Seatfrog Secret Fare

Timalay

Just saw an advert for this.  Has anyone used this, and what is it like?

vacheron

It has been around for a while. I registered many years ago on the advice of some employees of Network Rail (who are obliged to travel by train wherever possible), and they were using it regularly to get first class tickets for just a few £ more than standard class, and they would pay the difference out of their own pocket.

So it is a real thing and it definately worked for them, but I barely use trains so have never had the opportunity to use my account in anger.  

prettyandfluffy

Yes and it works.  I put in a £7 bid for an upgrade to 1st Class from Bristol to Sheffield, got notification I had won whilst on the platform waiting for the train.  Well worth it for £7 as it included drinks & sandwiches. I suspect the chance of success depends on the route and time of day.

MSE_James

The question was about Secret Fares, which are different from the original Seatfrog product (which was about allowing existing standard class ticket holders to upgrade to first class where capacity was available)

Secret Fares are when you choose a destination and a rough timeslot (morning / afternoon / evening) but only learn exactly which train you will be travelling on the day before travel.

I've been using these tickets regularly on South Western Railway and they work very well for me - even if for the evening timeslot the trains tend to be later at night than I would choose if given a free choice.

If you are eligible for a railcard that gives discounts on Advance tickets these can sometimes be cheaper than Secret Fares, but depending on your circumstances it's a useful extra tool in the list of things to check when planning a journey.

Troytempest

Its all based upon supply and demand......

Stop telling people about it!!!!

marcia_

Troytempest said:

Its all based upon supply and demand......

Stop telling people about it!!!!

 You forgot the intent of these forums 😂🤣😂

Timalay

marcia_ said:

Troytempest said:

Its all based upon supply and demand......

Stop telling people about it!!!!

 You forgot the intent of these forums 😂🤣😂

Heaven forbid I try an save people money.

Olenna

I've used these on Avanti West Coast a few times and had decent results. Sometimes the train I would have selected and other times I wouldn't have (e.g. change at Crewe rather than direct) 

I really don't understand why they don't get rid of all these railcard discounts (except core ones like Disabled) and just give everyone cheaper pricing. 

Grumpy_chap

MSE_James said:

Secret Fares are when you choose a destination and a rough timeslot (morning / afternoon / evening) but only learn exactly which train you will be travelling on the day before travel.

I've been using these tickets regularly on South Western Railway and they work very well for me - even if for the evening timeslot the trains tend to be later at night than I would choose if given a free choice.

OK, so I never heard of this service before but thought I'd give it a go.  Maybe I am being a little silly and missing the really obvious, but I cannot actually see how to enter the journey I want into the system to get a price / time options. 

I have tried changing the start to more major stations, but no sensible major stations are coming up.
I have tried just taking the "intercity" portion of the trip, so Reading to Bath Spa but neither station seems to come up.  I can't do Paddington to Bath Spa as Paddington does not seem to be available either.

Moonshine3

Grumpy_chap said:

MSE_James said:

Secret Fares are when you choose a destination and a rough timeslot (morning / afternoon / evening) but only learn exactly which train you will be travelling on the day before travel.

I've been using these tickets regularly on South Western Railway and they work very well for me - even if for the evening timeslot the trains tend to be later at night than I would choose if given a free choice.

OK, so I never heard of this service before but thought I'd give it a go.  Maybe I am being a little silly and missing the really obvious, but I cannot actually see how to enter the journey I want into the system to get a price / time options. 

I have tried changing the start to more major stations, but no sensible major stations are coming up.
I have tried just taking the "intercity" portion of the trip, so Reading to Bath Spa but neither station seems to come up.  I can't do Paddington to Bath Spa as Paddington does not seem to be available either.

It's not immediately clear on the Seatfrog app, but the Secret Fares are currently only available with some train operating companies - their help section says "Secret Fare tickets are eligible for single or return journeys on multiple routes across the TransPennine Express, East Midlands Railway, South Western Railway and Greater Anglia network". The journeys you are looking for are with GWR, so they wouldn't be available - you're not being silly! 

Grumpy_chap

Moonshine3 said:

It's not immediately clear on the Seatfrog app, but the Secret Fares are currently only available with some train operating companies - their help section says "Secret Fare tickets are eligible for single or return journeys on multiple routes across the TransPennine Express, East Midlands Railway, South Western Railway and Greater Anglia network". The journeys you are looking for are with GWR, so they wouldn't be available - you're not being silly! 

Many thanks - that seems a silly system to me - a fair structure that only works with some operators.  Still, I suppose it is just another example of the fair structure being just too complicated across the board.

My local station is SWR, but I could not find that as a starting point on the Seatfrog website.

I think, rather than the Seatfrog system, simpler standard pricing would be better.  I actually bought our tickets at £95.  The standard price seems to be £140 for the dates we are travelling.  The lowest I found was £89, but that site would not actually allow me to complete the purchase.

I was also surprised at the significant uplift in cost if we wanted to travel first class and the very low uplift in service offering that we'd get for the excessive amount of money.