Scotrail not accepting certain cards

wealdroam

I think these portable ticket machines that are carried on the trains, and held by staff near ticket gates, are standalone machines that do not ask anywhere else for authorisation.

They will therefore make more decisions to reject the payment... just to err on the safe side.

Can be frustrating though.

On some trains it is physically impossible sell tickets to everyone who has joined the train at stations without ticket selling facilities. To try and phone up to get authorisation for credit/debit cards, may be a bit too difficult.

tripled

bigmaz wrote: »

Its not just Clydesdale Maestro, it also Natwest Visa Debit cards, someone was telling me this as they dont accept their card either.

Is it just that these cards require authorisation for all transactions, which the portable machines (at least for most train companies) don't offer? If so, if you get a card where the bank doesn't require authorisation for all transactions, you can use them on trains.

If they did have some sort of mobile link to authorise cards on trains, it would just cause more confusion as presumably they would run off a mobile signal which would be patchy at best, slowing up the conductor and half the time still not being able to make the sales anyway. Plus there would be more expense, which I have no doubt would be loaded straight back onto the cost of a train ticket.

Stigy

Sorry if I've missed it, or if this has been covered already, but what card is it? More so on board trains as opposed to at stations or from Ticket Vending Machines, certain cards that need electronic verification - I think that's what it's called (Mainly Visa Debit or former Visa Electron and Solo cards) wont be authorised on Guard's/Conductors' machines due to the wireless system used. It's an issue with the fundamentals of the system that can't be changed I believe.

awwdabaaby

Someone mentioned in this post use another card, Scotrail do take this approach, I actually went to talk to the Duty Manager at Glasgow Central about this, as I was told to leave the train as its the only card I have, his answer was, well maybe you should go to the bank and withdraw money before hand! Why should I? Also why am I gonna walk all the way up the street to the bank, when the station that I use is a 5 minute walk. Scotrail know the issue is there, getting them to admit it is another thing