BEWARE: Virgin trains and The Trainline might try to charge you twice!

sunnyside33

Each time I book train tickets online from The Trainline or Virgin trains, they try to charge me twice! Has this happened to anyone else? I've had this happen 6 times now.

I make my booking without a problem and the money is taken from my account but I've now realised that each time the same amount is pending as a second charge on my account for up to 4 days, meaning that I can't access that money at all until the pending charge 'drops off' the system.

This morning I spoke to someone in customer relations at Virgin who informed me that what might be happening is that there is a slight difference in the information I am entering online and the information that my bank hold, perhaps a slight difference in the address.

For some reason this results in the money being taken from my account but a second charge pending. I've spoken to my bank but they can't do anything about it as the payment is guaranteed. They can only help me if Virgin or the trainline actually take the second sum.

Virgin trains use The Trainline booking online booking system. Is there anyway around this? I get some good price tickets but the pending charge leaves me very short of money just before pay day.

Any advice welcomed...

dzug1

Book at a station and pay cash or cheque. The prices should be the same.

Or any of the other rail sites - but they may well run the same system

Or by phone - the transaction should then go through on the spot

This is a fairly common situation - it's not confined to Virgin/thetrainline or even rail booking sites but any automated system

What happens is that when you originally book the money is guaranteed against your card.
When they issue your ticket they try to confirm it and for some reason it won't go through - possibly the reason they say, possibly others. So they put it through again manually and it works.
The original guarantee drops off the system a few days later - it will never actually be taken.