Trying to get a bargain...

sistafromanothermista

hi Guys, so i've been tasked by my mums boyfriend to book a weekend away as a surprise for her 60th in Feb.
I have already booked a theatre ticket for the 12th and now need to work out how they are going to get there!
The show is at the Picadilly Theatre.

Any help appreciated on trying to find the best deal.


I am looking to;
Book to get from Reading, Berks to ??? (i think Paddington)
Tube ( i think Bakerloo line Zone 1) to Picadilly

On the 12th February then back again on the 13th. Ideally around midday ish as the show is at 7-7.30pm
I also need to book a hotel room and meal for them! (No pressure)

Unfortunately my mums boyfriend does not have any family and is computer illiterate so we have offered our services.


Please help me as i've never done this before either!

modsandmockers

I would recommend doing your research on https://www.thetrainline.com, but MSE itself has an app which I have never used, and is mostly concerned with less straightforward journeys than Reading to Paddington. The off-peak return fare for the dates you mention is £53.40 for two adults, but this does not include bus or tube travel. You can buy tube tickets at underground stations, but you cannot pay cash for bus tickets on the bus - you have to buy them in advance or use a contactless debit or credit card. Bus and tube travel is cheapest with an Oyster card, but you need to organise it in advance. I have no recent experience of paying for London bus or tube travel because I now have an old man's bus pass. All the information about bus and tube travel is available on the very excellent TransportForLondon website.

And don't forget that if your loved ones are over 60 on the day of travel, then they are both eligible for the Senior Railcard which will give them a third off the normal price of travel, but it is only worth buying if they intend to make several train journeys during the year. Alternatively, there is the 2-together discount card, but it only works if they always travel together.

Unless they plan to spend some time shopping or sightseeing on the 13th, then I recommend finding a hotel close to Paddington station, so that they will be able to avoid another day of bus and tube fares - I may be wrong, but I think there might be some advantage in using an Oyster card for one day only.

If you buy the mainline tickets from thetrainline.com then you will have to pay a booking fee, but Reading ticket office will sell you a post-dated ticket for the basic price, and if there is a change of plan, you will be able to claim a refund right up until the time of travel.

yorkie2

sistafromanothermista wrote: »

Any help appreciated on trying to find the best deal.


I am looking to;
Book to get from Reading, Berks to ??? (i think Paddington)
Tube ( i think Bakerloo line Zone 1) to Picadilly

How do you define the "best deal"?

dzug1

An off peak day travelcard from Reading to zones 1-6 is £22.70. Buy two - one to travel out and the other in advance to travel back on 13th. (They are not sold in the return direction, nor for any lesser number of zones). You'll get unlimited travel within the zones.


An off peak return plus Oyster would work out slightly cheaper - but you would have to shell out a deposit for the Oysters - and the rules on refunding that have changed (or are going to)


Note the off peak restrictions - at the times you mention there are no problems but off peak tickets are not valid out of Paddington in the evening peak except on stopping trains

silvercar

modsandmockers wrote:

The off-peak return fare for the dates you mention is £53.40 for two adults, but this does not include bus or tube travel. You can buy tube tickets at underground stations, but you cannot pay cash for bus tickets on the bus - you have to buy them in advance or use a contactless debit or credit card. Bus and tube travel is cheapest with an Oyster card, but you need to organise it in advance. I have no recent experience of paying for London bus or tube travel because I now have an old man's bus pass. All the information about bus and tube travel is available on the very excellent TransportForLondon website.

Best to use a contactless debit or credit card for all your tube and bus travel to take advantage of the fare caps. You need a different contactless card for each person in your group.

modsandmockers

dzug1 wrote: »

An off peak day travelcard from Reading to zones 1-6 is £22.70. Buy two - one to travel out and the other in advance to travel back on 13th. (They are not sold in the return direction, nor for any lesser number of zones). You'll get unlimited travel within the zones.


An off peak return plus Oyster would work out slightly cheaper - but you would have to shell out a deposit for the Oysters - and the rules on refunding that have changed (or are going to)


Note the off peak restrictions - at the times you mention there are no problems but off peak tickets are not valid out of Paddington in the evening peak except on stopping trains

Please correct me if I am wrong - train fares are very complicated, and vary from region to region. For a single passenger to buy two travelcards, for two consecutive days, the cost would be £45.40, but an off peak return (with no bus or tube travel) covering the same two days, the price would be £26.70 (according to thetrainline.com). These figures will be doubled if there are two passengers travelling.

So, by my calculations, each of the two travellers would need to be planning to spend more than £18.70 on tube and bus fares in order to make the 2xTravelCard option a better deal.

My own experience is that the station ticket office staff are extremely knowledgeable and enjoy helping customers to find the best deal, especially if you avoid the busy times.

dzug1

modsandmockers wrote: »

Please correct me if I am wrong - train fares are very complicated, and vary from region to region. For a single passenger to buy two travelcards, for two consecutive days, the cost would be £45.40, but an off peak return (with no bus or tube travel) covering the same two days, the price would be £26.70 (according to thetrainline.com). These figures will be doubled if there are two passengers travelling.

So, by my calculations, each of the two travellers would need to be planning to spend more than £18.70 on tube and bus fares in order to make the 2xTravelCard option a better deal.

My own experience is that the station ticket office staff are extremely knowledgeable and enjoy helping customers to find the best deal, especially if you avoid the busy times.

Yup - you are right. I was only looking at one day fares:mad: