collecting train tickets at the station

A question about : collecting train tickets at the station

Does anyone know... I need to buy train tickets for my son to collect at Coventry.... Does he need my credit card to collect the ticket or will he be able to use his own credit card... but I have paid for it online using my credit card???
thanks

Best answers:

• Reports on this are inconsistent - some to the effect that any card can be used in conjunction with the booking reference, others that only the card used to make the booking will work
  Easier to send him the cash so he can buy it himself. Or if time collect it yourself and post it to him.
• I've always had to put the credit card I ordered with in the machine to collect them
• Although I haven't done it myself I strongly believe that if the tickets are being collected from a machine then all that is required is the booking reference and any card. That's certainly the implication from the machines I've used recently, and I'm pretty sure that the one at Aberdeen station has a notice saying that explicitly.
  Collecting from the ticket office window might be a bit more difficult, as I think the agent could ask to see the card, but my experience has been that they never do want to and they just want it inserted into the Chip & PIN terminal (without needing to enter the PIN).
• When I've had to collect tickets it is the actual card that was used to pay the tickets that's needed.
• Actually, since last Summer, any card can be used for collection.
  People who say it must be the same card are out of date, however a word of caution: it may change again, without notice!
• My experience is that any card can be used, however I don't go out of my way to use different booking site/ticket machine/credit card combinations. Yorkie2's advice is usually pretty solid though.
  Can't you just transfer your son the money to sort himself out? That's usually the easiest solution
  Edit: Just to add, another work around the card (non?) issue previously mentioned on this forum is to buy your son East Coast vouchers. He or you can then buy his ticket using the vouchers and there is no link to a credit card, so any card can be used irrespective of any restrictions or not that may exists. If you have Tesco Clubcard vouchers sitting around, you can do the same using Red Spotted Hanky vouchers.
• Any card can be used, I do it all of the time.
  Book with my credit card then collect using a different debit card, it works fine, it asks you to key in the reference and spits out the tickets.
  When buying the ticket you choose which station the tickets should be collected from so choose one near your son.
  We also do it at work the admin person books the tickets with the corporate credit card and sends us the booking number so we can collect the tickets ourselves at the station.
• Also, if you buy the tickets through EastcoastSpottedLine.com how does Virgin Trains know what credit card you used?
• I usually collect mine using my Clubcard or Cineworld Unlimited card, despite being told I have to use the card I payed with.
  One other tip; if you book the journey through www.megatrain.com (a very limited selection of journeys available, but does include Coventry) then you get a code to travel with and that's all you need; you don't even need to print the email out.