Tips for cheaper train fares

dzug1

There's a snag with the above (post 20) - your one day travelcard from Iver is not valid to Feltham* - it's valid via any permitted route to boundary zone 6 - which is short of Feltham travelling from the Reading direction. Iver to Boundary zone 6 via Reading is certainly not a permitted route anyway.


* except via Paddington or some intermediate point on that route

And following your link to the NR site and attempting actually to buy the ticket doesn't work - the sites it links through to don't list the travelcard in the available tickets they will sell

thelawnet

dzug1 wrote: »

There's a snag with the above (post 20) - your one day travelcard from Iver is not valid to Feltham* - it's valid via any permitted route to boundary zone 6 - which is short of Feltham travelling from the Reading direction. Iver to Boundary zone 6 via Reading is certainly not a permitted route anyway.

Yes it's valid via any permitted route to the boundaries of zone 6.

I.e. the stations I listed above, including Feltham.

Iver - Feltham via Reading is a permitted route for the journey Iver - Feltham.

There is no requirement to choose the nearest boundary, you may choose any boundary.

In many cases, the permitted route will be via the nearest boundary, e.g., for Iver - Coulsdon South (near Croydon), the permitted route is Iver - Paddington then across London, so in effect for Coulsdon South (which is on the boundary) the boundary is at West Drayton, when travelling from Iver.

If you had problems buying the ticket, it's probably because there is no return journey.

If you specify Iver - Feltham via Reading with an outbound and return journey on the same day, the ticket sites will all sell you the ticket, because it is valid for this journey.

tehone

thelawnet wrote: »

Break your journey

There is a general right to break a journey.

For example, if I want to travel from London to St Albans, then continue on to Luton a little later, rather than buying a London - St Albans and St Albans - Luton ticket, I can just buy London - Luton, stop off in St Albans, and then continue to Luton later, using the same ticket.

Very often this will save money.

On the same basis, you can also END or START your journey short of the destination or origin of the ticket.

So travelling from West Hampstead to St Albans, and then back to
London, you could buy a London - St Albans return, at West Hampstead station (you would need the ticket office) for this, and 'start short' there, returning later to London.

If you buy 'Advance' tickets, which will be clearly marked on the ticket, break of journey is not allowed. There a few off-peak tickets where it is also restricted - this should be made clear when you buy the ticket.

Not quite accurate

If you have a single ticket, then you may **not** BREAK your journey (you may start/end short). Unless of course your journey involves a cross London tube transfer if which case you can fairly easily break your journey unofficially. [I'm ignoring the edge case examples where you can break and restart your journey if at the time you purchased your ticket it wasn't possible to complete your journey that day]

If you have a return ticket, then you may break your journey on the RETURN half only.

thelawnet

tehone wrote: »

Not quite accurate

If you have a single ticket, then you may **not** BREAK your journey (you may start/end short). Unless of course your journey involves a cross London tube transfer if which case you can fairly easily break your journey unofficially. [I'm ignoring the edge case examples where you can break and restart your journey if at the time you purchased your ticket it wasn't possible to complete your journey that day]

If you have a return ticket, then you may break your journey on the RETURN half only.

No, you are wrong (in most cases).

For tickets sold as 'Anytime', i.e. Anytime (Day) Singles, and Anytime (Day) Returns, you can always break your journey.

For tickets sold as (Super) 'Off-Peak', you can break your journey in all cases on the return journey, and in most cases on the outbound.

According to National Rail http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/ticket_types/46590.aspx

Break of journey

Break of journey is allowed on the outward portion of Off-Peak tickets unless otherwise indicated by a restriction shown against the ticket's validity code and in all cases on the return portion of Off-Peak return tickets.

You may start, break and resume, or end your journey at any intermediate station along the route of travel on Off-Peak tickets unless the ticket restriction for the journey you are making does not allow it.

The great majority of off-peak tickets permit break of journey. But it depends on the ticket. London Midland, Arriva Trains Wales and First Transpennine Express off-peak tickets are usually restricted. Others, not so much, or not at all.

E.g.:

Gatwick Airport - Cardiff off-peak return via Salisbury and Warminster is priced by Arriva Trains Wales and has an outbound break of journey restriction.

Gatwick Airport - Bristol Parkway via Salisbury and Warminster is priced by South West Trains and has no such restriction.

Likewise:

London - Crewe Route London Midland Only (Super) Off-Peak Return has an outbound break of journey restriction, but the Any Permitted ticket, valid on, and priced by Virgin, has no such restriction.

For a simple single ticket such as London to Bedford, you could stop off as many times as you like, obviously providing that at all times you proceed towards Bedford, and don't double back on yourself

alanc1975uk

So based on the post above surrounding boundary fares and travelcards...

If I were to buy an annual season ticket from Ashford (Surrey) to London Zones 1-6 for £2724, I could use that ticket for my daily journey to work between Maidenhead and Covent Garden (annual season ticket price £3604), thereby saving £880 a year, even on the fast trains from Maidenhead to London (which either stop only at Slough or run non-stop to Paddington)...?

And there'd be no issues with acceptance at the barriers or by ticket inspectors?

Or have I interpreted the above all wrong...?

wealdroam

alanc1975uk wrote: »

So based on the post above surrounding boundary fares and travelcards...

If I were to buy an annual season ticket from Ashford (Surrey) to London Zones 1-6 for £2724, I could use that ticket for my daily journey to work between Maidenhead and Covent Garden (annual season ticket price £3604), thereby saving £880 a year, even on the fast trains from Maidenhead to London (which either stop only at Slough or run non-stop to Paddington)...?

And there'd be no issues with acceptance at the barriers or by ticket inspectors?

Or have I interpreted the above all wrong...?

Firstly, the post you are referring to is nearly eighteen months old.

The good news is that Ashford(Surrey) to West Drayton is still a permitted route via Reading.

So yes you can buy a Ashford(Surrey) to London Zones 1-6 season ticket and use it for your regular Maidenhead to London commute on the trains you mention.

As post #20 said:

thelawnet wrote: »

Since this may prove controversial with train staff, you are advised to print out an itinerary from National Rail Enquiries showing that the Travelcard is valid via the route from the station you start from to a station within the zones.

It is unlikely that your ticket will open the gate at Maidenhead, and it is also possible it will not open the gate at Paddington.
That in itself does not mean the ticket is not valid, just that whoever programmed the gates didn't think of your possibility.
You will have to explain the logic behind your ticket, so always carry a printed National Rail Enquiries itinerary with you.

yorkie2

alanc1975uk wrote: »

So based on the post above surrounding boundary fares and travelcards...

If I were to buy an annual season ticket from Ashford (Surrey) to London Zones 1-6 for £2724, I could use that ticket for my daily journey to work between Maidenhead and Covent Garden (annual season ticket price £3604), thereby saving £880 a year, even on the fast trains from Maidenhead to London (which either stop only at Slough or run non-stop to Paddington)...?

And there'd be no issues with acceptance at the barriers or by ticket inspectors?

Or have I interpreted the above all wrong...?

If you can get itineraries (on one ticket) via Reading, yes.

But if the Train Companies believe you are purchasing a cheaper ticket, with no intention of doing the whole journey, but only for the purpose of saving money, they may do any, or even all, of the following:
1) Incorrectly claim your ticket is not valid;
2) Change the validity so any future tickets are not valid by this route;
3) Threaten to prosecute you (the people prosecuting you may claim ignorance of the rules or may not care)

Make sure you have access to a cheap (preferably free) solicitor.

If proper legal representation is sought, you may win the case, see:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-24458623

St Albans lawyer Andrew Myers found the annual First Capital Connect (FCC) fare to London was about £700 cheaper if he bought his ticket from Watford North.
FCC said it was only valid from Elstree and forced Mr Myers to purchase a ticket between St Albans and there, which led him to sue the company.
He was awarded £2,193 at St Albans County Court.

If you have consulted your solicitor and you are happy to proceed, then by all means go ahead with it. Let us know when the court date is, and providing you have good legal representation, I'll send someone to watch (if you are not a solicitor do not attempt to represent yourself!)

yorkie2

I will also challenge these old posts from 2013:

Natb8886 wrote: »

But what happens when the ticket inspector stamps your ticket between London and St Albans, and then the next ticket inspector refuses your ticket as it has already been stamped, when you get on the train from St Albans to Luton?

You tell them that you broke your journey. End of.

tehone wrote: »

Not quite accurate

No, thelawnet's post was accurate.

tehone wrote: »

If you have a single ticket, then you may **not** BREAK your journey (you may start/end short). Unless of course your journey involves a cross London tube transfer if which case you can fairly easily break your journey unofficially. [I'm ignoring the edge case examples where you can break and restart your journey if at the time you purchased your ticket it wasn't possible to complete your journey that day]

If you have a return ticket, then you may break your journey on the RETURN half only.

That's not what the NRCoC says. See Condition 16.

grener

If you are an O2 customer check out Priority this week as they are offering 40% off East Coast advance tickets this week only. I've just booked my tickets for January - bargain

j4ck1000

Can anyone tell me if the Iver - London travel card is still valid for Wokingham - Waterloo as given in Thelawnet's example ? Thanks.