Thameslink not accepting American Express cards

[Starmill]

National Transport Tokens no longer exist. The scheme closed down. That's why they're not a payment method any longer.

Lots of public transport providers won't accept American Express cards. For example Metrolink in Greater Manchester and the Tyne & Wear Metro do not accept American Express cards. I've never known of a train company not accepting them though.

 

[trek]

Lots of public transport providers won't accept American Express cards. For example Metrolink in Greater Manchester and the Tyne & Wear Metro do not accept American Express cards. I've never known of a train company not accepting them though.

Can add Glasgow Subway and Caledonian Sleeper on board catering to that list as well. Most bus companies also don't accept it, although some do take PayPal which is a workaround. Strange with the sleeper when you can buy your tickets using Amex no problem.

I have had a few recent experiences at Avanti offices where my Amex card hasn't worked with Contactless, I've had to insert it and use chip and PIN.

 

[Haywain]

I have had a few recent experiences at Avanti offices where my Amex card hasn't worked with Contactless, I've had to insert it and use chip and PIN

Amex does not seem to get on at all well with contactless payment.

 

[AlterEgo]

Amex does not seem to get on at all well with contactless payment.

It works absolutely fine with my Amex Platinum on TfL; never had an issue.

 

[Miken]

I used Amex for a number of years to book tickets online and less frequently to buy walk up fares at ticket machines or ticket offices. In general, travelling extensively across the UK I had very few issues. All online sites I used accepted it, all ticket offices accepted it. The only snag was the previous generation of ticket machines on Northern which would decline Amex or wouldn't recognise for ticket collection - frustrating but I always got round this by going to the ticket office.

 

[Egg Centric]

For futher anecdotes - the ticket machine at Radlett (in the days before contactless was extended there; and indeed now as well because super off peak tends to beat contactless fare but I digress) never used to take my Amex contactless, but would take it on chip and pin.

It is my understand that Visa, Mastercard, and Amex all have their own technically different (if somewhat similar) contactless systems.

Also, it wouldn't ever explain why it wasn't taking it - you had to guess that inserting it would work. I wonder if this is same for OP and there was a misunderstanding? (clarified below)

 

[Andrew1395]

We stopped accepting Amex cards when we were GNER it was a tactic to gain a lower commison rate from them. Worked quite well as I seem to remember.

I thought the TOCs all negotiated collectively on merchant rates, so that the bigger TOCs could not get better rates at the expense of the smaller ones? From memory not all TOCs accepted AMEX, I think Virgin never accepted it. Might be wrong, but AMEX was never a mandatory method of payment.

 

[KT550]

For futher anecdotes - the ticket machine at Radlett (in the days before contactless was extended there; and indeed now as well because super off peak tends to beat contactless fare but I digress) never used to take my Amex contactless, but would take it on chip and pin.

It is my understand that Visa, Mastercard, and Amex all have their own technically different (if somewhat similar) contactless systems.

Also, it wouldn't ever explain why it wasn't taking it - you had to guess that inserting it would work. I wonder if this is same for OP and there was a misunderstanding?

I don't think there was a misunderstanding.
I know that contactless with Amex is hit and miss at a staffed counter, so tried chip & PIN after.
It was a staffed ticket office and the clerk said "we don't take Amex".

I am aware that few (if any) TVMs take contactless Amex, only chip & PIN.

 

[Egg Centric]

I don't think there was a misunderstanding.
I know that contactless with Amex is hit and miss at a staffed counter, so tried chip & PIN after.
It was a staffed ticket office and the clerk said "we don't take Amex".

I am aware that few (if any) TVMs take contactless Amex, only chip & PIN.

Fair enough. I wonder no more!

 

[trek]

For futher anecdotes - the ticket machine at Radlett (in the days before contactless was extended there; and indeed now as well because super off peak tends to beat contactless fare but I digress) never used to take my Amex contactless, but would take it on chip and pin.

It is my understand that Visa, Mastercard, and Amex all have their own technically different (if somewhat similar) contactless systems.

Also, it wouldn't ever explain why it wasn't taking it - you had to guess that inserting it would work. I wonder if this is same for OP and there was a misunderstanding?

Yeah most Amex users do know Contactless is an issue in some cases (albeit inconsistently - the most famous consistent example is probably Amex at Asda does not work with Contactless) - I have definitely used Amex at both TVMs and ticket office windows via Contactless, both via Android Pay and the physical card. But either way this is still an irritation as people seek to do everything via their phones (including contactless payments) and may not carry a physical card.

 

[KT550]

Yeah most Amex users do know Contactless is an issue in some cases (albeit inconsistently - the most famous consistent example is probably Amex at Asda does not work with Contactless) - I have definitely used Amex at both TVMs and ticket office windows via Contactless, both via Android Pay and the physical card. But either way this is still an irritation as people seek to do everything via their phones (including contactless payments) and may not carry a physical card.

That's strange - all the ASDAs I've ever used have taken Amex contactless (at the self service checkouts anyway).

I don't think I've ever got a GB rail TVM to accept contactless and staffed counter is patchy, depending on TOC.

I'm talking about a physical card, not a phone.

 

[Egg Centric]

Yeah most Amex users do know Contactless is an issue in some cases (albeit inconsistently - the most famous consistent example is probably Amex at Asda does not work with Contactless) - I have definitely used Amex at both TVMs and ticket office windows via Contactless, both via Android Pay and the physical card. But either way this is still an irritation as people seek to do everything via their phones (including contactless payments) and may not carry a physical card.

Hey on the bright side we have all these super useful atm companion vouchers

 

[robbeech]

A valid payment method has to be accepted. If the TOC is unable to accept a valid payment method, it becomes the TOC's problem. Travel cannot be denied for this reason.

If TOCs no longer wish to accept American Express, they would need to remove it from the list of valid payment methods.

In the real world, as this example shows, if TOCs no longer wish to accept AMEX they just tell customers one day that they don't and nothing comes of it.

From memory not all TOCs accepted AMEX, I think Virgin never accepted it. Might be wrong, but AMEX was never a mandatory method of payment.

I believe this will have been the case at one point yes. However, it is now listed and therefore they MUST accept it (in theory, although this thread shows that they do as they wish as per).

As an AMEX user i do try to use it where possible, it offers me the best additional benefits for doing so so i'd be daft not to. However, i am perfectly aware of its issues and i'm not the sort of person that would go around with only 1 payment method on me anyway, but even if i did it certainly wouldn't be AMEX. I appreciate that everyone's situation is different and it is not for the railway to expect a customer to use a different payment method IF they have a working one that is listed.

In terms of tvm usage, it's interesting seeing the talk about contactless not working but chip and pin working. I haven't used a TVM since early last year due to the better availability of e-tickets since the world woke up again but certainly at that point (so notably out of date) the Northern TVMs would not accept AMEX using contactless OR chip and pin but i'll certainly try going for chip and pin next time i use one. Hopefully this has improved.

 

[island]

So we're back to people carrying £50 of cash but also a single rail travel voucher for fifty pence, then. This is the sort of deliberately obtuse and tiring behaviour which gives some enthusiasts a bad name.

This isn’t the thrust of my argument. This forum likes to think of itself as very pro-passenger and the vanguard of passenger rights on the railway. And that’s a very noble aim; the railway tends towards customer unfriendliness (look at the latest posts in the Disputes section!!).

I just think it’s important to pick battles carefully and understand the optics of them.

No, you use the £50 cash of course.

You know exactly the behaviour I’m bringing to light. There’s a reason National Transport Tokens aren’t a payment method any more too.

I fervently agree with and endorse all the above.

The behaviour seemingly encouraged by others sails extremely close to the wind and runs a grave risk of crossing the line into breaking the law by avoiding payment of a rail fare.

 

[AM9]

I fervently agree with and endorse all the above.

The behaviour seemingly encouraged by others sails extremely close to the wind and runs a grave risk of crossing the line into breaking the law by avoiding payment of a rail fare.

But the fix for TOCs is so easy. Just change the entry on the National Rail webpage.

 

[RPI]

Our mobile ticket machines won't accept Amex for contactless but do with chip and pin

 

[Trackman]

What's so odd about AMEX?
I've known about this for years.. we don't take AMEX etc..

 

[AlterEgo]

What's so odd about AMEX?
I've known about this for years.. we don't take AMEX etc..

It has high transaction fees for the retailer. Generally you will expect high value retailers to accept it but not the corner shop.

 

[mmh]

"I have an Amex card and no other means to pay". Yeah right!

I've been in exactly that position. Had to pay for a hotel which I believed had already been paid for. I used my company (not my company!) Amex card. I did have two personal cards. Both would have either been declined or have incurred a hefty penalty should I have tried to pay with them.

 

[Mojo]

Yeah most Amex users do know Contactless is an issue in some cases (albeit inconsistently - the most famous consistent example is probably Amex at Asda does not work with Contactless) - I have definitely used Amex at both TVMs and ticket office windows via Contactless, both via Android Pay and the physical card. But either way this is still an irritation as people seek to do everything via their phones (including contactless payments) and may not carry a physical card.

That's strange - all the ASDAs I've ever used have taken Amex contactless (at the self service checkouts anyway).

Asda have only started for it to work via contactless in the past year or so, as they have recently replaced their card readers with a more modern type (with a transparent section for using contactless payment cards). Aside from Asda, I haven't had any problems using as contactless since about 2014.

 

[Haywain]

My local Thameslink ticket office told me this evening that they are still accepting American Express, subject to the usual contactless difficulties.

 

[35B]

I am not sure a train company could force someone to use a personal card or their own cash when they want to use Amex to put the ticket on their company account. If the rail industry sees this as a loophole and doesn't want to accept Amex, they need to remove it from the list of valid payment methods.

My employer requires me to use Amex if at all possible for business travel, with the incentive that it is integrated with the expenses system (including card settlement), meaning that I have little or nothing to do to manage the account. If the retailer doesn't accept Amex, then I am free to use other forms of payment as I see fit, but without the corresponding advantages; I may also have to justify that choice as the claim is going through the approval process. However, and relevant to TOCs as retailers, this would increase the pressure on me to use the centralised rail ticket booking system my employer uses, and deprive them of the direct sale (and, going off topic, me of the advantages of using my preferred retailer).

However, I have at times had issues with TOCs (SWT and LNER), where I have been unable to use that Amex card. I have always been told that the issue was technical which, comparing Amex to the other financial institutions I deal with, I find all to easy to believe. I also have no difficulty in believing that the issue may have been the expression of a commercial debate between TOC and Amex, in which case I regard the TOC's behaviour as unacceptable.

 

[Wallsendmag]

When and where did you have problems with LNER?

 

[35B]

When and where did you have problems with LNER?

Pre Covid, with ToD; this far on, I can’t be more precise. It would have been at Grantham and/or Kings Cross given my travel at the time.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Pre Covid, with ToD; this far on, I can’t be more precise. It would have been at Grantham and/or Kings Cross given my travel at the time.

Was it a TVM? We have different ones now, come to think of it the PEDs in te Travel Centres are different now as well

 

[35B]

Was it a TVM? We have different ones now, come to think of it the PEDs in te Travel Centres are different now as well

I forget - it was a while ago, and hasn’t affected me for at least a couple of years. But I would have used TVMs - my approach was always to use machines rather than queue at the window.

 

[SAPhil]

I always use an Amex credit card at ticket machines, the ticket office at St Albans and the Thameslink website. I've never had any issues.

 

[KT550]

It appears that my experience was a one-off, as other passengers have not had any problems.

Here's the reply I received from Thameslink:


QUOTE
Thank you for getting in touch about your credit card enquiry..

I am sorry to read that your American Express wasn't accepted at a Thameslink station.

American Express cards are accepted and I am sorry about the error in the information provided from the ticket office at the station you attended.

Thank you again for bringing this to our attention.
UNQUOTE