Trainline and paypal?
 

I'm intrigued. You can buy trainline tickets with Paypal, and you can have a paypal account without linking a card to it. So how do you pick up trainline tickets without a card?

Wouldn't it be with a code provided at the time of reservation and punched into the machine? It seems to me that's how I've retrieved tickets bought in advance.

You may be right, but trainline are very clear, you have to use the code AND the card. I've searched around and no clarity.

How can you have a Paypal account with no card linked to it? When you use Paypal, where does the money come from?

I have Italian Paypal, and I had to have a card to open the account. And it had to be an Italian card. Is it different elsewhere?

Yes, I had a paypal account for at least 10 years without a card linked to it, and I've recently built up a cash reserve from selling stuff on ebay. I must have had a card in place at the opening of the account but that was so long ago I cannot remember.

Still this is not for me, but I was intrigued.

that's an interesting question. I would suggest you not do it as it could be impossible to retrieve the ticket. It would seem okay if you get an eticket, though.

I don't know why you'd have to use Paypal with trainline, anyway, don't they take regular credit cards? They say they do, I thought that was the main reason people used them, if they had trouble with some country's website due to their credit card and trainline worked better. I just don't see the point of the middleman of Paypal.

but if you don't have a regular card you cannot order a ticket, but you can use paypal.

Not having a credit card, a fair few people dislike the banks so much they don't have debit or credit cards, they use that funny crinkly stuff you put in your wallet.. :-)

Income into paypal... you sell stuff on ebay, you buy stuff on ebay, easy

it is weird, when I was growing up there were no cards. How come they became the norm, and should they be?

I'm very sure I've collected tickets with only the pin, even though it says in the confirmation email I need the card too. Some machines at small stations with no staff simply take the code, no accommodation for a card and no need.

When I've used a staffed office, say King's Cross, if I recall they just use the card. And machines use the code only, I'm pretty sure.

<i>"Some machines at small stations with no staff simply take the code, "</i>

That's absolutely NOT my experience. When there's no staff (as there isn't at my station most of the time), the machines still demand the card. If you've got card problems you have to come back when it's staffed.

<i>When I've used a staffed office, say King's Cross, if I recall they just use the card. </i>

Not my experience either. If you've prebooked and use a staffed office the staff don't require the SAME card. At my station, they usually take my word I'm me (that's how we all do business round here): but at more conventional stations, they just require convincing ID.

I think therein lies the answer to BB's question.

But why would anyone use Trainline anyway?

<i>But why would anyone use Trainline anyway?</i>

Because they accept Paypal

Thanks flanner and everyone else, very interesting. My contact is Italian and uses the trainline.it website in his own country and just booked this the same way. I suspect he earns his living a bit "off-grid" and maybe paypal is his "bank" account.

Ah what the future holds :-)

I buy tickets with a company account linked to Trainline. The machines say "please put in the credit card you used" but in fact they just need you to put a card - any card - in the slot. It doesn't take the money from the card and it doesn't seem to care what card it is, just that it needs a card put in the machine as part of the process.

Incidentally if I was paying for my own tickets I wouldn't use Trainline - they put an extra charge of about £1 on the purchase. Use one of the train companies - start at www.nationalrail.co.uk (NOT .com) and it'll link you to the relevant train company for your journey. It's very similar to using Trainline but without the extra charge at the end.