Smart card for reverse commute - King's Cross to Cambridge

[mahudu]

I'm looking to buy a season ticket with origin - King's Cross, destination - Cambridge.

As I've read, GN's smart card doesn't work with Cambridge's barriers.

So I thought, why not just use GA's smart card, with a 'any valid route' season ticket.
This should let me travel from King's Cross to Cambridge, and back - on GN's semi-fast service.
The same ticket can be purchased from GN, but not on their smart card, GA let's you buy this on their smart card.

So i called up GA, and asked if their smart card works at King's Cross, the phone adviser said as long as I purchase the 'any valid route', it should work.

However, if GN card doesn't work on GA barriers at Cambridge, why do GA card work at King's Cross? Their website doesn't mention KGX as a station to use the card at.

Would be great if anyone actually knows for certain, or has experience using a GA smart card at King's Cross to confirm what the phone adviser said.

 

[Hadders]

GN’s smartcard isn’t available at Cambridge.
GA’s smartcard is only available on GA’s services, as far as I know.

If you want the flexibility then you need to have a paper ticket.

 

[mahudu]

GA’s smartcard is only available on GA’s services, as far as I know.

So would that mean King's Cross' barriers wouldn't scan GA's card?
- this would contradict the adviser on the telephone, but then I think the staff aren't even trained well enough to know.
I guess I'll try a weekly, and take the hit of the slower route to Liverpool St. if the KGX barriers don't work.

 

[Wallsendmag]

VTEC's onboard TIS can read the GA card but I don't think the gates at Kings Cross will until next year.

 

[mahudu]

VTEC's onboard TIS can read the GA card but I don't think the gates at Kings Cross will until next year.

thanks, guess I'll stick to paper for now then. Shame the GA phone adviser doesn't even know that their card won't work at King's.

 

[Joe Paxton]

thanks, guess I'll stick to paper for now then. Shame the GA phone adviser doesn't even know that their card won't work at King's.

ITSO, joined up thinking for the 21st century...

 

[robbeech]

VTEC's onboard TIS can read the GA card but I don't think the gates at Kings Cross will until next year.

Does that make it not valid or does that mean it’s valid but you’d have to be let out manually? Would staff there have a hand held reader to check ? Would you be put in a situation where you’d be prosecuted for not having a ticket ?

 

[Hadders]

It depends what ticket is loaded onto the smartcard.

If it’s routed ‘Any Permitted’ then it’s valid at Kings Cross, regardless of whether the barriers are programmed correctly or whether staff have appropriate equipment to read the card.

If the ticket is ‘Greater Anglia Only’ then it isn’t valid at Kings Cross.

 

[ictl]

I've seen two people who usually get on my train in the morning use a GA smartcard from Kings Cross to Cambridge North, and they've been using it for about a year now. Not sure what ticket they have though, I would presume it's either the London Terminals (Any Permitted) or Z1-6 Any Permitted.

I haven't tested this myself, so I don't know if there are any problems, so you might like to buy a weekly ticket first to test. You'd need a Cambridge - London Terminals (Any Permitted) ticket, which can be loaded on the GA smartcard at Cambridge or Liverpool Street (or another GA station).

If you're eligible for the Travel For Cambridgeshire discount, I think you can buy the season ticket and load it on to a smartcard at the ticket office at Cambridge (haven't done this myself, but will try this next month when I renew my season ticket).

 

[mahudu]

I've seen two people who usually get on my train in the morning use a GA smartcard from Kings Cross to Cambridge North, and they've been using it for about a year now. Not sure what ticket they have though, I would presume it's either the London Terminals (Any Permitted) or Z1-6 Any Permitted.

I haven't tested this myself, so I don't know if there are any problems, so you might like to buy a weekly ticket first to test. You'd need a Cambridge - London Terminals (Any Permitted) ticket, which can be loaded on the GA smartcard at Cambridge or Liverpool Street (or another GA station).

Awesome, that's actually great to hear! I'll be trying out a weekly then, the only pain is halving to load it at Liverpool Street, but should be worth it.