Is it compulsory to put your ticket through a ticket barrier?

[John R]

You missed out the bit where the staff member has to open the gate to retrieve the ticket which has been incorrectly retained, exactly as you told them would happen when you explained why you did not want to put the ticket through in the first place.

Except the OP was talking about a season ticket which won't be retained by the gate line and neither is it likely to be used to claim expenses.

 

[87 027]

We've also had discussions about some season tickets which will never in a month of Sundays open the gates at locations where they are valid, for various reasons, for example "AAA" dual availability tickets at the alternative station.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

I always like to keep my tickets just to add to my ever growing collection (over 5000 tickets :roll: ) so if I find myself at the gates I just show it to the gateline assistant who lets me through. I've never had a problem and I've always retained my ticket. If they ask why I just say something like "For expenses" or something. No harm done. As long as you're pleasant about it then I don't see an issue! The tickets no longer valid in most cases and I don't intend on doing anything fraudulent so it's win-win. Just my input.

 

[AnonymousUser1]

We've had this discussion numerous times and you are correct - some (many?) companies have policies that are at odds with HMRC's requirements. I think the main issue is that ticket machine receipts only state how much was spent but not the actual ticket that was bought and some employers don't trust their employees.

that is a key point

99% of shops use EPoS these days even corner shops and the like so the reciepts are itemised ...

the only time i'm aware of there being a relaxed attitude towards reciepts is where you are paying and claiming for fuel for your own vehicle , as few people specifically fill up in relation to a particualr journey , unless it;s a long one (hundreds of miles) ...

 

[WelshBluebird]

Except of course the anonymity that paper tickets give. Any form of smart ticketing where the traveller's authority to pass through a gate is verified by reference to a database controlled by the issuer, can (and probably will) be used to create a continuous record the ticket's use. The justification for generating this profile will be that the issuer can better tailor the deal that you get offered by knowing how you the traveller uses its services.
A more cynical view is that a record of your rail journeys would be a useful addition to your mobile phone's locations, your face and gait recognition on street & public space CCTV, your car journeys through ANPR tracking, your credit and bank card spending etc..
Not that I am paranoid, but there's no chance of making all travel smart/electronic without a big anti-snooping furore being raised by many.

It really depends how they go about it. Certainly you can have an Oyster card and still retain your anonymity. There is of course the option to register it, but you do not have to do so. So other smart card schemes could go the same way if they wished. Of course, as you note, the data given by smart tickets not being anonymous could be pretty valuable though, so it could be that we go down that route because of that.