Why can't i get an e ticket from Ipswich to Great Yarmouth?

[zaax]

So it looks like I have to go via Norwich to get to Great Yarmouth.
Greater Anglia now says I can not get an e-ticket to Gt. Yarmouth (I can get an e-ticket to Norwich) on my phone, and I have to use a 'smart card', load money on to that, and then buy the ticket on that and then transfer it to the app., get a normal paper ticket

 

[JonathanH]

So it looks like I have to go via Norwich to get to Great Yarmouth

Going from Ipswich to Great Yarmouth via Diss and Norwich is a lot quicker than any other route. Even going from Ipswich to Lowestoft via Norwich is about the same time as going via Beccles.

Greater Anglia now says I can not get an e-ticket to Gt. Yarmouth (I can get an e-ticket to Norwich) on my phone

Are they? It seems to come up as e-ticket enabled when I try to book on their's and other websites.

 

[Watershed]

Greater Anglia now says I can not get an e-ticket to Gt. Yarmouth (I can get an e-ticket to Norwich) on my phone

All of the retailers I've checked will offer an e-ticket - not sure why Greater Anglia are suggesting otherwise.

and I have to use a 'smart card', load money on to that

The only kind of railway-relayed smartcard you load money onto is an Oyster card. But obviously that isn't valid in East Anglia!

Normal smartcards that you load purchased tickets onto are generally free.

and then buy the ticket on that and then transfer it to the app.

The other way around, actually - you buy the ticket using your app of choice, then load it onto the smartcard either using your phone's NFC functionality or, if you wait at least 2 hours to allow the ticket to propagate across the network, at a station gateline or standalone validators.

However, as mentioned, there is no requirement to use a smartcard for this journey. Frankly, I don't see the point in using smartcards for single or return tickets given the hassle of having to load it to the smartcard.