help (again) please with trains.

sandraroffey

so many lovely helpful people on here. please can this be done any cheaper?????

i am off to ipswich next wednesday, returning the saturday. leaving from bognor regis. i have a senior railcard. an off peak period return is coming up online at £35-ish. can this be done any cheaper.

also, the times to leave are worrying me. the helpful chap at the local train station tells me i cant leave until after half past 9. when i got the rail card, i was told all was ok as long as i was leaving after half past 8!!! online, the fare i have found shows the same price fare if i leave at around 8.30. however, i do know that online prices etc can sometimes be very wrong. experienced that one for myself. any help and advice is great. thanks to all who read.

wealdroam

sandraroffey wrote: »

so many lovely helpful people on here. please can this be done any cheaper?????

i am off to ipswich next wednesday, returning the saturday. leaving from bognor regis. i have a senior railcard. an off peak period return is coming up online at £35-ish. can this be done any cheaper.

also, the times to leave are worrying me. the helpful chap at the local train station tells me i cant leave until after half past 9. when i got the rail card, i was told all was ok as long as i was leaving after half past 8!!! online, the fare i have found shows the same price fare if i leave at around 8.30. however, i do know that online prices etc can sometimes be very wrong. experienced that one for myself. any help and advice is great. thanks to all who read.

How about avery early start, and a late return home?

Dep Bognor 06:57, arr Ipswich 10:43. Advance Single with Senior Railcard = £13.55. Change at london Bridge, Jubilee Line to Stratford, then train to Ipswich.

Then Ipswich 19:09, arr Bognor 23:12. Advance Single with Senior Railcard = £11.90. Via Liverpool Street and London Bridge this time.

So total return = £25.45.

Remember, with Advance Singles you must travel on the booked trains.

Info from Southern Railway's website.

sandraroffey

thanks so much. thats a big saving, just for travelling at differnt times. many thanks.. the two journeys i havce asked about on here, has saved me fortune!!!!!!!!!!!!

yorkie2

sandraroffey wrote: »

so many lovely helpful people on here. please can this be done any cheaper?????

i am off to ipswich next wednesday, returning the saturday. leaving from bognor regis. i have a senior railcard. an off peak period return is coming up online at £35-ish. can this be done any cheaper.

also, the times to leave are worrying me. the helpful chap at the local train station tells me i cant leave until after half past 9.

The advice you were given is incorrect. I suggest asking him to look up the restriction code for a Bognor Regis to Ipswich Off Peak Return. I will reproduce the relevant parts here (with the crucial part in bold)...

BOGNOR REGIS [BOG] to IPSWICH [IPS]
SVR - OFF-PEAK R XEA
00000 - +ANY PERMITTED
1 Adult @£ 35.65 = £ 35.65
__________
£ 35.65
Standard Class Return


Restriction : 7B
Restriction applies Mondays
to Fridays only.

OUTWARD TRAVEL
Morning Peak.
By any train scheduled to
depart London Terminals at or
after 0930, Stratford
International or Stratford
(London) at or after 0938.


Evening Peak.
Not valid on any train
departing London Terminals
between 1629 and 1834
inclusive or on trains
departing Stratford (London)
between 1636 and 1841



RETURN TRAVEL
Morning Peak.
By any train scheduled to
arrive at London Terminals
at or after 1000 or
Stratford (London) at or after
0950.

NETWORK AREA:
The London & South East
Network Area is shown in the
London Area Fares section E0

Off-Peak tickets for journeys
starting within the Network
Area to destinations outside
the Network Area with travel
via London are valid by any
train to London, to connect
with trains from London.

Your origin (Bognor Regis) is in the Network Area. Your destination (Ipswich) is outside this area.

Therefore you are valid on ANY TRAIN from Bognor Regis to London. Transfer by LU to Liverpool Street is included. You may then take any train leaving London Liverpool Street after 0930 (but not between 1629 and 1834)

sandraroffey wrote: »

when i got the rail card, i was told all was ok as long as i was leaving after half past 8!!!

For which journey? There is no such 'blanket rule', it depends on the journey.

Some staff are badly trained. There's a good place to get advice here.

sandraroffey wrote: »

online, the fare i have found shows the same price fare if i leave at around 8.30. however, i do know that online prices etc can sometimes be very wrong. experienced that one for myself. any help and advice is great. thanks to all who read.

If an online price is wrong, as in cheaper, then book it online, print out the itinerary and you can't realistically be charged an excess (and if you are, post here and we'll do our best to get your money back!)

However online booking sites are usually right. But they are wrong for Bognor to Ipswich. This is due to the restriction code containing a lot of irrelevant text that is superseded by the Network Area rule I quoted above (with the crucial part in bold). This mistake was made by the company that sets the fare, in this case NXEA. You could try writing to them to ask them to correct it.