MoneySavingExpert.com Cheap Train Tickets Article Discussion

Broadstone

dzug1 wrote: »

For the cancelled train there should be no problems - just write in with the ticket and claim.

For the illness one - if it was an advance ticket then you cannot claim (unless you can find out if the train was cancelled as well??). If it was a walk on ticket you can claim less a £10 admin fee.

Thanks for the advice. For your info, my illnesss one was split tickets. I used an an advanced first class ticket for one half of the journey and a combination of super offpeak day and standard anytime tickets for the other half of the journey. I ordered the tickets via the internet and picked them up from the station the day before I travelled. Can I still claim a refund ? Thanks.

dzug1

Broadstone wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. For your info, my illnesss one was split tickets. I used an an advanced first class ticket for one half of the journey and a combination of super offpeak day and standard anytime tickets for the other half of the journey. I ordered the tickets via the internet and picked them up from the station the day before I travelled. Can I still claim a refund ? Thanks.

Looking at the refund rules a bit more closely it's too late to reclaim the return trip - in principle yes you could - but the claim has to be made whilst the tickets are still valid. (It would have been the £10 fee for each ticket BTW)

The outward one, as the train was cancelled - no problem. You should get a full refund. I think you have 28 days to claim.

Your only chance for the return trip would be if you can find out if there were sufficient delays/cancellations on that day to claim on those grounds rather than illness.

Broadstone

dzug1 wrote: »

Looking at the refund rules a bit more closely it's too late to reclaim the return trip - in principle yes you could - but the claim has to be made whilst the tickets are still valid. (It would have been the £10 fee for each ticket BTW)

The outward one, as the train was cancelled - no problem. You should get a full refund. I think you have 28 days to claim.

Your only chance for the return trip would be if you can find out if there were sufficient delays/cancellations on that day to claim on those grounds rather than illness.

Thanks again. Looking at my return journey, it would have been approximately 35 minutes late due to rail works and a broken down train. Can I claim for a 35 min delay and, if so, how much would I get ? For info, my return journey ticket for the delayed part was less than £20.

dzug1

Broadstone wrote: »

Thanks again. Looking at my return journey, it would have been approximately 35 minutes late due to rail works and a broken down train. Can I claim for a 35 min delay and, if so, how much would I get ? For info, my return journey ticket for the delayed part was less than £20.

Some TOCs will pay out for a 35 minute delay - half the fare paid. I know Cross Country do, but FGW will not until there's been an hour delay. Others - no idea sorry.

hethmar

dzug1 wrote: »

The 12 weeks is an urban myth - there is some truth in it but a lot of the time it's not true. It's an aspiration rather than set in stone

Having said that this site:

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/booking_horizons.html

suggests they have been released. Maybe they've forgotten to add that Sunday to the list of exceptions
/QUOTE]

I still cant work it out. When I bought two first class advance singles Norwich to London the guy said they go quickly, buy them now and wait for the first class singles back from London. But I dont know if there are going to be any by the looks of it. Ive being to the national express site and the cheapest standard singles from London on that day are only £8 each BUT you have to take a weird and wonderful journey lasting about 3 and half hours. The next cheapest are £80 for two standard singles?

I rang trainline earlier today and the girl (who I could hardly hear/understand) said she could sell me two first class singles for £156. I said to her that Id only paid £35 or something for two going down the day before. Lots of faffing about and she said they havent been released yet, ring us back in 5 days??

dzug1

hethmar wrote: »

dzug1 wrote: »

The 12 weeks is an urban myth - there is some truth in it but a lot of the time it's not true. It's an aspiration rather than set in stone

Having said that this site:

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/booking_horizons.html

suggests they have been released. Maybe they've forgotten to add that Sunday to the list of exceptions
/QUOTE]

I still cant work it out. When I bought two first class advance singles Norwich to London the guy said they go quickly, buy them now and wait for the first class singles back from London. But I dont know if there are going to be any by the looks of it. Ive being to the national express site and the cheapest standard singles from London on that day are only £8 each BUT you have to take a weird and wonderful journey lasting about 3 and half hours. The next cheapest are £80 for two standard singles?

I rang trainline earlier today and the girl (who I could hardly hear/understand) said she could sell me two first class singles for £156. I said to her that Id only paid £35 or something for two going down the day before. Lots of faffing about and she said they havent been released yet, ring us back in 5 days??

Having dug about a bit, the tickets HAVE been released - and are via that weird and wonderful route lasting 3 hours plus. The reason that they don't show up on the web site is that it looks for the fastest trains - which are mostly via Cambridge with one change, but there are no cheap fares that way (and never will be - not worth waiting).

£8 standard and £12 first on just about all trains via the slower route - which is partly a bus. They won't go that quickly as no one knows they are there.....

If you press the slower cheaper fares may be available button you should find them - if there isn't one on the NXEA site there definitely is on FGW where I found them. Or specifying route Ipswich should achieve the same result - haven't checked though

The call centre should also be able to find them if you prompt them about slower cheaper routes.

hethmar

Oh what a shame. Its a special weekend for us and I thought Id do it in a bit of style and go first class - so you think like me, there arent any decent first class advance? Thats so annoying.

hethmar

Finally got through to National Express trains - after a lot of faffing - a chap said that there are engineering works on the sunday so "first class advance are not available" Im not sure how engineering works could affect the availability of tickets myself? The cheapest tickets involved two trains and a bus which I dont think OH or I would appreciate on our special weekend so Ive bought two normal singles at £66 for two. Many thanks for your help guys.

Broadstone

Hi all,

I need some advise.

Before Xmas, my train to London was cancelled due to the bad weather. I also had a connecting train from London going to Kent, which I obviously never used. I got all of my tickets via the internet with Southwest for the London train and Southern railways for the Kent train.

I have contacted both Southern and Southwest in order to get a refund for my unused tickets. However, Southern have just advised me that there will be a £10 admin charge for refunding my money.

I didn't think admin charges applied for cancelled trains and would like to challenge this if my assumption is correct. Could someone please let me know whether my thinking is correct so that I can take the next steps.

Many thanks

KeithP

Broadstone wrote: »

Hi all,

I need some advise.

Before Xmas, my train to London was cancelled due to the bad weather. I also had a connecting train from London going to Kent, which I obviously never used. I got all of my tickets via the internet with Southwest for the London train and Southern railways for the Kent train.

I have contacted both Southern and Southwest in order to get a refund for my unused tickets. However, Southern have just advised me that there will be a £10 admin charge for refunding my money.

I didn't think admin charges applied for cancelled trains and would like to challenge this if my assumption is correct. Could someone please let me know whether my thinking is correct so that I can take the next steps.

Many thanks

If you have two tickets for the journey, one into London and another out to Kent, then your trip is treated as two seperate journeys.

You can probably see that how you get to London is no interest to the Kent train operator. As far as they are concerned, you have not turned up for the trip, so refund will be less a £10 fee.