Train tickets as a gift - help!

Becles

My grandparents keep talking about going to York for the day, but have never got round to going. I thought I'd get them rail tickets as a Christmas present, so they can go next year sometime.

Gran's health isn't too good, and they don't like going out in bad weather, so I wanted a flexible ticket that they can use any day. I wouldn't want them to feel tied to having to go if she wasn't well, or it wasn't nice weather.

What's the cheapest way of getting them a ticket that they can use anytime to make the journey. The journey would be return tickets from Newcastle to York.

Or can you buy travel gift vouchers that they can spend at the station on the day they wish to travel?

alanrowell

Cheapest with no restrictions & which is fully refundable (less £10 admin fee) would be a Standard Open Return (£44)

Anything cheaper will restrict you to travel on a particular day or a particular time.

Becles

Thanks.

£44 each is too much as it's way above our budget. Will have to think of some other way of doing it.

Have tried looking for travel gift vouchers, but you can't seem to buy them. Have only seen references to ones handed out as compensation when journeys are delayed.

laird

An alternative that you could look into is the Saver fare, whilst it may have restrictions on travel time its priced at £29.10. You simply purchase on the day of travel.

There was a scheme that allowed passengers to purchase rail travel vouchers (equivalent to gift vouchers), try contacting Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC). I have not heard of the scheme for some years so it may have been terminated.

Rail Travel Vouchers do appear on ebay, be careful if you go down that route since the vouchers have an expiry date. Normally they come from a compensation claim payout but this is irrelevant when you come to spend them.