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A question about thetrainline.com


Lisa O`Brien

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Exactly what munchkin said. For some fares, prices are cheaper because they are non-flexible (e.g. Advanced super saver fares etc).  If you've bought an off-peak day travelcard or similar, these can usually be used on "any permissible route", but not during peak hours.  

 

Trainline does usually specify which type of ticket you're buying and any restrictions. 

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But do be aware that if you are booked on advance non-refundable tickets (it should say on your email confirmation what type of ticket you have booked) and you travel on a different train you will be charged a full new fare.

 

In some stations where they may have several trains going at around the same time with different operators going over the same route it is essential you make sure you are on the correct operator's train.  Two friends of mine have been caught out by this.

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And if the train you are supposed to be travelling on is cancelled (or severely delayed) you need to check with the ticket office for which train they will allow you to use your ticket on. Not so long ago DD was travelling from Chester to Birmingham on an advance ticket and her train was cancelled. She had to wait for an hour for a train they would allow her cheaper ticket to be used on, despite there being a few trains from the same and different operators doing the same route before then.

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I'd book using the company you're travelling on's website direct - you usually avoid the booking fee that the Trainline.com charge you, and the fares are the same

If you buy the cheapest fare, you usually have to travel on that train specifically, as its part of the deal

 

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13 hours ago, munchkin16 said:

The terms and conditions of each ticket should be somewhere on your booking. It depends on the type of tickets you've booked. 

 

Indeed it does.  And it's not always too clear.

 

13 hours ago, Lisa O`Brien said:

If your train is booked for 11.16 am, do you absolutely HAVE to take that 11.16 train, and can you not take the next one at 11.22? Are the times once booked online absolutely set in stone? Thanks.

 

It depends ;)   A general rule of thumb is Yes.  However, I tried to book one of South West Trains' cheap day return promotions a year or two back, and got very confused because thetrainline was insisting I specified trains, and I didn't understand why I should have to.  In the end, I rang SWT and they told me that no, I could take pretty much any of their trains (but not CrossCountry's), but thetrainline's software meant that you had to fake-specify trains when booking.  So your guess is as good as mine :shrug:

 

10 hours ago, meadowblythe said:

I've also read that you have to get on and off at exactly the station specified.  If you buy one from further up the line and get on/off earlier you can be penalised.  This is to stop people buying cheap tickets but travelling from "commuter" stations.

 

This is certainly the case with Megatrain.  (I've been tempted to try it and see just how they would prevent me from hopping off at Clapham Junction on the return journey and changing onto a homeward bound train from there, but haven't done so yet).

 

1 hour ago, zxDaveM said:

the fares are the same

 

Usually, but not always.  Sometimes the bargains will only be available on a selection of websites, just to make things more complicated :(

You may also qualify for things like Nectar or other loyalty points or similar if you go for the train operator's website.

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Southern trains are usually pretty generous if you have an advanced ticket for a specific train and THEY cancel it. I've always been allowed to get on any train after that...even the more expensive Gatwick express to Brighton.

i don't know whether this generosity is because there has been so much disruption on the route over the last six months or so but I've never been told I have to wait for a train only they specify.

if you MISS your train though that is a different matter and you will have to buy a whole new ticket ....very costly. 

However once when I missed an advanced ticket train the man on the gate at Victoria said I could get on the next train but he couldn't say whether they would let me through at Brighton!! I took the risk and lucky me on that occasion the gates were up at Brighton and I got through.....but it could have been a very expensive different story.

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moneysavingexpert.com has a guide to the cheapest train fares at: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-train-tickets Point 9 has a table with the advantages and disadvantages of different online booking sites. See also their page on current train and bus deals at.
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/deals/cheap-coach-train-ticket-deals. They also have a section dealing with refund/compensation policies and procedures of different train companies at http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/train-delays 

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I've never used thetrainline.com, I travel by rail a lot, and I always use http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ for my train bookings.  There, it is crystal clear what type of ticket is available for each train shown in response to your query.  Some are for one train at a specific time, and others are Anytime tickets, and they will list which alternate trains you can take.

 

However, if using that, you have to be careful.  Depending on the train line, it can transfer you to that line's website, and often the ticket prices they quote there are different to the ones shown on nationalrail.  You might have to do a bit of fiddling around to get the cheapest deal.  It always amazes me that you can often make significant savings if you buy 2 single tickets rather than a return ticket.  Why?

 

I have sometimes saved myself a few pounds by going to the booking office at a station.  In the past, they have sold me tickets at a cheaper price than any quoted on the internet. 

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Yes, the UK train ticket pricing system is very very confusing and in December, following action by consumer groups, the Department of Transport and different train companies agreed on a 12 month action plan to simplify things for consumer. More at: https://www.transportfocus.org.uk/news-events-media/news/welcome-action-rail-fares-ticketing/ and on moneysavinexpert.com: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/travel/2016/12/improvements-to-help-rail-passengers-find-cheaper-tickets-on-track-for-2017 Obviously a great, achievement but there are some concerns about implementation. See, for example, Martin Lewis' concerns that some simpler fares planned for rollout in May don't cover the important area of split ticketing on a single train (where your single journey on one train involves two separate single tickets instead of one. So you often get a considerably cheaper journey while travelling on exactly the same train.) See:  http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/travel/2017/02/train-ticket-trials-on-track-to-offer-cheaper-fares---but-plans-miss-a-trick-on-split-ticketing


Yaffa - with no connection to any of the above; just passing on the info...

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8 hours ago, Yaffa said:

Yes, the UK train ticket pricing system is very very confusing and in December, following action by consumer groups, the Department of Transport and different train companies agreed on a 12 month action plan to simplify things for consumer. More at: https://www.transportfocus.org.uk/news-events-media/news/welcome-action-rail-fares-ticketing/ and on moneysavinexpert.com: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/travel/2016/12/improvements-to-help-rail-passengers-find-cheaper-tickets-on-track-for-2017 Obviously a great, achievement but there are some concerns about implementation. See, for example, Martin Lewis' concerns that some simpler fares planned for rollout in May don't cover the important area of split ticketing on a single train (where your single journey on one train involves two separate single tickets instead of one. So you often get a considerably cheaper journey while travelling on exactly the same train.) See:  http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/travel/2017/02/train-ticket-trials-on-track-to-offer-cheaper-fares---but-plans-miss-a-trick-on-split-ticketing


Yaffa - with no connection to any of the above; just passing on the info...

It's a similar situation travelling throughout Europe, for instance, Paris to Barcelona on a TGV is x number of pounds, but sometimes it can be considerably less expensive by booking Paris to Perpignan and Perpignan to Barcelona. It's the same train, one thing to watch out for though, is to make sure you're on the front eight carriages, as the train splits in Perpignan.

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