Smartcard

A Smartcard is a ticket that you can top up using our app.

If you’re a regular traveller or commuter, a Smartcard is a great way to get your tickets.

Benefits

  • It’s quick - Skip ticket office queues and pass through ticket gates quickly. Delay Repay claims can be processed quicker too.

  • It’s secure - Smartcards can be cancelled and replaced if they’re lost or stolen.

  • It’s paperless - These cards are tougher than your ordinary paper ticket. Don't worry about the ink fading easily or your ticket getting damaged, plus they’re a greener option!

  • You can load up to 5 tickets on a Smartcard.

Greater Anglia's e-ticket on a mobile and Smart Card

How to use it

Buy your next ticket on our website or app and we'll let you know if it can be collected on a Smartcard.

Smartcard collections take up to 5 minutes after purchase for them to be ready on our app and up to 2 hours if you choose to collect them at the station.

You'll need to be logged in and have a compatible smart device if you're collecting via our app - minimum iOS 14.0 or Android 5 with compatible NFC capability.

App

Wait 5 minutes after purchase, then go to My tickets and click the orange Smartcard button. Hold your card firmly towards the top of the screen on the front or back of your iPhone, or the back of your Android phone to load your ticket. You'll now be able to see all the tickets on your card.

Station

You’ll need to wait 2 hours after buying your ticket online to collect it at your chosen station.

Then you can load your ticket onto your Smartcard by tapping it on a reader located at the station. Depending on the station, the reader could be a ticket gate, ticket machine or a Smartcard scanner at the platform (platform validator).

Touch your Smartcard in and out on a Smart reader every time you travel. Depending on the station, the reader could be a ticket gate, ticket machine or a Smartcard scanner at the platform (platform validator).

This will also speed up any Delay Repay compensation claims if your train is late.

Remember to always carry a valid photo ID or photocard if you'ree using a season ticket, You can get a photocard for free from any National Rail ticket office, just bring a valid passport size photo with you.

Activating Flexi Season passes

A Flexi Season comes with eight passes so you'll need to activate one of them in our app before you travel.

Go to My tickets and click the orange Smartcard button. Then hold your card firmly towards the top of the screen on the front or back of your iPhone, or the back of your Android phone. You'll now be able to see all the tickets on your card. Find the Flexi Season ticket and click Activate Pass. Wait 1-2 minutes before tapping your card again to see your activated pass.

Managing your Smartcard

You can check the tickets on your Smartcard by connecting it with the Greater Anglia app (see step 2 above).

You can also log in to your account to change your contact details, request a refund, manage your Smartcards and check your booking history.

How to get a free Smartcard

You can order a personalised Greater Anglia Smartcard online. Orders can take up to 3 working days to arrive and if you order before 10am, we'll aim for it to arrive the next working day.

Order your Free Smartcard


App Tap & Away

Need help? Check out our Smartcard FAQs

For further assistance, you can call our Smart support team on 0345 600 7245 (option 9). Lines can be busy. Open hours are Monday to Friday 07:00 - 20:00 and Saturday to Sunday 10:00 - 17:00.

General Smartcard

Smartcards are plastic and are much tougher than paper tickets. This means they're more durable so you're less likely to need a replacement.

Using a Smartcard for your Season Ticket is much quicker. You no longer need to queue at a ticket office to purchase your Season Ticket, simply buy it online at your convenience and then present your card at a gate or ticket machine to load your Season Ticket product to your Smartcard.

If you travel through a station with automatic ticket gates, you'll no longer need to feed your ticket through the gate. Simply touch your Smartcard on the reader.

You must collect your Season Ticket from your chosen collection station before you travel. Please allow a minimum of two hours before collecting your Season Ticket.

The Greater Anglia Smartcard is available to anyone over 16 years of age.

PlusBus, discounted and Anglia Plus season tickets cannot be issued on Smartcards.

This all depends on where the ticket was purchased and if the journey is available on Smart. For further information, please visit any of our ticket offices and staff will be able to assist you.

If your current ticket is a valid Smart journey, staff will swap your existing paper season to a Smartcard for free.

Yes, if you purchase an Annual Season Ticket on a Smartcard, you will automatically be issued with a Gold Record Card. You will receive this by post 5-7 days after purchasing your ticket. This Gold Record Card can be used to obtain all your usual Gold Card benefits.

Find out more about Gold Card eligibility and benefits.

When travelling with a Season Ticket, (expect Flexi Season ticket), customers are required to travel with a valid Photo ID or photocard.

National Rail Photocards can be obtained free of charge from any National Rail ticket office, just bring a valid passport size photo with you.

Our Smarcard route map (PDF) shows where you can use your Smartcard on the Greater Anglia network and which stations you can collect your Season Tickets from.

Your Smartcard will let you load up to 5 Smart tickets at a time.

Ticket activation, inspection, and receipts

This all depends on where the ticket was purchased, and the collection option chosen.

If purchased online for collection via Mobile app, your ticket will be available to validate in around 5 mins. If you chose to collect from a station - your ticket will be available from the gatelines, TVMs and platform validators at this location around 2 hours after purchase.

If the ticket was purchased directly from a ticket office, the product is loaded to the Smartcard so can be used straight away.

Please ensure that you have left the relevant amount of time between purchasing and collecting. If using station equipment (Gatelines, Ticket Vending Machines, Platform validators), please try more than one if an error occurs, if possible, make a note of any error messages that appear.

If using the Mobile App, please ensure that you have selected the Smartcard option from the side menu and held the card down firmly on the device to allow the product to be read.

If the station has a ticket office, please visit this and a member of the ticket office staff will be able to assist you further.

Alternatively, please contact the Smart Support team on 0345 600 7245 (option 9).

On board our trains your Smartcard will be checked with a handheld reader. You will also be asked for your National Rail photocard if travelling on a Season ticket.

We recommend downloading the Greater Anglia app which lets you see what tickets you have loaded on your smartcard, including the expiry date and allows customers to activate their Flexi Season tickets before travel. Learn how to check your Smartcard with the app.

Smartcards can also be inspected by holding the card against the reader on a TVM.

Platform validators will advise if there is a valid ticket but will not show ticket details.

Android

If you're using our newly updated app, go to My tickets and click the orange Smartcard symbol. Next, hold your card firmly on the back of your NFC compatible phone. Then, you'll be able to see the current and expired tickets on your Smartcard.

iPhone

Open the Greater Anglia app, select the ‘Scan Smartcard’ option from the menu and hold your Smartcard firmly on towards the top of the screen, using either the back or front of the phone, then click tickets.

If you're using our newly updated app, go to My tickets and click the orange Smartcard symbol. Next, hold your card firmly towards the top of the screen on the front or back of your phone. Then, you'll be able to see the current and expired tickets on your Smartcard.

Please note that a compatible is required i.e. iPhone 7 with iOS 14.0 or above

Yes, receipts are issued for online, or station purchased tickets.

If you purchased a ticket from one of our stations, the receipt you receive will include the same information as what is displayed on a paper ticket. Providing that your contact details are correct in our system, you will also receive an electronic copy of this receipt.

Online purchased tickets receive receipts via email, these will contain all relevant ticket information.

It is recommended that you keep the receipts for your records, you can refer back to them if unsure of ticket information such as expiry dates.

Yes, all personal details such as contact number, address and email address can be amended by staff at any of our ticket offices.

Ticket details however cannot be altered after purchasing. If incorrect a changeover or refund will be required.

Refunds and usage

Refunds will be calculated in the same way as they are for paper tickets. If the Smartcard holds residual value, and you do not need to travel anymore, you can contact the Smartcard Support team on 0345 600 7245 (option 9) who will be able to process this for you.

No, Smartcards are fully reusable. Once a ticket expires, simply go online, purchase a new ticket, and load this in the same way as you did initially. The card will never ‘fill up’, as expired tickets will be automatically deleted.

Yes, if you hold a valid season ticket you will be able to board/alight (‘break your journey’) at any station along the route that your ticket is valid on.

When Smartcards were first launched, they had an expiry of 5 years, and newer ones take 8 years.

Our app and ticket machines will give you a heads up when it's due to expire. To get a replacement, you can order a new card online or visit any of our staffed ticket offices.

Lost, Stolen or Damaged Smartcards

Our staff will be able to assist in the first instance if your card stops working. If you continue to have problems, please contact our Smartcard Support Team on 0345 600 7245 (option 9) who will be able to assist and rectify the fault.

Please note that if you contact the Smart support team, there may be some call waiting delays as the phone lines are very busy. We will aim to answer calls as quickly as we can, and we appreciate your patience. Alternatively, you can submit your enquiry, including season ticket refund enquiries, to our Customer Relations.

Call our Smartcard Support Team on 0345 600 7245 (option 9) who can cancel it remotely so that it stops working and no one else will be able to use your card.

A charge may be applicable for replacement of lost cards.

Please note that if you contact the Smart support team, there may be some call waiting delays as the phone lines are very busy. We will aim to answer calls as quickly as we can, and we appreciate your patience. Alternatively you can submit your enquiry, including season ticket refund enquiries via the Customer Relations form.

Flexi Season Tickets

A Flexi Season ticket provides customers with 8 days of travel in 28 days - any time between two named stations. The 8 days of travel doesn’t need to be specified in advance, giving part-time commuters more flexibility to travel when they want and need.

The Flexi Season ticket offers a minimum of 20% discount on an equivalent Monthly Season ticket, offering savings for commuters travelling during peak times, 2-3 days a week.

You will need to activate a day pass within your ticket before you travel. Learn how to do this on the Greater Anglia app (you'll need a compatible phone).

Flexi Season ticket day passes need to be activated before you travel. Learn how to do this on the Greater Anglia app (you'll need a compatible phone).

Flexi Seasons are sold on STARdesktop in the same way as any carnet. When on the Anywhere to Anywhere screen, enter the origin and destination, in the passengers field the number of passes and press Get Fares as normal. The FL1 National Flexi Season will show up, with the yellow S in a green box that indicates Smart, if it is available for sale on that journey.

As Flexi Seasons are sold like Carnet tickets through Anywhere to Anywhere, there are no restrictions on when they can be sold on top of what is present in the rail industry data for walk-up fares. The Smart products will not be usable until the date of travel.

If you couldn’t use your Flexi Season ticket you must apply for a refund before the end of the 28-Day validity period.

A refund is calculated from the difference between the price you paid for the Flexi Season and the cost of an Anytime return ticket for each day you have used, minus an administration fee of no more than £10. If you only have one or two journeys left on your Flexi Season you may find that no refund is available.

Commuter Club & PRIV Season tickets

No, tickets purchased from outside of Greater Anglia are unable to be transferred onto our Smartcards.

Yes, this process is handled by the Business Travel team or through our staffed Ticket offices, providing that you have the relevant paperwork to enable the discounted rate to be applied. For further information, please contact the business travel team on 0345 600 7245 (option 3).

Delay Repay

Yes, this is applied for in exactly the same way as a paper ticket. Make sure you tap in and tap out at stations when travelling and using your Smartcard. This helps us speed up the processing of Delay Repay claims. If you travel to or from an ungated station, we ask you to tap at the platform validators instead. View Delay Repay.