There is no requirement to scan a ticket just because a station has gates.

How would you get through the gate though

Walk through when they are left open (often done this at Newcastle and various other places).
Be waved through the one open gate by the member of staff who is holding it open (again happens at many places).

 

[Wallsendmag]

OK fair enough obviously I should take more notice.

 

[mmh]

How would you get through the gate though ?

As you well know, by walking through, being let through, or tailgating. Don't really understand why you've asked that question. Do you think scanning should be mandatory, or are you just doing what the youth would call "trolling" here?

(I've deliberately included tailgating here myself as a semi-troll. Legitimate tailgating happens all the time.)

 

[yorkie]

Is it technically possible to get a receipt when using an e-Ticket? I don't mean a paper receipt, but a notification sent to your email address or train ticket account showing when and where you scanned your ticket. This would remove the worry when encountering a RPI. So when you are being accused of not having scanning your ticket, you have documentary evidence.

The forum's site is good for providing a proper receipt.

There is no requirement for an e-ticket to be scanned for it to be valid; scan history is beyond the scope of a 'receipt'

See the thread on in the Disputes section where someone has been accused of not scanning a ticket.

If you are referring to a thread/post, please provide a link / quote, as appropriate.

There is no requirement for e tickets to be scanned for them to be valid ; scanning is only needed in the event that gatelines are in place and in operation, and this is no different to a paper ticket.

Any record of a ticket being scanned at a gate may not appear until quite some time after the scan took place, as there is no central database.

Anyone claiming to definitively know all recent scans a ticket has had is likely just making that up / trying it on.

If there is a particular issue, you need to explain what it is, as your post doesn't make sense as currently worded and doesn't relate to the current thread title (which isn't compliant with forum rules).