Child Direct Debit

Customer Obligations
1. To ensure all ten monthly payments can be taken from the nominated bank account on the due date or the next working day if this date falls on a weekend or bank holiday.
2. If three Direct Debit payments are not received on the due date within a rolling 24 month period, The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) reserves the right to remove you from the scheme.
3. To give at least one months’ notice by telephone, email or in writing of any change of name, address or any changes to ticket type.
4. To give at least one months’ notice of amendments to bank or building society details. You must complete a new bank mandate which can be obtained by contacting Customer Services or from wmnetwork.co.uk/update.
5. To give at least one months’ notice by telephone, email or in writing of your intention to leave the Direct Debit scheme.
6. Ensure you provide a valid email address and keep the WMCA updated if this changes at wmnetwork.co.uk/update.
7. You must have a valid Swift card or paper ticket for every journey. Refunds on rail tickets purchased as a result of lost, stolen or forgotten tickets can be requested from the Station Accounts department of the appropriate train operating company and not through the WMCA. Refunds are at the discretion of the individual train company. Refunds are not available for tickets purchased on bus or tram services.
8. You must report any loss or theft of your Swift card or paper ticket to the WMCA. A discretionary administration fee of £7.50 will be charged for the replacement of the pass. More than one replacement within a 12-month period will be at the sole discretion of the WMCA.
9. The WMCA must be notified as soon as possible for any cases of long term sickness. Refunds are at the sole discretion of the WMCA and a doctors and/or hospital note will be required.
16-18 Photocard
1. Applicants aged 16-18 must possess a valid 16-18 Photocard. For further information about the 16-18 photocard scheme and to apply, please visit wmnetwork.co.uk/16-18.
2. 16-18 Photocards are valid for one academic year.
3. The WMCA will not be responsible for late 16-18 applications.
Swift cardholders only
1. Swift cardholders will not receive a monthly paper ticket. Your ticket will be activated automatically on the Swift card on the agreed start date each month.
2. WMCA will deactivate your Swift card if an outstanding amount is not cleared within seven days of the Direct Debit payment date.
3. No refund will be given for any Swift card that has been deactivated due to payment not being made on time or for any tickets purchased as a result.
4. If you have cancelled your account, your Swift card will be deactivated on the agreed expiry date. This will be confirmed in writing by WMCA.
Paper ticket holders only
1. Paper ticket holders must ensure that the photocard number is clearly written on each monthly ticket before use. Failure to do so may result in a fine or your ticket being confiscated. The WMCA will not reimburse any travel tickets that have been purchased as a result.
2. If your ticket has not arrived 3 working days before your current ticket expires, please telephone Customer Services. The WMCA will issue a duplicate ticket but will not refund travel tickets that have been purchased as a result of tickets not arriving due to a delay in the postal service.
3. If you need to return a ticket to the WMCA you must use Recorded Delivery or such equivalent method as reasonably requested by the WMCA. Customers remain responsible for any tickets lost in the post whilst being returned to the WMCA unless proof of postage is provided.
4. With respect to ticket renewals, provided your monthly Direct Debits are paid on the agreed date, a new ticket will be posted to you at least seven days prior to the expiry date shown on your current ticket.
5. Child Direct Debit tickets are valid throughout July and August and can be used without a valid photocard (photocard must still be displayed with ticket).
Other Terms and Conditions
1. The WMCA shall give at least 10 working days written notice, via email, of changes to ticket prices, except when tax changes require an immediate price change which is beyond the WMCA’s control.
2. Provided that ten consecutive Direct Debit payments have been cleared by your Bank/Building Society and that the child is still eligible for child rate tickets, your last two tickets will be issued free of charge.
3. Buy First Ticket options purchased online during the application process will count as payment towards your ten Direct Debit payments as outlined in condition 5.2.
4. The minimum contract term when joining the scheme is three months from your initial start date.
5. If you leave the scheme, you may rejoin one month after your last Direct Debit payment (subject to the normal new application guidelines).
6. If you leave the scheme earlier than the ten payable months no pro-rata refunds in relation to the ‘two months free’ will be paid.
7. Tickets available through Direct Debit have a validity of one month. The WMCA will not refund whole or partial amounts due to you cancelling your Direct Debit membership.
8. The WMCA reserves the right to terminate Direct Debit arrangements if the scheme or the tickets are misused in any way, or if Direct Debit payments are not promptly and regularly paid via the nominated bank or building society account.
9. The WMCA reserves the right to refuse entry to the scheme to previous Direct Debit customers who have defaulted on their payments.
10. All Swift cards and paper tickets remain the property of The WMCA.
11. The account holder of the nominated bank account must agree to a Credit Reference check to confirm the name, address and credit status. The WMCA reserves the right to decline an application due to adverse credit history.
12. Any queries regarding your credit history must be referred to the Credit Reference agency used by the WMCA.
13. Direct Debit Swift cards and paper tickets are not transferable and are issued subject to the current National Rail Conditions of Carriage and to the Conditions of Carriage of the Rail Operators on whose services they are valid (unless otherwise indicated they are valid by any permitted route, and on the service of participating operators), and for network tickets, the published terms and conditions relating to bus and Metro operators services, which are available for inspection at the Head Offices or appropriate company addresses. The National Rail Conditions of Carriage are available for inspection at the Ticket Offices of staffed stations.
14. network Swift cards and paper tickets are valid on local bus services in the West Midlands County run by operators in the scheme; they are not valid on night buses and certain other special services. They are also valid on the Metro (except Zone 1 and Zone 1-2 network tickets). It is your responsibility to ensure that your network ticket entitles you to travel to the destination required. The WMCA accepts no liability for any loss or damage suffered by any Customer using a ticket that is not valid for the journey taken.
Compensation for rail service delays
1. It is the responsibility of the Swift card / paper ticket holder to claim compensation for any service delay or cancellation from the appropriate train operating company.
2. Compensation vouchers issued due to service delays cannot be used as part or full payment towards a Direct Debit payment.
3. The WMCA will issue a refund cheque for rail compensation vouchers of £10 or more only.
4. The WMCA will not accept expired compensation vouchers.
Data protection
1. The WMCA is a data controller for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998 (the Act). The WMCA will process your data in accordance with the Act and will use your data for the following purposes;
  1. To provide you with the scheme you applied for and for ongoing administration of the scheme
  2. To allow us to improve products and services we offer to our customers
  3. For research and analysis including travel patterns
  4. To enable us to provide anonymous data to the Department for Transport if requested by them
  5. To enable us to conduct surveys
  6. For the prevention and detection of crime including fare evasion
  7. To enable us to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations
  8. To ensure that we follow your instructions correctly and to improve customer service, we may monitor and/or record any communication between you and the WMCA.
2. We may use your information for marketing purposes as follows:
  1. To let you know about related products and or services
  2. To send you offers on behalf of selected third parties which we believe to be appropriate.
3. We may contact you for the above purposes by post, email, telephone or text messaging to SMS enabled devices depending on the information you have provided to the WMCA.
4. If you do not wish to receive such information you may choose not to do so by notifying the WMCA by post, telephone, or email.
5. We will only disclose your information to others in the following circumstances:
  1. When we are legally obliged to do so
  2. When there is a duty to disclose in the public interest
  3. Where disclosure is necessary to protect the WMCA’s interest (i.e. to detect crime or fare evasion)
  4. Where you give us permission to do so
6. We will retain your information for the period that you have a Direct Debit account registered in your name in order to comply with these terms and conditions.

Contact details

Customer services - ticketing

Telephone: 0345 303 6760
Monday to Tuesday and Thursday to Friday, 9am - 5pm,
Wednesday, 9.30am - 5pm
Saturday and Sunday, closed