MoneySavingExpert.com Cheapest Train Fares Article Discussion

MUNCHKIN89

Caparn wrote: »

Ok, but in that article it recommends using the trainline:

Know where to get the info and how to book
There are two info and purchasing web powerhouses. The easiest to use is The Trainline* website. It's simple to use, but it can be slower than the 6.10 from Cardiff. However, ensure you pay by debit not credit card or it'll cost £2.50 more; plus be aware it adds £1 travel insurance by default, so ensure you uncheck the box if you don't want it.


The site I mentioned: http://www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com/

• Doesn't charge for using credit cards.
• Doesn't add £1 insurance by default.
• Has a 'cheapest fares' button to find the cheapest return fare, it seems to be much better than all the other sites.
• It also gives you 10% off east coast fares at the moment.

This is Natioanl Express's version of the site that GNER put up before they lost their franchise. Agree that it doesn't offer split tickets/rovers etc. but it is way way easier than trainline for finding the cheapest normal fares. Adding to Caparns' list above it

Finds the cheapest fare whether it is two singles or a return
Allows you to look at the whole day rather than just 5 trains in each direction as is the case on national Rail and Trainline
Allows you to book tickets this way for all routes in the country, not just the east coast.

Martin - this site is only two weeks old and should definitely be included in your next article

Diocletian

Caparn wrote: »

Ok, but in that article it recommends using the trainline:

Know where to get the info and how to book
There are two info and purchasing web powerhouses. The easiest to use is The Trainline* website. It's simple to use, but it can be slower than the 6.10 from Cardiff. However, ensure you pay by debit not credit card or it'll cost £2.50 more; plus be aware it adds £1 travel insurance by default, so ensure you uncheck the box if you don't want it.


The site I mentioned: http://www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com/

• Doesn't charge for using credit cards.
• Doesn't add £1 insurance by default.
• Has a 'cheapest fares' button to find the cheapest return fare, it seems to be much better than all the other sites.
• It also gives you 10% off east coast fares at the moment.

Thanks for pointing out the 10% discount! I tried booking an East Coast Main Line journey last night with the Trainline website. They wanted to charge £1 to post the tickets first class or 50p to collect them from a train station ticket machine! I'm not sure when this changed but it was a surprise to see it.

I then tried the National Express East Coast site. As well as the 10 % web discount they also appear to be free of 'postal charges'. On a seperate note the National Express East Coast seating reservation appears to be much more advanced than any other one I've seen with many more options available (hope it actually works!!)

I also spotted discounted buffet vouchers that you can order at the time of booking: a £4 voucher for £5 food/drink off the trolley and one for the buffet bar....I think it was a £7.50 voucher for £10 of goods.

PMurray_2

A trick I haven't seen mentioned is to use Saver Return (maybe yours are a different name) tickets backwards.

You can buy this ticket at any time before you travel and you must specify the date, but not the time, of the outward portion. The return is valid for a month. The cost seems to be about the same as a standard single fare. The only significant restriction is that you can't use them on peak services.

I travel up to London every couple of weeks or so leaving early in the morning during the peak period. I return the following day and, as mentioned in the article, have a nice meal in First Class on an off-peak service.

The trick is that I always buy my ticket in London for the off-peak journey home and travel into London on the return portion on a peak morning train. If you buy a ticket to London for the morning train it would be full fare.

Only really of use if you travel regularly and during peak periods but I do like not has to specify which service I'll be on or even which day I'm going to London.

Diocletian

Also forgot to mention when I booked a ticket via the National Express East Coast website and came to the payment options it did not indicate any payment charges for using mastercard/visa etc.. which the trainline website does. I ended up paying by other means but I will check this out next time.

alanrowell

NXEC doesn't charge a CC fee, nor a fee for posting or collecting tickets.

In my opinion there is ZERO reason to use thetrainline

darrenc_2

Hmm... this appears to be a greta idea and I'm sure it works on some routes but not all. For example, on the day after Boxing day (27/12/07) I need just a single from Axminster train station (1st train of the day), to Surbiton train startion. The train has one change at Woking train station. This fair second class, is £38 (outragous!). I've tried spliting this route many times with some of the other stops such as Woking and Basingstoke, but the fair is either the same or even more expensive.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking this great idea, I'm just saying that it doesn't always work. I'm all for this kind of thing, because personally I think that compared to other European countries, we get seriously ripped off by the UK train companies AND get one of the worst services in the world.

Unfortunately I have to use Sout West Trains and there service is totally and utterly dreadful. How they can justify the ridiculously expensive rip off prices - is beyond me. It's pure daylight robbery.

DC

bonzer

alanrowell wrote: »

NXEC doesn't charge a CC fee, nor a fee for posting or collecting tickets.

In my opinion there is ZERO reason to use thetrainline

Agree entirely. I was just buying a train ticket and balked at paying the hidden extras on The Train Line. Complete rip-off.

Found this thread and just bought from NXEC instead. Thanks to the people who suggested it.

I'd encourage Martin to change the article. It reads to me like TheTrainLine is a good place to buy tickets when it isn't really. Perhaps advise people to check the two single tickets thing and then remind them to actually buy the tickets somewhere else.

Bonzer

KeithP

darrenc wrote: »

... How they can justify the ridiculously expensive rip off prices - is beyond me. It's pure daylight robbery.

Hi Darrenc,
yes, it doesn't always work... especially where there is no competition between train companies.
Its no good for you this time (if there ever were any tickets for 27Dec they have long gone), but have you considered Megatrain - http://www.megatrain.com/uk/
There are no tickets for 27Dec, but if for example, you wanted to go on 29Jan08, you can travel from Yeovil to Waterloo for £1.50. Just add singles for Axminster-Yeovil Junc and Waterloo-Surbiton. There are restrictions, but at that price...

brucec75

xadie wrote: »

My mum discovered a good trick on the overpriced Glasgow - Edinburgh route. Since you can't buy a return for a different day (they only let you buy a day return - ridiculous rip off!), she found out that if she bought an open return to Inverkeithing, one stop beyond Edinburgh, she could use it any time in the following month and just get off the train in Edinburgh. And it's a saving of about £2 on an off-peak return - an off-peak single to Edinburgh costs around £9 and an off-peak open return to Inverkeithing costs around £16. There's probably even more to save by planning your travel times in advance and buying a ticket online.

I'm sure it must be possible in the other direction too, perhaps by buying an open return to Anniesland or similar. Alternatively buy a day return on this route, which costs about 20p more, and give the return portion to some other person at the other end of the route. At least someone benefits from the Scotrail fares rip-off that way! :rotfl:

As rail tickets are not transferrable it would not be adviseable to pass unused tickets to another person. I would be classed as travel fraud by the british transport police.

brucec75

I work in the rail industry and as far as i am aware, splitting tickets is a valid way to save money, however split tickets mean you MUST split your journey. The slpit ticketting issue would be down to the discretion of the on train staff, however, the rules are that a direct journey requires a direct ticket. just another thing to be aware of, ticket office staff cannot split your ticket for you, for immediate travel. they can only sell you the portion from their station to where you wish to split your ticket.