MoneySavingExpert.com Cheap Train Tickets Article Discussion

bluepricey

hi am going to london 14th december returning same day from liverpool lime st, it's coming up £102 2 adults 2 kids is this a good deal? tia

dzug1

bluepricey wrote: »

hi am going to london 14th december returning same day from liverpool lime st, it's coming up £102 2 adults 2 kids is this a good deal? tia

Very good - I can't find anything nearly as cheap

You could save a little more with a family railcard (£24 but gives a bigger discount)

Spudnik_2

Family Railcard is £18 if you use the 25% off voucher. I think it's on this site somewhere? It expires on December 1st so you'll have to be quick!

noelphobic

I'm travelling to Hastings for the weekend with a friend in January. I need to travel from Liverpool and she needs to travel from Crewe. We were intending to buy the tickets from Crewe together so that we could reserve seats and I intended to buy a ticket from Liverpool to Crewe for myself separately. However, if we book the cheapest tickets together for the two of us it will cost us £40 each, but if we book as single travellers it will only cost us £30 each, which seems bizarre! The cheaper option would also mean that we could not reserve seats together.

Anyone got any idea of a way round this?

Pennypincher10

Have just read your cheap train tickets article. No mention of Tourist Information offices. They are doing an offer called Daysave Rail Ticket which can be used on First Capital Connect services between Bedford and Brighton. All day at weekends, and after 9.30am weekdays. I got a return ticket from St Albans to Brighton for £12.50 - saving £12.50. You can also travel to Gatwick apparently. Apparently, they have been doing this offer for years!

dzug1

noelphobic wrote: »

I'm travelling to Hastings for the weekend with a friend in January. I need to travel from Liverpool and she needs to travel from Crewe. We were intending to buy the tickets from Crewe together so that we could reserve seats and I intended to buy a ticket from Liverpool to Crewe for myself separately. However, if we book the cheapest tickets together for the two of us it will cost us £40 each, but if we book as single travellers it will only cost us £30 each, which seems bizarre! The cheaper option would also mean that we could not reserve seats together.

Anyone got any idea of a way round this?

Probably means there was only one seat left at the lower price, which has probably gone by now anyway

noelphobic

dzug1 wrote: »

Probably means there was only one seat left at the lower price, which has probably gone by now anyway

I don't think so, because we looked at the sites again and again over a couple of days. We have now booked through www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com at a cost of £31.50 each. I still have to buy a return from Liverpool to Crewe for myself.

Livingthedream

noelphobic wrote: »

I don't think so, because we looked at the sites again and again over a couple of days. We have now booked through www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com at a cost of £31.50 each. I still have to buy a return from Liverpool to Crewe for myself.

noelphobic its a dirty trick some train companies do to get a little extra cash from you

If I book advance tickets from Manchester to N.Wales for 1 adult and 1 child with family railcard it costs £9.35 so if I was to do 2 adults and 2 children it should cost £18.70 (9.35 x 2) you would think?
Answer: NO the train site gives you £23.80 :eek: so I have to book twice to get it for £18.70 :mad: and hope the seat reservations are near each other

midflight

Can National Express East Coast tickets be bought in person from a train station? I've just tried it, and they said no - those are online prices only. But that's not what the website said - the "internet only" prices were shown in red, and the ones I wanted were not.
I need to buy in person as I'm using National Rail vouchers, and they are not accepted online (or over phone)... I think?

So it seems I have to either:

(1) buy in person with vouchers but pay higher prices
(2) buy online cheaper, but can't use vouchers

Is this right?

Livingthedream

midflight wrote: »

Can National Express East Coast tickets be bought in person from a train station? I've just tried it, and they said no - those are online prices only. But that's not what the website said - the "internet only" prices were shown in red, and the ones I wanted were not.
I need to buy in person as I'm using National Rail vouchers, and they are not accepted online (or over phone)... I think?

So it seems I have to either:

(1) buy in person with vouchers but pay higher prices
(2) buy online cheaper, but can't use vouchers

Is this right?

Yes and No, I had some National Rail Vouchers I got as compo when my train was late, I used them the next time I booked my journey over the phone, I had to send the vouchers to the phone booking office. I used Virgin trains to book my journey, so unless they changed their policy they should still take them but which ever train company you phone ask them straight away if they accept the vouchers, they can only say 'no' then try another one.