train tickets onto mobile phone

neil7

Hello
I purchase from a number of different train operators (southern, thames, great western ect..) and sometimes from the trainline. I need an app for my android phone so I can purchase train tickets and then tap through at the station gates. I want to stop having to go and print tickets at each station following my on-line purchases.

Can anyone suggest one app for this purpose that does not charge and has full national coverage for all journeys and the best ticket prices available?

many thanks

Voyager2002

neil7 wrote: »

Hello
I purchase from a number of different train operators (southern, thames, great western ect..) and sometimes from the trainline. I need an app for my android phone so I can purchase train tickets and then tap through at the station gates. I want to stop having to go and print tickets at each station following my on-line purchases.

Can anyone suggest one app for this purpose that does not charge and has full national coverage for all journeys and the best ticket prices available?

many thanks

I think you need a time machine...

Personally I find the time required to print tickets at stations (following on-line purchase) is minimal and so that comes rather low on my list of things to worry about.

neil7

lovely to hear about your own personal world, always a joy

anyone have a suggestion?

giraffe69

Don't know of any app that covers all tickets/companies (there may be one but haven't looked) but individual companies do have them e.g. South western trains and I'm sure there are others.

jbuchanangb

I used the Greater Anglia app recently and bought an m-ticket on my Android phone for travel on Northern, so that is probably a good one. I know my daughter bought m-tickets on her Virgin Trains app when travelling on LNER. But presumably Virgin Trains app will disappear when their franchise for the west coast ends next month.

It does depend however on whether the Train Operating Company running the trains on which you wish to travel will accept such tickets if a journey is entirely on their trains. I know that Merseyrail don't so I can't buy tickets with an app for them.

neil7

if anyone need this, I have found out the following:

use the Northern app which you can use to buy tickets for any train company in the UK.

All tickets purchased are automatically "Mobile tickets" meaning they are stored on your phone and don't need to printed off.

Most other Train Operating Companies have similar apps.

all train companies sell the same tickets at the same price, unless a particular train company has a sale or special offer on, in which case the tickets are only usually available on that particular companies app or website.

Third party ticket agents such as the Trainline can NEVER sell tickets cheaper than any of the Train Operating Companies.

yorkie2

There is a lot of confusion here.


In railway terms, "e tickets" are not the same as "m tickets".


An "m ticket" can be tied to a specific app provided by a particular company; if your mobile phone stops working or is lost/stolen, you may be left without a valid ticket. I would avoid this.


An "e ticket" is an electronic barcode ticket; all good retailers will email you a PDF containing the electronic barcode. The PDF can be shown on ANY device and/or it could be printed if you wish. Many providers also offer apps that can display these kinds of tickets, but this should be in addition to the email containing the attachment.


I strongly recommend using e-tickets, but avoid m-tickets. Sometimes it can be tricky to know which you are getting.