Collecting train tickets bought on line at the station

http://stibasa.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/collecting-onlne-train-tickets-at.html

I went to Barking station today to collect tickets that I'd bought on line. I went to use one of the larger, older ticket machines (non Oyster) and noticed that it asked for a payment card to be put in. I put in one of my cards, but not the one I paid with. There was no problem with that, but I couldn't complete the transaction owing to a fault with the on screen keyboard.

I went to use one of the newer ticket machines. The display said to put in the card that I'd paid for the tickets with, but I used another one (as above) and still got the tickets.

Obviously both the cards in question are mine, but the one I used has not been in a ticket machine before, and has not been used to buy a train ticket. Therefore I have reason to believe that any valid payment card would work.

The tickets were for Euston - Rugby.

Collecting online train tickets at the station

Normally collecting tickets bought on line (such as from the machines at Barking Station, for example), though it can be done at any machine, requires the card that was used to buy the tickets and the reference number provided by the ticket selling site. This is OK for most people, but not very handy for people who buy tickets on behalf of others.

But in Rail 765, Barry Doe says "it seems like some operators [which he doesn't name] ... allow some frequent 'trusted' customers to use any card to collect tickets. This means that those customers who have a history of successful purchases through the site are allowed to insert any card to bring up the on-screen keyboard on which to type in the reference number." "But, because there could [sc: can] be no general rule, people should be careful to check the wording on their printouts, to be sure they are allowed to do this."

By "printouts" I assume Barry means the information provided by the ticket selling website.

One such operator is Southern - See http://www.southernrailway.com/tickets-and-fares/buying-tickets/ticket-on-departure/ who allow this from ticket machines as well as human ticket clerks (only theirs I have to assume) and I'm not sure if you would have to buy tickets from their website.

Southwest, if I read it correctly, only allow it from human clerks - not from machines.

http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/how-to-buy-tickets.aspx

New c2c ticket machines

c2c's Commuter News (September 08) reports that they are installing new ticket machines along their route by November 2008.

Amongst the features of the new machines they highlight is the ticket collection on departure facility "so you can order and pay for your ticket on line ... and collect it on the day you want to travel from the station you want to start from".

I don't think this is exactly right. Currently you can collect tickets ordered on line from any ticket machine that supports the TOD feature from not long after you order and pay for it. The 4 big blue ticket machines at Barking already support the feature. Online ticket websites for some reason ask you where you want to collect your ticket and warn you if the station you choose is not on the journey the ticket is for, yet it does not matter which compatible machine you use to collect it.

If you have bougfh tickets in advance I would advise collecting them sooner rather than later, from you nearest/most convenient TOD compatible machine. If you leave it till the day of travel and somehing goes wrong it could disrupt your journey. Why risk it?