Probably a stupid question, about booking train tickets.

thriftymanc

I regularly make a certain journey by train. It's never cheaper in advance so I've always bought tickets at the station on the day. It occurred to me I may as well book online using East Midlands via Quidco to get the few pence cashback every time (better than nothing!).

The ticket I always get on this journey is an offpeak return within one month. I tend not to know exactly when I'll travel until within a few hours of leaving, and sometimes not even which day I'll return til on the day, so don't want to be tied to specific times just because I've booked in advance.

The terms and conditions of the ticket online do state:

"VALIDITY
Your outward journey must be on off-peak trains on the date specified, and you must return on off-peak trains within one calendar month. Off-peak times vary by route - our journey planner only shows off-peak tickets on trains for which they are valid."

That sounds right, but during booking I have to select an outward and return train, I can't just select an outward date. I take it that selecting specific trains doesn't actually mean I have to travel on them, that it's just unavoidable because of how the ticket websites are set out (i.e. you have to select something to proceed to the next page)?

wealdroam

Although you have to specify a train at the time of booking, you can travel on any train that the ticket is valid for.

nexus2011

Never trust those machines in the station they rip you off.

Jeff_Bridges_hair

thriftymanc wrote: »

I use self service machines in stations regularly for both buying and collecting tickets and have never been ripped off by them. For tickets on the day they charge exactly the same as I would spend if I queued up for half an hour and bought one from the desk, or indeed bought the ticket in advance - as explained in my OP the ticket I buy is never cheaper in advance, I don't know why, it's just the same price from the second it's released to the time the train actually departs. The only reason I want to book it online from now on is so I get cashback. If it's a journey I know I can get cheaper, I always book it in advance and collect it.

There are a lot of tickets and routes out there that will never have advance tickets because of various reasons.. but if you can get cashback and its not via thetrainline then do it!

Livingthedream

First Transpennine Express up to 4.5% cashback, East Midland Trains up to3.5% Cashback through Quidco both these don't charge booking/credit card fees.