keyGo

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

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.

What is keyGo weekly Capping?

keyGo Capping will limit how much you will be charged for keyGo journeys in a travel week (04:30am Monday – 04:29am Monday). You can make as many keyGo journeys as you like between two stations on the keyGo network across the week and only pay the equivalent of a weekly season ticket.

How do I opt-in for weekly capping?

keyGo customers will be automatically opted-in for weekly capping.

Can I opt out of weekly capping?

No, if keyGo is loaded to your smartcard you will automatically benefit from weekly capping. However, if you do not have keyGo on your key smartcard, you can continue to preload single, return or season ticket(s).  

How is a weekly season ticket identified using keyGo capping?

Weekly capping is identified based on the journeys taken in a 04:30 Monday – 04:29 Monday travel window. A weekly season is identified when it matches the origin and destination of at least 4 journeys (one journey = single keyGo journey) in the travel week that can be covered by a weekly season ticket.

What happens if more than one weekly season ticket is identified as potential, for weekly capping?

Only one cap can be applied to a keyGo account, therefore the best value weekly season will be applied where more than one cap is identified.

How will I be charged for the journeys I take before weekly capping is applied (if applicable)?

You will be charged the applicable keyGo price for the journey being made daily until you reach the value of the weekly season fare. To reach the cap you may be charged a percentage of the final journey price that takes you up to the price of the season ticket.  

Once you have reached the cap you will not be charged for any further journeys covered by the weekly season ticket.

Will my journeys continue to be auto filled if I fail to tap in/out?

No, with keyGo capping being introduced you must ensure you touch in at the beginning of your journey and touch out at the end of your journey. If for any reason you are unable to, you must complete your journey via your online account.

Will Incomplete Journey Charges (IJCs) still apply if I fail to complete my journey(s)?

Yes, IJCs will still apply. It is important that you complete your journey(s) to avoid incurring an incomplete journey and miss out on weekly capping being applied. Incurring an incomplete journey will appear as if you have not met the criteria for weekly capping.

If I have a pre-loaded season ticket on my Key Smartcard, will I still be eligible for weekly keyGo capping?

No, if you hold a pre-loaded season ticket on your key Smartcard you can continue to use keyGo outside of the validity your season ticket however it will not be capped except for traveling within the TfL Zones 1-9 (where you will benefit from daily capped zonal fares).

Can I use keyGo with Flexi Season tickets on the same Key Smartcard?

No, keyGo cannot be used on the same Key Smartcard with Flexi Season tickets. If you want to use both, you'll need a second Key Smartcard.

What should I do to ensure uninterrupted keyGo service?

Ensure your payment card details are up-to-date to avoid any disruptions in service.

Can I claim Delay Repay?

Yes, you can claim Delay Repay. When using keyGo, Delay Repay will be calculated at the end of the Monday to Monday travel window. This will ensure you receive the correct compensation depending on the journey(s) that have been settled i.e., the price of a weekly season ticket rather than single keyGo journeys.

Can I sign up for auto-Delay Repay notifications if I use keyGo?

Yes, by signing up for auto-Delay Repay notifications, we will proactively contact you when we believe you are entitled to compensation.

What happens if I forget to touch in or out during my journey?

Always remember to touch in at the start and out at the end of every journey. Incomplete journeys will incur a £50 charge, but you can complete your journey online if you forget.

Do keyGo journeys have to be completed on consecutive days? i.e., can I do the same journey Monday – Wednesday and then again on Saturday but do different journeys on the Wednesday and Thursday but still be capped?

Consecutive travel is not required. It should be noted that capping is applied when the value of a weekly season ticket is reached, therefore if you travel off-peak it will take more journeys for weekly capping to be applied (as capping is always applied against the equivalent value of the weekly season ticket).

If you start your travel later in the Monday – Sunday travel window ie Thursday, you may not meet the weekly capping criteria as the value of the journeys made is less than the price of the equivalent weekly season ticket.

Will weekly capping be applied if travelling to/from Group Stations i.e., Bedford Stations, Croydon Stations, London Thameslink, London Terminals, Dorking Stations?

Yes, weekly capping is applied when travelling to/from group stations.

Does weekly capping apply if a I travel to a Group Station on another Train Operating Company ie West Croydon, Dorking Deepdene?

Yes, if the station(s) are within the keyGo network area.

Use keyGo on Metrobus and Brighton and Hove bus company services in these zones:

• Brighton, Hove, Falmer, Shoreham and Southwick
• Burgess Hill
• Crawley, Gatwick Airport, Horley, Ifield and Three Bridges
• Dorking
• Eastbourne
• Haywards Heath
• Horsham and Littlehaven
• Lewes
• Redhill and Reigate

Find out more about using The Key on buses at:

• Brighton & Hove bus company
• Metrobus

Please allow two minutes between your exit tap at a train station and entry tap on the bus to ensure that your Key Smartcard is read correctly on the card reader.

Bus fares on keyGo will be charged considering if:

• you have used the train that day
• you have made any journeys within one or more keyGo bus zones
• you have made single or multiple bus journeys
• you have used the train and bus in more than one keyGo bus zone on the same day e.g., travelled by train between Brighton and Gatwick Airport having boarded buses either side of your train journey
• journeys have included train travel on the same day will be capped at the relevant Plus Bus zone fare, providing your keyGo is accepted within that bus zone. Read more information on PlusBus
• If you have travelled by bus in more than one keyGo bus zone, there will be a multiple zonal price cap which will never be more than the price of two bus zones added together
• journeys that have not included train travel will be capped at the relevant day ticket for that bus zone. For more details, visit Metrobus or Brighton & Hove bus

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

Southernrailway.com/delayrepay

Thameslinkrailway.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.

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 your 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.

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:

Southern Railway - Help and support

Thameslink - Help and support

Great Northern Railway - Help and support

• 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.