Yes, as long as you have at least one month’s validity remaining, and the origin and destination stations of your ticket are Key Smartcard-enabled stations. You must also have purchased your ticket from one of our stations or from our website. Unfortunately, it is not possible to transfer your Season ticket if it has been discounted.

To transfer your ticket:

• Check that your origin and destination is available on The Key Smartcard by checking the map
• Apply for The Key Smartcard online
• Visit any staffed Great Northern, Southern or Thameslink ticket office outside of the London Travelcard area. See our map

We’ll then contact you when your Key is ready to be collected, usually within 5 working days.

16 – 25 Railcard

26 – 30 Railcard

Senior Railcard

Annual Goldcard

Network Railcard

HM Forces Railcard

Disabled Persons Railcard

When applicable, railcards can be used with tickets bought for The Key Smartcard. Please ensure you select your railcard type when you buy your tickets at self-service machines. Railcard discounts are not valid on season tickets.

Sign into your online account and select the toggle for “Key Smartcard fares”.

When you first register for The Key Smartcard, you can purchase a ticket at the same time which will be pre-loaded to your smartcard. It will be ready to use once received.

You can buy tickets online or from a ticket machine at one of our stations outside London. You can buy weekly, monthly or annual season tickets. Single and return tickets are only available to purchase at our ticket machines outside London.

When buying tickets online you need to:

• Log into your online account and select the Key Smartcard fares button on the main purchase screen
• Select your journey and choose a station to collect your ticket. Allow 2 hours before attempting collection from your nominated station
• At the station, touch your Key Smartcard on the card reader

When buying a smart ticket from a ticket machine, please note that these will be loaded immediately to your Key Smartcard.

Not all fares are currently available on The Key Smartcard. There are certain point-to-point fares (travel between two named stations), particularly those to or from other operator's stations which we are not able to sell at this time. Therefore in some cases alternative fares may be available on paper. If you are making an online purchase you should de-select the 'Key Smartcard fares' option to see the full range of fares available.

It is not possible to buy tickets on the Key Smartcard on the train. Please ensure you have bought a ticket for your Key Smartcard before travelling. You can buy tickets online or at any of our ticket machines outside the London area.

No, buy tickets online or at any of our ticket machines outside the London area.

The Key Smartcard can hold up to 5 tickets at a time. However, when buying online only one ticket can be purchased per transaction (at no additional cost). Our system has a limit on how many tickets can be uploaded to The Key Smartcard at a card reader from a single transaction. Additional tickets can be purchased after you’ve loaded a ticket on to your card at the card reader/validator. When buying from a ticket machine, you can buy multiple tickets.

We are working hard to ensure the most suitable ticket types are available on The Key Smartcard. If the ticket you need isn’t available on The Key Smartcard, we recommend you continue to buy a paper ticket from stations.

Ticket type	Buy online	Buy at ticket machines (non Oyster machines only)
Annual season tickets and Travelcard season tickets for Tube, buses, London Trains, trains and the Docklands Light Railway	Yes	No
Monthly or weekly season ticket	Yes	Yes
Anytime single and return tickets	No	Yes
Off-Peak single and return tickets	No	Yes

When you buy a ticket online you must collect it from your chosen station. You can also purchase a ticket from any of our ticket machines outside of London.

*Super Off-Peak tickets are not currently available.

As a parent or guardian of a child aged 5 to 15 years, you’ll need to provide the same information online as you do to register as an adult – name, address, date of birth and contact details. However, you’ll also need to provide a passport-style digital photograph of them for their smartcard.

To complete a child’s registration, you must also verify the child’s age at any staffed Great Northern, Southern or Thameslink ticket office along with proof of identification, such as a passport or birth certificate.

Yes, for all train journeys you should touch in and out, or you may be liable to pay a penalty fare. This is particularly important for users of KeyGo and to benefit from Auto Delay Repay. For repeated misuse, we reserve the right to disable your Key.

We’re here to help. For these and other queries about The Key Smartcard, please get in touch with us.

Smartcard readers are located either at the ticket gates or near the entrance/exit to those stations with freestanding validators. Either way, they are easy to spot with a yellow disk. When travelling in the London area, use the Oyster reader at valid locations.

No, Oyster pay as you go is not available on the Key.

Yes, if you have a Travelcard loaded on your Key Smartcard you’ll be able to travel to any London station within the Travelcard zone. You’ll be able to use it on buses, tubes, trams, Docklands Light Railway, London Overground and other National Rail services.

Yes, you can use The Key Smartcard on Gatwick Express services as long as you have a valid ticket that can be used on the Gatwick Express.

Aside from travel within the London Travelcard area (with a valid travelcard ticket), your Key Smartcard is valid for travel with other train operators as follows (as long as you have a valid ticket):

• London North Eastern Railway – between London King’s Cross and Stevenage
• East Midlands Trains – between London St Pancras and Bedford

If your Key Smartcard is lost or stolen, we’ll block the card and send a free replacement to your registered address. Your new Smartcard will come pre-loaded with any valid tickets at the time of replacement so it’s ready for you to use. Just log in to your account to cancel and replace your existing smartcard. We’ll give you up to 2 free replacements over 12 months. Any subsequent replacements will need to be investigated and we may retain your Key Smartcard.

Whilst waiting for your new card to arrive you will need to buy paper tickets to travel. If you have a season ticket, we recommend that you buy a weekly ticket whilst waiting for your replacement Smartcard to arrive. Please keep these tickets as you will be able to claim a refund for them on receipt of your replacement Smartcard. Refunds will be processed at any Great Northern, Southern or Thameslink ticket office providing your Smartcard season ticket is active at the time of loss. A £10 admin fee will be applied to all tickets as per our Smartcard refund policy.

The Key Smartcard is designed to be durable and should keep working reliably for a long time, but if your Key Smartcard stops working, we’ll send a free replacement to your registered address. Your new card will arrive pre-loaded with any valid tickets at the time of replacement so it’s ready for you to use. Just log in to your account to cancel and replace your existing smartcard. We’ll give you up to 2 free replacements over 12 months.

Whilst waiting for your new card to arrive you will need to buy paper tickets to travel. If you have a season ticket, we recommend that you buy a weekly ticket whilst waiting for your replacement Smartcard to arrive. Please keep these tickets as you will be able to claim a refund for them on receipt of your replacement Smartcard. Refunds will be processed at any Great Northern, Southern or Thameslink ticket office providing your Smartcard season ticket is active at the time of loss. Where the card has been damaged or stopped working, no admin fee will be charged.

No, your Key Smartcard is not transferable and can only be used by the person it was issued to. For your own security, your Key Smartcard will be retained if someone else other than you is found to be using it. If your Key Smartcard is being used fraudulently then those involved could be liable for prosecution.

Yes, if your train journey is delayed by more than 15 minutes or more you can claim compensation under our Delay Repay scheme. With The Key Smartcard you can benefit from Auto Delay Repay. We can in many cases, tell when you may have been delayed and let you know when you’re owed compensation.

To claim compensation and for further information about Auto Delay Repay, please visit our Delay Repay page. We can also automatically notify you when we think you’ve been delayed. Just tick the box for Automatic Delay Repay in the preferences section of your online account.

Log in to your online account and follow the prompts or visit our refunds page. We will contact you within 28 days of receiving your request.