Oystercard from National Rail
 

Does anyone know which National Rail stations are issuing Oystercards? I
can't get one from a Tube station, as they don't accept all major credit
cards. The Tube accepts JCB (5th largest) but not Amex (3rd largest) or
Diners (4th largest).

Oystercard from National Rail
 

"Nicholas F Hodder" typed


Does anyone know which National Rail stations are issuing Oystercards? I
can't get one from a Tube station, as they don't accept all major credit
cards. The Tube accepts JCB (5th largest) but not Amex (3rd largest) or
Diners (4th largest).


Amex & Diners charge merchants higher commission than Visa & Mastercard IIRC.

--
Helen D. Vecht:
Edgware.

Oystercard from National Rail
 

"Nicholas F Hodder" wrote in message
...
Does anyone know which National Rail stations are issuing Oystercards? I
can't get one from a Tube station, as they don't accept all major credit
cards. The Tube accepts JCB (5th largest) but not Amex (3rd largest) or
Diners (4th largest).


Yes - this is because Amex & Diners charge high transaction rates. A lot of
retailers have stopped taking them recently because of this.

As the great majority of credit card holders will have at least one Visa or
Mastercard this isn't usually an issue.

Maybe you should consider moving to a credit / charge card that is accepted
universally in the UK? ;)

As for NR stations issuing Oystercards, there are a few IIRC (e.g. those
serving underground lines where there is only 1 ticket office run by the
TOC - Richmond is one such example I know of, Ealing Broadway may be
another).

Colin

Oystercard from National Rail
 

"Colin" wrote in message
...

"Nicholas F Hodder" wrote in message
...
Does anyone know which National Rail stations are issuing Oystercards?
I
can't get one from a Tube station, as they don't accept all major credit
cards. The Tube accepts JCB (5th largest) but not Amex (3rd largest) or
Diners (4th largest).


Yes - this is because Amex & Diners charge high transaction rates. A lot
of
retailers have stopped taking them recently because of this.

As the great majority of credit card holders will have at least one Visa
or
Mastercard this isn't usually an issue.

Maybe you should consider moving to a credit / charge card that is
accepted
universally in the UK? ;)

I use Amex because of the perks (BA Miles etc). Rather than switching
credit card, I switch the place I buy my Travelcards from. I therefore
always buy them from National Rail stations.

As for NR stations issuing Oystercards, there are a few IIRC (e.g. those
serving underground lines where there is only 1 ticket office run by the
TOC - Richmond is one such example I know of, Ealing Broadway may be
another).

Is Stratford one of these?

Oystercard from National Rail
 

On Sat, 27 Sep 2003 13:58:30 +0100, "Nicholas F Hodder"
wrote:

"Colin" wrote in message
...

"Nicholas F Hodder" wrote in message
...
Does anyone know which National Rail stations are issuing Oystercards?

As for NR stations issuing Oystercards, there are a few IIRC (e.g. those
serving underground lines where there is only 1 ticket office run by the
TOC - Richmond is one such example I know of, Ealing Broadway may be
another).

Is Stratford one of these?

No - it's now an LUL office. There is a NR window within the LUL Office
but whether it accepts NR payment types I do not know.

Finsbury Park (WAGN), Wimbledon, Queens Park, Barking, Walthamstow
Central, Upminster should all fall within the scope of NR stations that
will be able to retail Oystercards.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

Oystercard from National Rail
 

In message , Colin
writes

cut

As for NR stations issuing Oystercards, there are a few IIRC (e.g. those
serving underground lines where there is only 1 ticket office run by the
TOC - Richmond is one such example I know of, Ealing Broadway may be
another).

Colin

Richmond does NOT currently sell Oystercards, as the APTIS machines are
still being modified. This I belief is the situation at other TOC
stations
--
Martin Summerfield
works for a TOC - but these are my own opinions

Oystercard from National Rail
 

On Sat, 27 Sep 2003 13:00:55 +0100, "Colin"
wrote:



As for NR stations issuing Oystercards, there are a few IIRC (e.g. those
serving underground lines where there is only 1 ticket office run by the
TOC - Richmond is one such example I know of, Ealing Broadway may be
another).

Have they started issuing them at Richond already? I will get my next
renewal there if so.

Oystercard from National Rail
 

In message , K
writes
On Sat, 27 Sep 2003 13:00:55 +0100, "Colin"
wrote:



As for NR stations issuing Oystercards, there are a few IIRC (e.g. those
serving underground lines where there is only 1 ticket office run by the
TOC - Richmond is one such example I know of, Ealing Broadway may be
another).

Have they started issuing them at Richond already? I will get my next
renewal there if so.


No
--
Martin Summerfield

Oystercard from National Rail
 

On Mon, 29 Sep 2003 18:26:31 +0100, Martin Summerfield
wrote:



Have they started issuing them at Richond already? I will get my next
renewal there if so.


No

Thanks - when will it be? My renewal is due at the start of January.

Oystercard from National Rail
 

In message , K
writes
On Mon, 29 Sep 2003 18:26:31 +0100, Martin Summerfield
wrote:



Have they started issuing them at Richond already? I will get my next
renewal there if so.


No

Thanks - when will it be? My renewal is due at the start of January.
Should be Nov - Dec time
--
Martin Summerfield

Oystercard from National Rail
 

On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 08:40:57 +0100 Paul Corfield
said...

Finsbury Park (WAGN), Wimbledon, Queens Park, Barking, Walthamstow
Central, Upminster should all fall within the scope of NR stations that
will be able to retail Oystercards.

Finsbury Park has two separate ticket offices - one run by WAGN & one
LUL. I doubt the WAGN ticket offices will sell Oystercards...

--
Phil Richards
London, N4

Oystercard from National Rail
 

On Sat, 27 Sep 2003 10:37:08 +0100 Helen Deborah Vecht
said...

Amex & Diners charge merchants higher commission than Visa & Mastercard IIRC.

Also they are slower at paying up the retailer who has to set up separate
merchant accounts with Amex & Diners. The rest (Visa, Mastercard, all the
debit cards etc.) usually all come under one.

Of course Amex & Diners card holders (or "Members" as they prefer to be
called) come out with the statement "The perks are much better" as a
standard response each time this point is raised.

--
Phil Richards
London, N4

Oystercard from National Rail
 

"Phil Richards" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 27 Sep 2003 10:37:08 +0100 Helen Deborah Vecht
said...

Amex & Diners charge merchants higher commission than Visa & Mastercard
IIRC.

Also they are slower at paying up the retailer who has to set up separate
merchant accounts with Amex & Diners. The rest (Visa, Mastercard, all the
debit cards etc.) usually all come under one.

My understanding about Amex is that the retailer can choose:
- to pay the same fee as with Visa and MasterCard and wait longer for
payment.
- to pay a higher fee than with Visa and MasterCard and receive payment in
the same timescale as Visa and MasterCard.

Either way, the retailer is worse off than accepting Visa or MasterCard.
I'm not sure what Diners Club do.

Of course Amex & Diners card holders (or "Members" as they prefer to be
called) come out with the statement "The perks are much better" as a
standard response each time this point is raised.

Yes, but we don't forget how those better perks are funded.

OT: Amex & Diners (Was Oystercard from National Rail)
 

On Wed, 1 Oct 2003 07:37:51 +0100 Nicholas F Hodder said...

Either way, the retailer is worse off than accepting Visa or MasterCard.
I'm not sure what Diners Club do.

Correct, that probably answers your question as to why LUL (amongst
others) have made a commercial decision not to accept them.

Of course Amex & Diners card holders (or "Members" as they prefer to be
called) come out with the statement "The perks are much better" as a
standard response each time this point is raised.

Yes, but we don't forget how those better perks are funded.

By the retailer who chooses to accept Amex (or Diners) and accepts a cut
in his profit or commission margin or delays his cash flow.

IMO it needs more of the big retailers to start pulling out altogether of
accepting Amex & Diners. Budget airline Ryanair recently made a big
announcement that they stopped taking Amex. IIRC they never did accept
Diners.

If the consumer wants the goods he'll usually pay for them by some other
way such as Visa/Mastercard or bank debit card. If that started to happen
perhaps Amex & Diners might have to start thinking about their charges
passed on to the retailer.

--
Phil Richards
London, N4

Oystercard from National Rail
 

On Tue, 30 Sep 2003 23:20:36 +0100, Phil Richards
wrote:

On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 08:40:57 +0100 Paul Corfield
said...

Finsbury Park (WAGN), Wimbledon, Queens Park, Barking, Walthamstow
Central, Upminster should all fall within the scope of NR stations that
will be able to retail Oystercards.

Finsbury Park has two separate ticket offices - one run by WAGN & one
LUL. I doubt the WAGN ticket offices will sell Oystercards...

Yes I know it has. I also know that the WAGN office has to retail LUL
tickets as a joint station. It would be complete lunacy not to equip it
for Oystercard sales as it would overload the LUL office if it wasn't.
There would almost certainly be issues over commission and apportionment
as well if LUL opted to use technology to divert sales. There are
agreements about such things.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!