The Key Smartcard

• Online
• Ticket Offices
• Station Kiosks

KeyGo allows you to use your Key Smartcard for pay-as-you-go travel. When using keyGo we will only charge you for travel you take outside of any season tickets you also hold on The Key Smartcard.

If you add keyGo to your key card, you need to make sure that you tap in and out at the start and end of your trip to avoid being charged a £50 incomplete journey fee.

KeyGo map (please note the area keyGo can be used is different to where the Key smartcard can be used for other products).

Find out more

To get a Key Smartcard you will need to create an account with us and we will ask you for your name, address, date of birth and contact details.

If you are 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. Make sure when registering for a Child Key Smartcard, you enter your child’s details for an online account.

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

A Key Smartcard can be used in two ways:

1. Use it to buy train tickets for most journeys on train services operated by:

• Gatwick Express
• Great Northern
• Southeastern
• Southern
• South Western Railway
• Thameslink

2. Register for KeyGo, which is our Pay As You Go product, find out more about KeyGo here.

If you are not travelling as frequently as before:

• keyGo is our pay as you go option, which might be a suitable alternative for you. Find out more about keyGo
• Flexi Season tickets, are another option for travel between two points on the National Rail network, with the exception of journeys wholly within London Zones 1-6 or those that include travel on London Underground services. Find out more about Flexi Season Tickets
• Contactless pay as you go is a convenient way to travel within London. There is no need to top up or queue for tickets at the station, so just tap in and out with your debit or credit card. Find out more about Contactless

In addition to smartcard options we also have Etickets. These are a great way to get tickets emailed to you, so you don’t have to queue to collect your tickets at the station. Just select ‘eticket’ as delivery option when you book a ticket. Find out more about Etickets.

Don’t forget, if you have a Railcard, you can benefit from great discounts. Buy your ticket online, and add your railcard info, to start saving. Find out more about Railcards.

Yes, so long as your season ticket still has more than a month before it expires, 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.

To transfer your ticket:

• To check whether the route is available on the Key smartcard you can check our online booking engine or speak to a member of station staff
• Apply for The Key Smartcard online
• Visit Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern, or Thameslink ticket office outside of the London Travelcard area. See our Key Smartcard map

Station staff will do the transfer while you wait.

• 16-17 Saver
• 16 – 25 Railcard
• 26 – 30 Railcard
• Senior Railcard
• Annual Goldcard
• Network Railcard
• HM Forces Railcard
• Disabled Persons Railcard
• Veterans Railcard
• Job Centre Plus

When applicable, railcards can be used with tickets bought for The Key Smartcard. Please ensure you select your railcard type when you buy your Key tickets at self-service machines.

With the exception of the 16-17 Saver, Railcard discounts are not valid on season tickets.

To touch in and out hold your Key Smartcard against a reader at a gateline or validator until you hear a beep.

If you touch at a gateline the gate will open when the card has been accepted.

If you touch at a validator the display will show the message “journey started” or “journey ended” when the card has been read correctly.

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 Smartcard.

At all Great Northern, Thameslink, Southern and London stations, there are card readers available to touch in and out. Some stations operated by other companies do not have card readers and therefore we understand it is not always possible to touch in and out.

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.

All Great Northern, Thameslink, Southern and London stations have smartcard readers to collect online purchases, and touch in and out of journeys. Some stations operated by other companies do not have additional card readers to touch in and out. You will only be able to collect online purchases from the ticket machine at these stations.

* Travelcard season tickets, include travel on London Underground, London Overground, London Buses, London Trams, Docklands Light Rail and National Rail services within London Zones 1-6

**Super Off-Peak tickets are not currently available.

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. You can also collect tickets using our app from the App Store or Google Play.

Yes, the Key Smartcard can hold up to 5 products at a time. However, when buying online only one ticket can be purchased per transaction. 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 smartcard. You can buy multiple tickets at a ticket machine.

Note: KeyGo is one product and one Flexi Season (up to 8 passes) is one product.

Yes you can. If your Annual Season ticket is for travel in the South East of England, you will still receive your Gold Card discounts on leisure rail travel for yourself and others, if your Season ticket is on the Key Smartcard. The only difference is you will receive a separate Gold Record Card, and your actual season ticket for travel will be held on your smartcard. If you apply by post this will be issued separately, or if you get your Key smartcard from a Ticket Office you will be given this at the same time. Use your Gold Record Card when buying discounted tickets for yourself and others.

For further information about Annual Gold Card discounts please visit National Rail Enquiries.

Tickets can be loaded on our mobile app from the App Store or Google Play, or at gates and validators at stations. If you have an issue using one of these methods, please try the other method, or speak to a member of station staff. A ticket must be loaded before you board a train.

If you board a train without loading a ticket you will be travelling without a valid ticket and may be liable for a Penalty Fare or Prosecution, as per the normal Penalty Fare rules.

If your ticket is a Flexi Season ticket you must also activate a day pass. Read more about Flexi Season tickets.

For tickets purchase online: Credit or debit cards, PayPal, Amazon Pay, eVouchers.

For tickets purchased at Ticket Offices: Cash, credit or debit cards, vouchers, travel warrants, Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Season Tickets:

For point to point journeys across our network you will need either a pink photocard (which can be obtained from ticket offices), or another form of photo ID e.g. drivers license.

For journeys across different networks e.g. including London travelcard you will need a pink photocard (which can be obtained from ticket offices).

Flexi Season tickets and single/return tickets:

No photo ID is required.

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 Smartcard.

At all Great Northern, Thameslink, Southern and London stations, there are card readers available to touch in and out. Some stations operated by other companies do not have card readers and therefore we understand in those instances it is not always possible to touch in and out.

The best way to do this is by logging into your account to request this yourself. Log in to your account to cancel and replace your existing Smartcard. You can also report the loss or theft of a Key Smartcard by calling our team to arrange a replacement:

03451 27 29 20 (for Southern Website issued Smartcards)

03450 26 47 00 (for Thameslink or Great Northern Website issued Smartcards)

You can apply for up to two replacement Smartcards free of charge; further requests may incur a fee.

You will receive your replacement smartcard with any valid tickets including any unused Flexi Season day passes for you to use within the original validity 28-day period. If you are close to the end of the validity period and think you might not have time to use theses passes, you may want to apply for a refund.

If the lost/stolen season ticket or Smartcard was not purchased from a Great Northern, Southern or Thameslink website or ticket office you must contact the original retailer.

Please note our Ticket Offices cannot issue replacement smartcards.

Below are some error codes to help you understand why your tap was not successful. Please speak to a member of staff for further details and assistance.

11: Ticket / Card expired

12: Not valid at this time

57: Period ticket not valid, station not covered by ticket

94: Card read failed

97: Card removed to early