Advance Purchase Rail Tickets

Basil_Fawlty

Hi there

Just wondering if there's a way to find out which routes offer advance purchase rail tickets without painfully typing each out into the national rail website I can't find a list anywhere :wall:

Also does anyone know the deadline when advance purchase isn't available anymore. I think it was 6pm before the day of journey but not really sure to be honest.

I'm not very good with trains hence using National Express a lot but I do like trains so would be very appreciative if someone could help me with this

Cheers

BF

moonrakerz

There isn't a list, that would be far too easy !

The term advance is also not used by the railway companies with any consistency. The only true "advance" ticket, is an APEX, which has to be bought at least 7 days in advance, but these are only avaiable with some companies and on some routes.
There are lots of other tickets you can buy in "advance", usually up to 6pm the day before you travel; Savers, Blue savers, Super-duper savers (just like in the Nationwide TV advert !). BUT, many of these are "capacity limited", so they are there one day and gone the next. Also they are only available on certain trains.

I'm sorry to say this, but the only way to get the cheapest fare is to put your planned journey into the National Rail web site several weeks before you travel; that should list all the fares that might be available. You can then decide on your journey times and see what fare most closely matches your travel requirements. It is a bit of a drag - but you can get some really cheap fares if you stick at it.

I've just put an imaginary journey from the Wilds of Wiltshire to London (for mid Nov) into the website and got 5 different Standard Class fare from £16-80 ret to £114 ret; OR you can go First Class for £36-70 ret, which is a bargain ! If you click on the name of each fare it will give you the Ts & Cs applying to that fare.

Good luck !

Basil_Fawlty

Cheers :beer: will give it a go

I've tried breaking my journey in half as I have to change anyway, however the Advance Purchase is available on one part of the journey run by First Great Western but nothing on the remaining journey via arriva :wall:

And yes it's only a few more quid more for first class. :cool:

moonrakerz

Breaking the journey ticket (not necessarily the journey itself) is another way of getting cheaper fares. My wife recently went to Kent to see our daughter and the cheapest way to do that was to buy a return ticket to London, in advance, then buy the London/Kent return on the day in London.

Also it may be worth looking to see if there are alternative routes to where you want to go. I am fortunate in having 3 railway stations within 20 miles, all on different lines to London, the fares on these routes vary enormously.
For example if you go direct from Bristol to London Paddington on one ticket the cheapest fare (mid Nov) leaving at 0900 is £49 ret. If you buy two tickets (at Bristol), one to Warminster, and one from Warminster to London Waterloo you can do it for £29-80. It does take 55 mins longer but the savings are substantial.

It can be quite satisfying, 30 mins on the Nat Rail website - and see what you can save.
I don't know how old you are, but if you qualify, a railcard is a good buy. BUT you don't get railcard discounts on "proper" APEX tickets; it can be confusing!!