Got a Key Smartcard already? Once registered for keyGo, just tap in and out as you travel, and we’ll calculate the best fare for you at the end of the day!
How does keyGo work?
Watch our 40 second video on how it works.
keyGo
Add keyGo to your Key Smartcard to get the best day fares available on the day of travel for your pay as you go journeys.
Setting up keyGo
Step 1
Get a Key Smartcard on our website or at one of our stations
Step 2
Log in to your account and activate keyGo in just a few clicks
Step 3
Tap in & out with the Key Smartcard. We'll calculate the best fare
Railcards
The following railcards can also be used with keyGo: 16 –17 Saver, 16 – 25 Railcard, 26 –30 Railcard, Senior Railcard, Annual Goldcard, Network Railcard, HM Forces Railcard, Disabled Persons railcard, Veterans Railcard, and Job Centre Plus.
Download the keyGo map
Keen to see where you can travel with keyGo? Check out where keyGo is active on our network map.
Please note that keyGo cannot be used on the same Key Smartcard together with Flexi Season tickets. Find out more here.
Please read the keyGo terms and conditions
More information
Once you have a Key Smartcard, you can set up keyGo through your online account.
When you register for keyGo a ‘pre-authorisation’ process takes place which will see £0.01 (one penny) ringfenced in your payment account, this lasts 3-5 working days. No money is debited when a card pre-authorisation takes place, it is simply used to check the card is active/valid.
The pre-authorisation will link your payment card to your keyGo account for automatic payments to be taken via a Continuous Payment Authority when journeys are made.
If you have a smart phone, you can load keyGo to your Key Smartcard within 15 minutes of registration using our mobile app.
Once loaded, just touch your Key Smartcard on the card reader at a station and touch out at any station in the keyGo area.
Alternatively, you can load keyGo on the card 2 hours after registration by touching in at your chosen station before you make your first journey. After your first journey, you can start travelling from any of the stations where KeyGo is accepted as shown on the map.
- To activate keyGo, you must make your first journey within 30 days of registration
- You are not able to start your first journey on a bus
- Add your Railcard to your online account and we will discount your keyGo journeys
- You should set up keyGo using your primary email address or at least one that you check regularly, it is important that we are able to contact you in relation to your account
- Once you sign up for keyGo you must touch in and out for every journey you make - even if you have a season ticket so we know where you travelled to and from and if applicable how much to charge you
- If you do not touch in or out, this will generate an incomplete journey which we will notify you by email. If you do not then complete your journey, through your online account we will charge a £50 incomplete journey charge per incomplete journey
- If you are aware, you have been unable to touch out for any reason you can proactively complete your journey via your online account the following day (no need to wait for an email prompt)
- KeyGo cannot be used on TfL (Transport for London) or other train company’s services with one small exception. KeyGo can be used on Great Western Railway services between Redhill and Dorking Deepdene. This is in place to allow onward keyGo journeys on Southern services from Dorking station where you can touch in/touch out
- KeyGo and Flexi Seasons cannot be used on the same Key smartcard. If you want to use both products, you will need to register for a second Key smartcard (which will require a second email address)
- First Class fares do not currently apply to keyGo
- You must keep your payment card details up to date
- If you have added a Railcard to your account, you must always have it available for inspection purposes
Your journeys will be calculated and updated daily at 4.30am. Please ensure you have sufficient funds in your account to cover automatic billing prior to travel.
You will receive an email advising that we have been unable to take payment from the payment card registered to your keyGo account, and that your payment details require updating. Once your payment details are updated and we have been able to take payment, you can continue to use keyGo.
We will attempt to take payment three times after which your keyGo account will be blocked preventing further use. To clear the outstanding balance, please contact Customer Services. Once your balance is cleared you may re-register for keyGo.
Using keyGo
Yes.
At the end of the day, we review your entry and exit taps and apply the most appropriate fare for the journeys you made. For example, if you travelled from Brighton to Haywards Heath, then later in the day travelled to Gatwick Airport, you would be charged a Brighton to Gatwick Airport ticket.
Yes.
If your journey with us is delayed by 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 are due compensation.
Just select Automatic Delay Repay in your online account preferences.
For further details please visit:
Greatnorthernrail.com/delayrepay
No.
If you are not getting off the train to touch in/ touch out this will register as an Incomplete Journey. You will need to buy a paper ticket for the whole journey
No.
You will need to touch out at the end of the KeyGo area, and then re-enter the station using Oyster or contactless in order to continue your journey with another rail operator.
If you have not touched in or out, go online and complete your journey through your keyGo account. If you do not complete your journey, we will email you within 48 hours to inform you of the missing journey information. You can then log into your account and amend the incomplete journey, otherwise a £50 Incomplete Journey Charge (per journey) will be applied to your account.
Where possible, we will auto-fill your journeys based upon your regular journey patterns. If the auto-fill is incorrect you can amend this through your online account.
Yes.
We recommend that you do not sign up to keyGo if you regularly travel to St Pancras with East Midlands Trains. This is because we are unable to receive journey details from East Midlands Trains’ and the system will therefore always treat your journey as Incomplete. To avoid an Incomplete Journey Charge, we recommend you do not add keyGo to your Key Smartcard in this instance.
Travelling with keyGo
Yes.
At the end of the day, we review your entry and exit taps and apply the most appropriate fare for the journeys you made. For example, if you travelled from Brighton to Haywards Heath, then later in the day travelled to Gatwick Airport, you would be charged a Brighton to Gatwick Airport ticket.
Yes.
If your journey with us is delayed by 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 are due compensation.
Just select Automatic Delay Repay in your online account preferences.
For further details please visit:
Greatnorthernrail.com/delayrepay
No.
If you are not getting off the train to touch in/ touch out this will register as an Incomplete Journey. You will need to buy a paper ticket for the whole journey
No.
You will need to touch out at the end of the KeyGo area, and then re-enter the station using Oyster or contactless in order to continue your journey with another rail operator.
If you have not touched in or out, go online and complete your journey through your keyGo account. If you do not complete your journey, we will email you within 48 hours to inform you of the missing journey information. You can then log into your account and amend the incomplete journey, otherwise a £50 Incomplete Journey Charge (per journey) will be applied to your account.
Where possible, we will auto-fill your journeys based upon your regular journey patterns. If the auto-fill is incorrect you can amend this through your online account.
Yes.
We recommend that you do not sign up to keyGo if you regularly travel to St Pancras with East Midlands Trains. This is because we are unable to receive journey details from East Midlands Trains’ and the system will therefore always treat your journey as Incomplete. To avoid an Incomplete Journey Charge, we recommend you do not add keyGo to your Key Smartcard in this instance.
Incomplete journey charge
If you have not touched in or out and have not proactively completed your journey online (available from the day after travel), we will email you an Incomplete Journey Charge notification. This will be sent to you within 48 hours of your journey. Once you receive this notification you must log into you account immediately to amend the incomplete journey.
An Incomplete Journey Charge notification is issued if we do not know where you touched in/out, as we cannot work out where you travelled to and from and what fare should have been charged. You must log into your account immediately to amend the incomplete journey, otherwise a £50 Incomplete Journey Charge per journey will be applied to your account.
An Incomplete Journey Charge notification is issued if we do not know where you touched in/out, as we cannot work out where you travelled to and from and what fare should have been charged. You must log into your account immediately to amend the incomplete journey, otherwise a £50 Incomplete Journey Charge per journey will be applied to your account.
Log into your keyGo account and follow the instructions to complete your journey. You must do this on receipt of the Incomplete Journey Charge notification to avoid a £50 Incomplete Journey Charge being applied to your account. The charge can take up to 7 days to be applied to your account.
Always remember to touch in at the start of your journey and touch out at the end of your journey as this will enable us to apply the correct fare for the journey being made and avoid an Incomplete Journey Charge of £50, or a Penalty Fare.
A penalty Fare could be issued if you fail to touch in at the start of your journey.
If you have touched in at the start of your journey and touched out at the end, then you will not receive an Incomplete Journey Charge. We are confident the data we receive from recorded journey details will allow us to charge the correct fare for your journey, however there are times when things may go wrong. If this is the case, please contact customer services using the links below:
If you owe money on your keyGo account, you will need to clear this before using keyGo again. Please log into your keyGo account to update your payment details online and we will automatically attempt to take payment for the amount owed. As soon as your payment has cleared you will be able to use keyGo again.
- If there is money owing on your keyGo account, you will need to clear this by returning your balance to £0 before you can close your account
- If you have a positive balance, we recommend that you request a refund of this through your online account before closure
- If your keyGo balance is £0:
- Log into your online account
- Go to the Key Smartcard section from the main menu
- Select keyGo Account from the left-hand side
- Click 'cancel my account' at the bottom of the screen and follow the steps
Please note, it can take up to 6 working days for the account to fully close.