Southern Photocard/travelcard query

[The Colonel]

I wonder if anyone can shed any light on this please? I apologise that its rather vague but the person asking didn't speak too much English.

A lady wants to travel from Motspur Park [MOT] to Hove [HOV], via Clapham Junction [CLJ], getting a weekly season. She seems to think she has a travelcard/photocard of some description which gets her a discount on Southern trains. I've seen a standard pink travelcard which oddly has a silver hologram type thing on it - not seen one like that before at all. She can't seem to get any joy from the booking office at HOV - I don't know if this is language related or clerk related. I've looked on the Southern website but can't see anything obvious.

I've asked her to either call Southern's customer services or ask at ECR or BTN booking offices so see it they can advise her, as CLJ being SWT will probably be no better off than I am. I'm not convinced that she is 100% correct, and to my knowledge she doesn't have an oystercard, but the whole scenario was rather puzzling this morning.

Any assistance gratefully received.

The Colonel

 

[Sparks169]

I wonder if anyone can shed any light on this please? I apologise that its rather vague but the person asking didn't speak too much English.

A lady wants to travel from MOT to HOV, via CLJ, getting a weekly season. She seems to think she has a travelcard/photocard of some description which gets her a discount on Southern trains. I've seen a standard pink travelcard which oddly has a silver hologram type thing on it - not seen one like that before at all. She can't seem to get any joy from the booking office at HOV - I don't know if this is language related or clerk related. I've looked on the Southern website but can't see anything obvious.

I've asked her to either call Southern's customer services or ask at ECR or BTN booking offices so see it they can advise her, as CLJ being SWT will probably be no better off than I am. I'm not convinced that she is 100% correct, and to my knowledge she doesn't have an oystercard, but the whole scenario was rather puzzling this morning.

Any assistance gratefully received.

The Colonel

That would be the EASIT discount scheme.

Entitles the holder to 15% discount on FGW and 20% discount on SN.

Valid for: 'Anytime’ Single & Return, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Annual season & First class tickets.

However the journey in question would not entitle her to a discount using CLJ as discounts are not valid for any journey within Zones 1-3.

http://easit.org.uk/rail.php

 

[Greenback]

I wonder if anyone can shed any light on this please? I apologise that its rather vague but the person asking didn't speak too much English.

A lady wants to travel from MOT to HOV, via CLJ, getting a weekly season. She seems to think she has a travelcard/photocard of some description which gets her a discount on Southern trains. I've seen a standard pink travelcard which oddly has a silver hologram type thing on it - not seen one like that before at all. She can't seem to get any joy from the booking office at HOV - I don't know if this is language related or clerk related. I've looked on the Southern website but can't see anything obvious.

I've asked her to either call Southern's customer services or ask at ECR or BTN booking offices so see it they can advise her, as CLJ being SWT will probably be no better off than I am. I'm not convinced that she is 100% correct, and to my knowledge she doesn't have an oystercard, but the whole scenario was rather puzzling this morning.

Any assistance gratefully received.

The Colonel

Please use the full station names at least once in a post or thread title so as to assist both casual visitors and members who do not have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the three letter codes.

Thanks.

 

[maniacmartin]

The website also states "Tickets must be purchased from a Southern ticket office. "

 

[Sparks169]

The website also states "Tickets must be purchased from a Southern ticket office. "

Indeed, apologies, forgot to mention this.

She would not be entitled to the discount on that journey at all really, as I believe it only covers the Southern network and parts of FGW, it is not valid on South West Trains and includes the restriction of no journeys within Zones 1, 2 & 3.

 

[b0b]

Is it worth trying to split at a station to take advantage of the discount? eg. East Croydon?

 

[Sparks169]

Is it worth trying to split at a station to take advantage of the discount? eg. East Croydon?

This does work out slightly cheaper, on first thought I can only really think the best way of doing so would be a standard season (let's say weekly) from Motspur Park - East Croydon (Route: NOT VIA LONDON) at £25.10.
Then an East Croydon - Hove 7DS with EASIT discount at £50.15.
Totals = £75.25

Rather than the full £84.90 from Motspur Park - Hove 7DS.

 

[Matt Taylor]

Splitting might save money but as the OP works in a ticket office he cannot offer split tickets.

 

[The Colonel]

Sparks - Thank you for the very quick reply. I've learned something new.
This must be what she was talking about, and she did mention Z1-3 a couple of times and it also explains the odd (to me) hologram on her photocard. I'll print this out and take it to work - unfortunately I'm not in till next Thursday, so I'm not sure what she will buy in the meantime. She was talking about travelling for up to a month to Hove.

Greenback - your comments noted.

 

[LexyBoy]

Splitting might save money but as the OP works in a ticket office he cannot offer split tickets.

Surely he can explain that there's no discount on the through ticket as it's from within Z1-3, and to get a discount the customer would have travel from a station without these zones? (hint, hint)

Much as the Network Railcard literature tells you to split at the boundary to make use of the discount when travelling outside of the Network area.