Rail Travel: Tips on Cheap Tickets

ticketcollector

5finger wrote: »

...

When doing days on season tickets you must also include the day you purchase as a day.
But until I get access to avantix again ill work it out.

Altarf

5finger wrote: »

I am now intrigued to know an example of a route (such as yours) where the annual ticket is cheaper than my 'multiple 5-week' scheme since the examples I have just tried have all worked out in favour of my system by at least £100 per annum.

For any given route, I have been calculating on the basis of 8 5-week tickets (33 days) and one 6-week ticket (40 days) for a total of 46 working weeks in the year and comparing this with the price of an annual ticket.

You are correct that 8 x Five Weekly and 1 x Six Weekly ticket is cheaper than an annual ticket, but what I was meaning was that in real life people don't work 5 or 6 weeks (or multiples thereof) and then take a weeks break.

Even though on my route your 8x5 and 1x6 would work out £90 cheaper than the annual ticket, the closest fit I could get for I actually worked last year based on 5 & 6 week (and other long period) tickets would work out at £165 per year more than the annual season ticket.

yorkie2

ticketcollector wrote: »

Heres another one for you.
Berwick on Tweed TO Kings Cross
£16,524.00 ANNUAL

£1,801.20 33 days x 8 £14,409.6
£2,168.80 40 days x 1 £2,168.80
£16,578.40

14day All Line Rover £560 x 26 (for 52 weeks) = £14,560

Take a few weeks holiday and the price is even less, and you can go anywhere else at no cost too

gner_ex

ticketcollector wrote: »

DO NOT put your ticket through any automated barriers other then at Derby or London Underground.

I'm interested in this advice.

Are you aware of occasions where a barrier has kept a non-completed ticket in error?

I would have thought that th Leicester barriers (or for example FCC Thameslink St. Panc barriers) would always give the ticket out, and either open the gate, or put up one of the error codes?

gner_ex

yorkie2 wrote: »

14day All Line Rover £560 x 26 (for 52 weeks) = £14,560

Take a few weeks holiday and the price is even less, and you can go anywhere else at no cost too

Good spot Yorkie.

Re season tickets, surely it depends what you will do during your vacation time, and also how you spend your weekends. As weekend travel is effectively free, my partner and I use the train most days; with the various add-on tickets many London journeys are ridiculously cheap or free.

In London and South East, don't forget the gold card benefits also - then again that depends how much you use the train for other than your daily commute.

I guess the other advantage in an annual is that there is no need to queue each 33 week period, and also if your employer will pay for a season ticket loan (negating the interest issue).

gner_ex

dzug1 wrote: »

It looks as though there are no cheap tickets on the West Coast mainline at weekends.

You'd need to split tickets - a saver return to Birmingham New Street, and advance singles (which are available) from then on if you are flexible about times

It was confirmed the other day that Virgin West Coast are using super voyager to shuttle from Birmingham International and Coventry to Euston, running via the Chiltern line and various junctions in the Acton area.

No idea whether cheap seats or reservations will be offered on it, or if it will be walk-on tickets only.

This does (in my opinion) make the tickets that are "route High Wycombe" valid, i.e. the "Just 15" ticket, London to Coventry being £18 return. My logic is because this is the planned route, not an unscheduled diversion (see NRCOC and routeing guide).

yorkie2

gner_ex wrote: »

This does (in my opinion) make the tickets that are "route High Wycombe" valid, i.e. the "Just 15" ticket, London to Coventry being £18 return. My logic is because this is the planned route, not an unscheduled diversion (see NRCOC and routeing guide).

Absolutely, if it goes that way it's valid. Equally valid with WSMR.

pompeyrich

gner_ex wrote: »

I'm interested in this advice.

Are you aware of occasions where a barrier has kept a non-completed ticket in error?

I would have thought that th Leicester barriers (or for example FCC Thameslink St. Panc barriers) would always give the ticket out, and either open the gate, or put up one of the error codes?

Not sure about everywhere but from my local station, Cosham, tickets to Portsmouth & Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour are sold as "Portsmouth Stations". If you break your journey at P&S, the barrier will keep the ticket, even though it could be used for onward travel to the Harbour, so I am always cautious of using barriers mid-journey.

dzug1

gner_ex wrote: »

This does (in my opinion) make the tickets that are "route High Wycombe" valid, i.e. the "Just 15" ticket, London to Coventry being £18 return. My logic is because this is the planned route, not an unscheduled diversion (see NRCOC and routeing guide).

Not 100% convinced on this - I don't know if the first part of the route (Euston Willesden Acton West Ealing Greenford) is a valid route to High Wycombe (probably not) - or if it needs to be.

yorkie2

dzug1 wrote: »

Not 100% convinced on this - I don't know if the first part of the route (Euston Willesden Acton West Ealing Greenford) is a valid route to High Wycombe (probably not) - or if it needs to be.

"Where the fare specifies a particular route, you may choose only those routes listed in the Guide which pass through the station shown in the route description. "

So, if you are taking it to that extreme, if there is no route from Euston to High Wycombe to Birmingham shown, then it isn't a valid route for "Any Permitted" tickets either!!

In any case it is irrelevant - it may not be a permitted route, but it's a direct train, and direct trains are always valid!