Transfer ticket form Grand Central to East Coast

[kurtvonnegut]

I have a return portion of a Grand Central London > York return, valid for another couple of weeks.

I'm heading back to London from York on Sunday but unfortunately the GC trains don't quite fit with my schedule.

So I'll have to book an East Coast advance ticket instead (same route).

Is there any way that value of the GC ticket can be used agains the cost of the EC ticket?

Thanks in advance! Never quite sure about the rules governing tickets sold for specific TOCs.

 

[34D]

I'm heading back to London from York on Sunday but unfortunately the GC trains don't quite fit with my schedule.

Do the GC trains from Doncaster suit you any better? If you bought a York-doncaster ticket you could (in my view) travel on their grand union/west riding service south of there.

 

[kurtvonnegut]

Do the GC trains from Doncaster suit you any better? If you bought a York-doncaster ticket you could (in my view) travel on their grand union/west riding service south of there.

Not really – main issue is that I'm now travelling with someone else who has to go on an EC service, so I don't have much choice on the service. (Probably the 1755 from York > London.)

Issue is just whether my existing ticket has any value.

 

[yorkie]

Price of ticket held £85.00
Less the single fare - £50.00
Less the admin fee - £10.00
Total refundable £25.00

The cost of a new ticket on the 1755 is:
£43.70 - Advance Single bought on the EC website
£46.55 - Super Off Peak Single bought on the EC website
£47.00 - Advance Single bought at any station or any other website
£93.10 - Super Off Peak Single bought at any station or any other website
£124.50 - Anytime Single available on board the train

I'd recommend the Super Off Peak Single on the EC site.

 

[kurtvonnegut]

Price of ticket held £85.00
Less the single fare - £50.00
Less the admin fee - £10.00
Total refundable £25.00

The cost of a new ticket on the 1755 is:
£43.70 - Advance Single bought on the EC website
£46.55 - Super Off Peak Single bought on the EC website
£47.00 - Advance Single bought at any station or any other website
£93.10 - Super Off Peak Single bought at any station or any other website
£124.50 - Anytime Single available on board the train

I'd recommend the Super Off Peak Single on the EC site.

Fantastic - so essentially any value remaining on a ticket, less admin fee, can be transferred to any other ticket?

 

[calc7]

Fantastic - so essentially any value remaining on a ticket, less admin fee, can be transferred to any other ticket?

Any other ticket bought at a station. (If you had bought the ticket on the website and not yet collected it from the Ticket Vending Machine then you may have more options).

Note the ticket suggested by yorkie is only available at that (half) price on the East Coast website.

 

[John @ home]

so essentially any value remaining on a ticket, less admin fee, can be transferred to any other ticket?

Sorry, no.

Some tickets are refundable, some are not. As it happens, all London - York return tickets routed GRAND CTRL ONLY are refundable. This does not apply to Advance singles between London and York routed AP GC ONLY, even if two are purchased in one transaction forming a return journey.

 

[ALEMASTER]

if they are the same ticket types is an excess fare a possibility? (XS change of route)

 

[yorkie]

Fantastic - so essentially any value remaining on a ticket, less admin fee, can be transferred to any other ticket?

if they are the same ticket types is an excess fare a possibility? (XS change of route)

This ticket is refundable (it may have to be sent to the original point of purchase and the refund may not be immediate) to the remaining value on the ticket, less an admin fee, which in many cases for the return portion is £0.00 however fortunately in this case there is some value left!

But the ticket is not supposed to be excessed for travel on East Coast services, and I have no idea what the relevance of "same ticket type" is, as a change of route excess would always be to the appropriate ticket type, but it is not supposed to be issued for travel on a different TOC when the original ticket is a TOC specific ticket.

It is true that some rail staff will issue a change of route excess for a TOC specific ticket into an inter-available ticket, but it's not supposed to be done, and EC training does include that, so I am pretty sure York station will know this and not issue the excess.

I would just buy a new Super Off Peak Single ticket online, and make the necessary arrangements for the ticket to be refunded.

The OP is very fortunate in this case that GC price their singles much cheaper than returns, and that a reasonable single is available on EC. On many other TOCs the original ticket would have no value whatsoever and the replacement ticket could be double the price!

 

[34D]

Not really – main issue is that I'm now travelling with someone else who has to go on an EC service, so I don't have much choice on the service. (Probably the 1755 from York > London.)

Issue is just whether my existing ticket has any value.

Before we dismiss GC completely, they have single tickets for as low as £12 for York-London. It _may_ be cheaper to get an alternative ticket for your friend than for yourself.

And GC is so much nicer than EC

 

[yorkie]

Has anyone ever seen a 12 pounds ticket from York - London (or vice-versa)? If so, please let me know of any example date & time this ticket is available for? It is my suspicion that these fares simply do not exist.

 

[smckane]

Just found a £12 one Yorkie...

Wednesday 20 Jun 2012 York YRK to London Kings Cross KGX
YRK 14:05 KGX 16:09
Advance Single Specified train only. No refunds. Grand Central services
http://www.buytickets.grandcentralrail.co.uk

Must be a low demand day - most of the EC trains are offering £14.60 STD Advance Singles

 

[sonic2009]

I suspect with the ticket's only being released for June a couple of weeks ago, the prices will increase towards the end of this month.

But yes surprisingly the £12 does seem to be available for the 1405 GC Departure.