Cheap Train Fares guide discussion 5 October 2010 at 9:09AM edited 8 March 2013 at 2:11PM in Public Transport & Cycling 1.1K replies 231.5K views

cupcake23

Hi Guys,

Sorry I have tried to search but with the words being so similar I couldn't pin down an actual discussion. Can I please have any reviews or thoughts on https://www.splitmyfare.co.uk please? I have found them to offer the best saving on a trip but struggled to find reviews on them before I go ahead and book

Thanks in advance

daveyjp

From their website

"Rail Tickets sold in association with Raileasy."

My own approach is to use split ticket sites to research the tickets and then buy the tickets through a train operating company website.

yorkie2

cupcake23 wrote: »

Hi Guys,

Sorry I have tried to search but with the words being so similar I couldn't pin down an actual discussion. Can I please have any reviews or thoughts on www.splitmyfare.co.uk please? I have found them to offer the best saving on a trip but struggled to find reviews on them before I go ahead and book

Thanks in advance

It's effectively the same site as TicketySplit.

There is no booking fee; the fees are based on 10% of any savings by "splitting" (no saving equals no fee).

Another bonus of these sites is the ability to book your own choice of seat, for any train which offers seat reservations, from the online seat selector. When the journey is in your basket and the assigned seat is shown, click "Choose My Seat" to access the seat selector.

daveyjp wrote: »

From their website

"Rail Tickets sold in association with Raileasy."

My own approach is to use split ticket sites to research the tickets and then buy the tickets through a train operating company website.

Do you have examples where this has saved you money? I'd be curious to see them in conjunction with the time taken to do the research. I think that approach is only viable for people with a lot of time on their hands!

Also I prefer not to buy each ticket separately from a TOC site as it is a lot easier to use a split ticket provider, and obtain one single PDF document with all e-tickets for the journey. If you need to make a Delay Repay claim, most forms only allow one document per claim, so it's a bit of a faff if each ticket is in a separate document! It saves me a lot of time.

Not only that, but showing tickets on the train is much easier when you have them all in one PDF. Plus you get an itinerary for the entire journey, which is useful to show to staff in the event of delays.

I see no good reason to book through a TOC site; in many cases it means you can no longer select your own choice of seat!

marmite1979

You avoid the commission going through the train company website and can get free postage. You can basket each ticket and then choose the seats ensuring the same one all journey.
How does trainsplit ensure you get the best seat you want when it involves multiple splits over many operators? And how is trainsplit faster when you would need to load up each legs carriage diagram when selecting a seat? How does it allow selecting an Avanti West coast seat?
Trainsplit used to allocate a different seat for each split, which is one reason for me going to the TOC's website and selecting them there.

yorkie2

marmite1979 said:

You avoid the commission going through the train company website

and can get free postage. You can basket each ticket and then choose the seats ensuring the same one all journey.
How does trainsplit ensure you get the best seat you want when it involves multiple splits over many operators? And how is trainsplit faster when you would need to load up each legs carriage diagram when selecting a seat? How does it allow selecting an Avanti West coast seat?
Trainsplit used to allocate a different seat for each split, which is one reason for me going to the TOC's website and selecting them there.

1) It is incorrect to say you avoid commission by going through a train company website; Ticketysplit does not charge any booking fees or commission except for 10% of any saving, which means it will never be cheaper to book the same journey through a train company website. If you wish to avoid the share of saving, you can do this by booking each leg as a separate journey on any website, including Ticketysplit.

2) Not many train companies offer free postage these days and this will cease to be an option soon; indeed I would recommend obtaining e-tickets now, as paper tickets can get lost in the post, and printing errors can be a huge pain if you select the 'TOD' option.

3) It may not get the "best seat" but it has a seat selector, so you can pick a seat that matches your own preferences

4) You do not have to load the carriage diagram for each leg

5) Because it works with all train companies

6) It doesn't do that any more; it will allocate the same seat automatically in most cases, and where it has not done so, you can normally manually change it. If you are unable to do so, this will be a limitation imposed by the train companies, not the retailer!

marmite1979

yorkie2 said:

marmite1979 said:

You avoid the commission going through the train company website

and can get free postage. You can basket each ticket and then choose the seats ensuring the same one all journey.
How does trainsplit ensure you get the best seat you want when it involves multiple splits over many operators? And how is trainsplit faster when you would need to load up each legs carriage diagram when selecting a seat? How does it allow selecting an Avanti West coast seat?
Trainsplit used to allocate a different seat for each split, which is one reason for me going to the TOC's website and selecting them there.

1) It is incorrect to say you avoid commission by going through a train company website; Ticketysplit does not charge any booking fees or commission except for 10% of any saving, which means it will never be cheaper to book the same journey through a train company website. If you wish to avoid the share of saving, you can do this by booking each leg as a separate journey on any website, including Ticketysplit.

2) Not many train companies offer free postage these days and this will cease to be an option soon; indeed I would recommend obtaining e-tickets now, as paper tickets can get lost in the post, and printing errors can be a huge pain if you select the 'TOD' option.

3) It may not get the "best seat" but it has a seat selector, so you can pick a seat that matches your own preferences

4) You do not have to load the carriage diagram for each leg

5) Because it works with all train companies

6) It doesn't do that any more; it will allocate the same seat automatically in most cases, and where it has not done so, you can normally manually change it. If you are unable to do so, this will be a limitation imposed by the train companies, not the retailer!

So you save 10% on not going through ticketysplit that can mount up if its a large difference on a full fare ticket.With National Rail Enquiries you can choose which train company to buy off and avoid the postage fee. You can then gain nectar points to with some operators. And they usually have a counter or a face to deal with.
Who would of refunded me today and waived the admin fees when it was TFW that cancelled the train but Avanti who sold the ticket? Would TrainSplit have refunded me straight away, would they have told me to claim off TFW or Avanti, would there be an opportunity to claim for financial losses incurred due to the cancellations?

yorkie2

marmite1979 said:

yorkie2 said:

marmite1979 said:

You avoid the commission going through the train company website

and can get free postage. You can basket each ticket and then choose the seats ensuring the same one all journey.
How does trainsplit ensure you get the best seat you want when it involves multiple splits over many operators? And how is trainsplit faster when you would need to load up each legs carriage diagram when selecting a seat? How does it allow selecting an Avanti West coast seat?
Trainsplit used to allocate a different seat for each split, which is one reason for me going to the TOC's website and selecting them there.

1) It is incorrect to say you avoid commission by going through a train company website; Ticketysplit does not charge any booking fees or commission except for 10% of any saving, which means it will never be cheaper to book the same journey through a train company website. If you wish to avoid the share of saving, you can do this by booking each leg as a separate journey on any website, including Ticketysplit.

2) Not many train companies offer free postage these days and this will cease to be an option soon; indeed I would recommend obtaining e-tickets now, as paper tickets can get lost in the post, and printing errors can be a huge pain if you select the 'TOD' option.

3) It may not get the "best seat" but it has a seat selector, so you can pick a seat that matches your own preferences

4) You do not have to load the carriage diagram for each leg

5) Because it works with all train companies

6) It doesn't do that any more; it will allocate the same seat automatically in most cases, and where it has not done so, you can normally manually change it. If you are unable to do so, this will be a limitation imposed by the train companies, not the retailer!

So you save 10% on not going through ticketysplit that can mount up if its a large difference on a full fare ticket.With National Rail Enquiries you can choose which train company to buy off and avoid the postage fee. You can then gain nectar points to with some operators. And they usually have a counter or a face to deal with.
Who would of refunded me today and waived the admin fees when it was TFW that cancelled the train but Avanti who sold the ticket? Would TrainSplit have refunded me straight away, would they have told me to claim off TFW or Avanti, would there be an opportunity to claim for financial losses incurred due to the cancellations?

1) It's not true to suggest you save 10% by not booking through TicketySplit; whatever journey you search for using TicketySplit will not cost any more than if you searched for the same journey using any train company site.

2) Postage is old hat; which train companies offer free postage and Nectar points? As I said before, postage is being phased out by all train companies anyway. I'd rather save money on my booking and have the convenience of a through itinerary and single PDF for the entire journey, than faff around booking each leg as a separate journey in order to get a few Nectar points.

3) Yes you could buy from a ticket counter, but most train companies instruct their ticket office staff not to issue split tickets unless specifically asked; it is difficult therefore to see how this is going to be cheaper than Ticketysplit?

4) If you choose not to travel, you get the refund from the retailer; so in your case you would get it from Avanti.

Timalay

I may be visiting the New Wimbledon Theatre in October, travelling for my hometown in Suffolk.  Would it be cheaper to travel to Liverpool street and get an oyster card, or travel to Waterloo and go the Wimbledon from there?  I would probably be looking to get some food in London beforehand. 
Also, what's the best way to save on train fare?

Many thanks

yorkie2

Timalay said:

I may be visiting the New Wimbledon Theatre in October, travelling for my hometown in Suffolk.  Would it be cheaper to travel to Liverpool street and get an oyster card, or travel to Waterloo and go the Wimbledon from there?  I would probably be looking to get some food in London beforehand. 
Also, what's the best way to save on train fare?

Many thanks

Which station in Suffolk? is this a day return? weekday or weekend?

Do you need to travel via Liverpool Street or would you consider changing at Stratford/Waterloo (as this may be quicker - though it depends on whether your train calls at Stratford or  not)

You may be best asking on a dedicated fares, ticketing and routeing forum.

Timalay

yorkie2 said:

Timalay said:

I may be visiting the New Wimbledon Theatre in October, travelling for my hometown in Suffolk.  Would it be cheaper to travel to Liverpool street and get an oyster card, or travel to Waterloo and go the Wimbledon from there?  I would probably be looking to get some food in London beforehand. 
Also, what's the best way to save on train fare?

Many thanks

Which station in Suffolk? is this a day return? weekday or weekend?

Do you need to travel via Liverpool Street or would you consider changing at Stratford/Waterloo (as this may be quicker - though it depends on whether your train calls at Stratford or  not)

You may be best asking on a dedicated fares, ticketing and routeing forum.

It's Sudbury, Suffolk.  I know I can get to Wimbledon from Waterloo, but I was wondering if it would be cheaper to use the underground to get to Wimbledon instead, and also I might not be restricted as to where I go to lunch if I travel on the underground via an Oster card.