Any train promotion codes out there?

MylesBetter

poet123

Where you booking "Advance Fares"? The discount only applies to Advance Fares. As I understand it the 09:05 from Wigan would be too early in the morning to get the Advance Fare. Check what type of fare you purchased for your outward journey.

PS VIRGIN Own TheTrainLine and via Virgin Trains you do not pay the delivery fee or the Credit Card fee. But using The Train Line will add £3.50 to the cost of your tickets.

poet123

So, why is the trainline cheaper? even if the discount is not applicable, by your reasoning I should be paying 3.50 more from Trainline. I usually find trainline cheaper than buying direct for some reason I could never work out.

KeithP

Right, remember that Advance Singles can appear and disappear at any time.
These are today's prices from East Coast Trains...

Advance Singles for four people travelling on 9 April...
Dep Wigan NW 09:09, arr Euston 11:12, £116.00.

Advance Singles for four people travelling on 11 April...
Dep Euston 18:25, arr Wigan NW 20:27, £210.00.

But if you can delay your return leg by one hour...
Advance Singles for four people travelling on 11 April...
Dep Euston 19:25, arr Wigan NW 21:27, £116.00.

So total return trip for all four could be £232.00.

Talk to Virgin Trains or Virgin Money about the credit card thing.

poet123

Return needs to be at 16.25 as stated in OP. I will call Virgin re discount.

dzug1

poet123 wrote: »

So, why is the trainline cheaper? even if the discount is not applicable, by your reasoning I should be paying 3.50 more from Trainline. I usually find trainline cheaper than buying direct for some reason I could never work out.

A puzzle - they should (ignoring the booking fee) be exactly the same price as anywhere else, unless the TOC for the route is offering a discount, when the TOC will be less.

My guess (and it's only a guess) is that you are inadvertently pricing two different tickets - ie it's a question of knowing what to ask for, which is not always obvious. I can understand an occasional glitch resulting in your situation - but not for it to happen all the time.

poet123

ETA In the interests of clarity and for information. The post below looks quite stupid now, as I failed to quote KeithP when he threw his dummy out of his pram, and now for some reason he has deleted that post. I dont normally respond so curtly, but can be pushed to it by rude, higher than mighty accusations.


Excuse me, but in my OP I gave the details of the trains I wished to travel on and explained that for those trains Virgin were £20 dearer than buying via Trainline despite the claim of the discount applying.

I wasn't actually asking for help, merely pointing that the discount Mylesbetter posted wasn't actually giving better prices.

You replied (rather patronisingly imo) asking if I was sure that I wasnt doing something wrong. I replied quite politely that I didnt think so (assuming that you could, or had checked it out, and found it to be correct) then you stated that you couldn't do that as you didnt have a card. So, quite why you would have assumed I coudnt navigate the Virgin site I am not sure.

So, forgive me, but I am unsure quite what I am expected to thank you for, (it is yourself you are referring to as requiring thanks I assume?) could it be finding cheaper fares for trains I didnt wish to travel on ? assuming I am thick and can't utilise web sites? or simply not facilitating you to show off and come up with a drastically cheaper fare?

Anyhow, I will now evidence the manners which you seem to believe are lacking and apologise for this post, and for rising to the bait of your last rude post.

Also to thank Mylesbetter, and others, who I am sure posted in good faith, and would not expect the post to lead to such discord.

MylesBetter

My claim on the discount fundamentally applies only to 1st Class travel and not standard class travel. See my original post about 28-Jan-10.

Even I check the Train Line fares and they do not offer a 1st class fare below £34 London to Manchester single, plus their credit card and delivery charges. The 20% discount I wrote about is against the 1st class advance fare of £34, the Virgin Credit Card fare being £27:45.

It does seem the discount on standard fares will be lower but that requires investigation. I now only travel 1st class on the cheapest Virgin Advance Fares trains. An experience I throughly enjoy.

poet123

We have travelled first class too, and on this route, but for this journey on the outward leg only it amounts to £44 per person extra. For which I can have lunch at The Ivy!!so standard class it is.

Last time the differential was much smaller and we really enjoyed it. I could travel cheaper rom Manchester, but with luggage, the hassle going there and back is hardly worth the saving.

You would assume that the discount for using a Virgin card would still apply to all classes though, yet my check reveals it was actually dearer. I still can't work that one out. Nor can I work out why Trainline is cheaper than buying direct when this has not been my past experience.

MylesBetter

Poet 123

Try lunch at China Tang in the Dorchester Hotel on Park Lane. The set lunch menu is only £15 per person (including a drink) plus service charge. So both of you can have lunch for £34 the price of the cheapest 1st class ticket.

I have broad hips so the extra width of a 1st class seat on the train will always win me over. Otherwise I would be shifting about to try and get comfy.

alisont

Hi

Im going to London next Fri from my local station Hagley - Virgin and Trainline have the same prices so Il book via Virgin as no booking fee and can collect tickets at my local station.

Ive found the following fares and they seem good:

standard return - open £28.60
advance tickets standard £22.45 return
advance first return £36.30

These are using my student railcard think I shall book the first return as really good value - think Its worth the extra £14 or so for the first class option.

Anyway what I was wondering is on my return journey it will only give option of changing at Birmingham International then getting train from there to Smethwick Galton bridge to link with my Hagley train. Id much rather go via Birmingham New Street and walk to Moor Street for my train home - have had hassle at Galton station at night before and hate the place as does not feel safe.

Does anyone know how strict they are with these first class advance tickets as in can I stay the extra 10 mins on the train into Brum New St as only 1 stop?

Id hope Id not get hassle as tickets will be checked leaving London and don't think there will be barrier staff at New Street in the evening.

Cant get the website to offer the return London to Hagley on the 16.43 train Im after to Brum New Street only via changing at the International.

Thanks in advance for any replies!