Gold record card and QBMs

[island]

Out of interest I looked to see what would happen if I pressed to renew my annual Travelcard on a QBM today. It was happy to ask for payment of £1424 (or however much) but how would I get my Gold Record card if I bought it?

[Aside: this also raises the question of how Gold Record cards will be issued after tube station ticket offices shut.]

 

[joeykins82]

I would guess that either the record card will be send in the post to the oyster card registered address (since monthly/annual season tickets can only be loaded on to registered cards) or that there'll be a stash of gold record cards somewhere behind the scenes and that the station staff will be able to print one off as required.

 

[Be3G]

This document, apparently a couple of years old now but still linked to as being the current version, says that only monthly or shorter tickets can be purchased from a self-service machine. Of course, changes could be afoot!

 

[Daniel]

As Be3G says, there may be changes afoot with regards to what I am about to say -

AFAIAA, LUL POM's have an upper transaction limit. If your purchase costs more than this limit you will be referred to the ticket office. No ticket that requires a gold record card is below this limit that I am aware of.

 

[island]

Well, it is an absolute fact that the QBM I used was asking me to insert card to pay £1,424. If you choose not to believe me, then there is little I can do.

 

[joeykins82]

I know that there have been changes: when I renewed my annual season ticket earlier this month I asked the ticket office staff member whether he'd renewed my gold card discount as that's been a problem every other year, he said that the software had been improved to make that process automatic. I guess that's part of the works that would be required to allow the QBMs to sell annual tickets.

 

[Be3G]

Well, it is an absolute fact that the QBM I used was asking me to insert card to pay £1,424. If you choose not to believe me, then there is little I can do.

No-one's choosing to not believe anyone. :? Daniel and I have outlined the previous situation with TfL's ticket machines, whilst both conceding that what you saw could be because of the many changes TfL are probably starting to make with their machines, presumably in readiness for the ticket office closures.

 

[island]

OK cool, sorry if I sounded like I was getting on my high horse

 

[Be3G]

Neigh bother. (Sorry, still in a punning mood after reading this thread!)

 

[moogal]

I know that there have been changes: when I renewed my annual season ticket earlier this month I asked the ticket office staff member whether he'd renewed my gold card discount as that's been a problem every other year, he said that the software had been improved to make that process automatic. I guess that's part of the works that would be required to allow the QBMs to sell annual tickets.

Interesting - when I renewed mine I asked the same question and they had to do it manually.

 

[island]

When I renewed mine the ticket clerk extended the discount without asking but it was clearly a separate set of steps to selling the annual ticket.

 

[urban469]

I tried to buy a Z1-4 annual last month and there was no option on the ticket machine. Actually I seem to remember there was no option for any annuals on the machine. Maybe it's just some stations' machines that have been changed. Would QBMs allow it while older machines wouldn't?

And yes, my discount entitlement had to be done manually, and only after the validity period had started - ie it couldn't be done when I bought the ticket in advance. He told me they only have the ability to set an end date, not a start date.

 

[island]

As for the second half of that, that seems like yet another inconsistency. I once renewed my annual ticket with a couple of days gap in validity and the chap extended the discount to the end of the new ticket without quibble or prompting.

 

[Daniel]

I tried to buy a Z1-4 annual last month...

...discount entitlement had to be done manually, and only after the validity period had started - ie it couldn't be done when I bought the ticket in advance. He told me they only have the ability to set an end date, not a start date.

As for the second half of that, that seems like yet another inconsistency. I once renewed my annual ticket with a couple of days gap in validity and the chap extended the discount to the end of the new ticket without quibble or prompting.

It could perhaps be that it sounds as if urban469 was purchasing a new Z1-4, whereas you, island, were renewing an annual.

As no start date can be selected, if you have two annuals on your oyster with no gap in the middle, then you can just extend the discount from the first to the end of the second.

If you do not have an existing gold card entitlement then you can't just extend the previous discount, if you see what I mean?

 

[island]

I was indeed renewing an annual, but as I said in my post, there was a gap in validity.

 

[Daniel]

I was indeed renewing an annual, but as I said in my post, there was a gap in validity.

Ah, my apologies, I missed that.