Cheap Train Fares guide discussion
MSE_Jenny
Senior WriterMSE Staff 1.3K Posts
Hi, we've written a Cheap Trains guide to help you play the train ticket system with hidden tricks. You can also check out the latest travel offers, vouchers and discounts on our Cheap Train & Coach Deals page.
If you've tried the techniques mentioned in the guide, were you successful? How much did you save? Is there anything you'd add?
Thanks for your help
MSE Jenny
1
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I suddenly realised this morning that the tickets had no seat number or anything else on them and emailed the Trainline to ask where the seats were located (carriage number at least) and received back a response :
"Our seat reservation system reserves seats independently for each booking. The seat reservations are subject to availability. We have contacted our back office team the seats for this journey are not available."
I assume that as Trainline have broken the terms of the contract and if no seats are free in second class - I am free to sit in any available seat in first class ?
If you have purchased an advance ticket, you should be able to make a reservation on a ticket. If you purchased an anytime or Off Peak ticket, its unlikly you would have reserved a ticket.
With regards to sit in an free First Class, this would only be last the option if there were no seats avaiable atall and the Train Manager was having a nice day.
Also using Trainline is expensive! Its cheaper to book online directly with the company you will be travelling with!
Im guessing it was just a normal off peak ticket you bought as Advance tickets always come with a reservation as it is mandatory for them.
First class is at the guards discretion and that's going to be a no unless he is sympathetic. Ring up the train company concerned and ask them about booking a seat. And never user the trainline again to buy tickets.
That depends on the carrier; London Midland, Southern, SW Trains and Arriva trains Wales now operate a quota control advance ticket, which means that you have reserved a place on a specific service but not a seat. You still get a mandatory reservation coupon but it only states time of train and has a '*' for carriage and '**' for seat number.
BeenieCat, is this for your Darlington to Edinburgh trip, if it is have a look at this Link
It charges booking fees (£1 booking, 50p debit, £2.50 credit), so obviously it's better to book through a free site like EastCoast
Just posting in case the interface is useful for locating the cheap tickets.
i dont know why they have let another one start up!!
Anyway its not that good at all. tried a single from Ramsgate in kent to Birmingham and it only offered Virgin as the connecting service from London. Rubbish.
And it was telling me to change at Faversham for the HS1 when i could have gone on it from Ramsgate anyway. No option to use the not very much slower train and thus anyone who wanted that journey ends up paying 93 one way!!
Not a very good site.
Is this right? The last time I came down I got the 8.40 and had no issue getting a return for a different day..and if it wasn't right then what can I do about it? I can't find a receipt..and I'm not sure if the guy at the ticket office even gave me one..
It just seems a bit weird for me to have to fork out for two singles (12 quid each..) rather than the 15 quid for one...
The first train that that can be used on is the 09:40 departure.
So the man at the station was right... just not very good at explaining it.
It seems that you have a 16-25 railcard.
There is a minimum fare of £12 before 10am with that, which explains the price you paid.
If you come back after 10am, the single fare will be £10.10.
Easy isn't it?
p.s. the guy at the ticket office will only give you a receipt if you ask for one.