Chiltern Railways and YourRail are working together to introduce the UK rail industry's first mobile ticketing scheme.
The 'txt2mobile' facility will be offered as a fulfillment option for Chiltern's established E-Day ticket, in addition to 'print@home'.
As with all new technology, we expect you to have lots of questions. Hopefully, most of them will be answered below, but if there’s something else you need to know, please email us.
1 Where and when can I travel with an E-day ticket?
2 Is it available at all times and on all trains?
3 How much does a ticket cost?
4 Can I board the train at any station?
5 What do I do if I can’t buy an E-Day ticket for the journey I want to make?
6 Do I need proof of identity (as well as my barcode or ticket) to get through the ticket barriers?
7 Can I book tickets for somebody else?
8 How do I get through the ticket gates?
9 Must I have my ticket with me when I travel?
10 What happens if there are lots of us travelling together with 'txt2mobile' tickets?
11 Will there be hold ups or long queues at the Marylebone ticket gates whilst barcodes are being read?
12 Why isn’t mobile ticketing available on all trains to all destinations
13 What information do I need to register for mobile ticketing?
14 Where can I book a ticket?
15 I’ve forgotten my username / password.
16 How do I pay?
17 Will I get a receipt?
18 What does a 'txt2mobile' ticket look like?
19 I want to book several 'txt2mobile' journeys in one transaction – how many barcodes will I receive?
20 Does my mobile phone need to be switched on or have a signal to receive a barcode?
21 How quickly should I receive my barcode - and what if it doesn't arrive?
22 What happens if I do not receive my confirmation email?
23 Can a 'txt2mobile' ticket be forwarded to another person’s mobile phone?
24 What happens if my mobile battery goes flat before or during my journey – or I forget / lose my phone?
25 I’ve changed my mobile phone / my phone number – what do I need to do?
26 I will be travelling with a different mobile phone to the one I have registered. Can I forward the barcode?
27 Can I register a phone that doesn’t accept picture messages?
28 What happens if I cannot find the make and model of my mobile phone during registration?
29 Can I change my booking?
30 How do I make a return journey?
31 Am I still eligible for special offers such as ‘2 for1 entry into London attractions’?
32 Are there any railcard or child discounts available with E-Day?
33 What happens if I miss my designated train?
34 What happens if my designated train is delayed or cancelled?
35 Can I get a refund if my plans change?
36 Do I need to book in advance?
37 Can I book from overseas?
38 Is there a phone number for technical support?
39 Who do I contact if I have a problem or if I need to know more?
Where and when can I travel with an E-day ticket?
An E-Day ticket is a single journey ticket valid between London and the following destinations:
1. Birmingham
2. Stratford upon Avon
3. Great Missenden
4. Banbury
5. Bicester
... and vice versa. The E-Day ticket allows you to make one single journey between the specificied stations on the date and train shown on the ticket. For destinations and train times please click here.
Is it available at all times and on all trains?
No, we have a limited quota of tickets on specific off-peak trains, Mondays to Saturdays. Click here for the E-Day timetable. You can’t buy E-day tickets for travel on Sundays.
How much does a ticket cost?
Ticket prices vary according to the time you're travelling and the journey you're taking. Prices start at £4 from Great Missenden and £5 from Birmingham to London, rising to £25 to travel at peak times
Can I board the train at any station?
Your ticket is only valid on the train for which you booked. You may board and alight at any station, as long as it is between the points stated in the text message. For example, with a Birmingham to London E-Day ticket, you may join at Solihull and alight at High Wycombe, as long as the train stops at these points.
What do I do if I can’t buy an E-Day ticket for the journey I want to make?
Availability permitting, E-Day tickets can be ordered up until 1800 the day before departure. If you can’t get a ticket for the journey you want, you’ll need to either travel at a different time or buy one of our more flexible 'standard' tickets (Cheap Day Return, for example). Please note that there is a greater choice of trains on the ‘txt2mobile’ option than via the ‘print@home’ method.
Do I need proof of identity (as well as my barcode or ticket) to get through the ticket barriers?
Yes. Please ensure that you have some photo ID or the credit/debit card with which the ticket was booked. Our staff may request to see this identification.
Can I book tickets for somebody else?
If they are not travelling with you, they need to have their own account, since identification may be requested during the journey, which must match the registered user's details on our database.
How do I get through the ticket gates?
Print @ Home
At London Marylebone you’ll need to show your E-Day ticket to one of our ticket examining staff on duty by the ticket gates. If your ticket is valid they will allow you through.
Txt2mobile
At London Marylebone, there are barcode readers above two of the ticket gates, (to the right of the Excess Fares booth when exiting the platforms). These are clearly signed. If your barcode is for more than one passenger, you'll need to have your phone scanned by one of our ticket examining staff at the 'wide aisle' ticket gate to allow each member of the group through the gates.
Must I have my ticket with me when I travel?
Print @ home
If you have selected the ‘Print @ home’ option, you must print out your E-Day ticket and have it with you to show to any Chiltern Railways member of staff on request. The printed ticket is your only authority to travel.
Txt 2 mobile
If you have selected the ‘Txt2mobile’ option, you must save the barcode/text message that is sent to your mobile phone and show this to any Chiltern Railways member of staff on request. This text message is your authority to travel and can be checked by the barcode scanners carried by our staff (please turn the backlight on to enable easier scanning).
You should also keep a copy of your confirmation e-mail, should there be a problem with your barcode. A printed version of your confirmation e-mail, together with photo ID (or the credit/debit card used to book the ticket) will allow us to verify your authority to travel in exceptional circumstances. It is therefore vital that you enter you email details correctly when registering, to ensure you receive your confirmation message.
What happens if there are lots of us travelling together with 'txt2mobile' tickets?
Up to 6 'txt2mobile' tickets can be purchased at a time for a specific departure, although all tickets will be sent to the registered user’s mobile phone. You will receive a text message for each train departure on which you are booked, with a delay of up to 2 minutes between text messages. On board the train, the hand held scanners used by our staff will tell them the number of people permitted to travel. A member of staff will allow you through the gates at Marylebone (see above). For 'print@home' you'll receive a separate ticket for each person.
Will there be hold ups or long queues at the Marylebone ticket gates whilst barcodes are being read?
We have limited the number of tickets available on each train to prevent long queues, but please use the self-service scanners wherever possible.
Why isn’t mobile ticketing available on all trains to all destinations
Until we have sufficient experience (and sufficient hardware to scan barcodes), we are limiting the number of tickets available through 'print@home' and 'txt2mobile'. We have recently expanded the scheme and will continue to do so in a closely managed way.
What information do I need to register for mobile ticketing?
You’ll need to tell us your mobile phone number, your e-mail address, along with the make and model number of your phone. Please make sure you enter your email address correctly and remove any spam filters that might block communications from Chiltern Railways. Google Mail (‘gmail’) email accounts in particular have strong ‘spam’ filters.
Where can I book a ticket?
E-Day tickets can only be booked on the Chiltern Railways website. They are not available from rail stations or other websites (such as thetrainline.com).
I’ve forgotten my username / password.
Don’t worry; just email us and we’ll send you a reminder.
How do I pay?
Payment is by debit or credit card at time of booking. Payment is not currently available through your mobile phone bill.
Will I get a receipt?
Once you have booked your ticket, a confirmation email will be sent to you with a reference number, details of your journey, amount paid, and your registered address. If you are claiming back the cost of your ticket via company expenses, this email is your proof of purchase.
What does a 'txt2mobile' ticket look like?
A SMS text message with journey details and a 2-D data matrix (a 2-D barcode made up of black and white squares) will be sent to the phone specified by you at the ‘sign up’ stage. Some newer phones and Blackberry devices may have difficulty displaying the barcode, in which case a WAP push message will be sent. Some older phones will be sent a text only barcode, this is still valid for travel but will need to manually checked by our on board and gate line staff, rather than scanned.
I want to book several 'txt2mobile' journeys in one transaction – how many barcodes will I receive?
You will receive a text message for each train departure on which you are booked, with a delay of up to 2 minutes between text messages. You can identify which message relates to each journey by reading the text underneath the barcode. Please ensure you save the messages.
Does my mobile phone need to be switched on or have a signal to receive a barcode?
Yes, although your mobile network will automatically try to send the text message for several hours, before ‘timing out’. As long as your phone has a signal, is switched on within a few hours of you ordering your ticket and has space in the message inbox, you should have no problems.
How quickly should I receive my barcode - and what if it doesn't arrive?
If you have not received your ticket after 2 hours, please check that your message inbox is not full and that you have a network signal. Sometimes, switching the phone off and then on helps to retrieve undelivered messages. If none of these actions work, please email us, forwarding a copy of your booking confirmation email. If you still haven't received your barcode by the time of travel, make sure you have your confirmation email and proof of ID to enable travel.
What happens if I do not receive my confirmation email?
You should receive this almost immediately. If you have not received it within an hour, it is likely that the email address was entered incorrectly in your original registration. We can send you a copy within 24 hours (Mondays-Fridays) if you let us know by email.
Can a 'txt2mobile' ticket be forwarded to another person’s mobile phone?
The ticket is not transferable. That means that it can only be used by the person whose account has been used to book the ticket (as detailed on the confirmation email). Identification may be requested by our revenue protection staff.
What happens if my mobile battery goes flat before or during my journey – or I forget / lose my phone?
Your mobile phone carries your ticket, so it is your responsibility to look after it and have enough battery life for your entire journey. However, a printed version of your confirmation e-mail, together with photo ID (or the credit/debit card used to book the ticket) will allow us to verify your authority to travel in exceptional circumstances.
On weekdays, it is possible to resend barcodes by emailing us. We can usually process these requests within 24 hours.
I’ve changed my mobile phone / my phone number – what do I need to do?
You’ll need to update your registration information; simply log in and your details will come up automatically. Simply edit anything that's changed.
I will be travelling with a different mobile phone to the one I have registered. Can I forward the barcode?
We do not guarantee barcodes will work when forwarded to other phones. However, a printed version of your confirmation e-mail, together with photo ID (or the credit/debit card used to book the ticket) will allow us to verify your authority to travel in exceptional circumstances.
Can I register a phone that doesn’t accept picture messages?
If your phone cannot display the barcode, the journey details will still be visible in normal text format. This style cannot be 'read' by scanning devices, and will need to be double-checked by our staff against their manifest.
What happens if I cannot find the make and model of my mobile phone during registration?
We try to keep the database up to date, but if your phone isn't listed, simply select the make of your mobile phone and select 'other'
Can I change my booking?
E-Day can only be used on the date and train shown on the ticket. It may be used for intermediate journeys, but only on the specific date and train shown on the ticket. No other break of journey or travel on alternative trains is allowed. If you want to use a different train you’ll need to pay the full appropriate fare for the journey you’re making. Your E-Day ticket cannot be used as ‘part payment’ towards travel on another service.
How do I make a return journey?
You’ll need to buy 2 separate E-Day tickets, one for each direction. Just add them to your transaction basket and you can pay for them together.
Am I still eligible for special offers such as ‘2 for1 entry into London attractions’?
The participating attractions are not able to verify barcodes, so you'll need to print off your confirmation email (which contains your name and last few digits of your credit/debit card) and show this together with your 'print@home' or 'txt2mobile' ticket at each attraction. You may also be asked to produce the credit card used for the booking.
Are there any railcard or child discounts available with E-Day?
No. It's therefore a good idea to check to see whether a standard ticket works out cheaper.
What happens if I miss my designated train?
E-Day tickets are only available on the train specified. Your ticket is not valid on any other train, and it is therefore your responsibility to ensure you catch the right departure to avoid having to pay again. The barcode will also be automatically deleted from the phone 3 hours after the scheduled departure time.
What happens if my designated train is delayed or cancelled?
Your ticket will be valid on the next available Chiltern departure.
Can I get a refund if my plans change?
E-Day tickets are offered at a great value, bargain price and so we’re unable to offer refunds because of the administrative costs involved. However, we may consider a refund if you’re unable to travel for any reason caused by Chiltern Railways. All of your rights are retained under the terms of our Passenger’s Charter.
Do I need to book in advance?
Yes. Tickets are available up to 3 months in advance of travel. Bookings close at 1800 on the day prior to each train's departure time or when tickets have sold out for that journey – whichever is sooner.
Can I book from overseas?
Yes, but some international mobile phone numbers are not recognised by our current system. We hope to change this if the trial is a success.
Is there a phone number for technical support?
At present we are only able to respond by email marketing@chilternrailways.co.uk, we aim to answer all queries within 24 hours.
Who do I contact if I have a problem or if I need to know more?
If the above Qs and As have not addressed your query, please email us. Alternatively call our customer services line on 08456 005 165 (0830-1730, Mondays to Fridays).
