Virgin Off-Peak Single (Online only)

[RYS]

Hi all. I'm need to travel from Birmingham International to Euston on Sunday. Ideally I want a flexible ticket. When I use the Virgin website and search for a single ticket BHI-EUS with a Y-P card the only flexible Off-Peak single ticket offered is £28.40.

If instead I search for a return journey EUS-BHI-EUS I am offered "Off Peak Single (Online only)" tickets costing just £14.50 each way.

What's going on here? If they are singles then why aren't they offered when I search for just a single from BHI-EUS.

 

[Paul Kelly]

This ticket isn't really a single; it used to be called a "saver half", i.e. half a saver return, and can only be bought online along with an advance fare for the other half of the journey. Fares Complification in 2008 renamed it from "saver half" to "off-peak single", which just seems to cause endless confusion.

 

[button_boxer]

And if you're booking further ahead you may find that it's cheaper to buy an off-peak-single-formerly-known-as-saver-half plus an advance single in the other direction (and throw away the advance) rather than an off-peak-single-formerly-known-as-saver-single.

 

[swt_passenger]

You could try using a different TOC's booking engine. Virgin's sometimes seems far too keen to sell two of their off-peak singles, even when a bog standard offpeak return will be less.

 

[AlterEgo]

You could try using a different TOC's booking engine. Virgin's sometimes seems far too keen to sell two of their off-peak singles, even when a bog standard offpeak return will be less.

The Off-Peak Single (Online Only) is half the price of the Off-Peak Return.

 

[SS4]

The Off-Peak Single (Online Only) is half the price of the Off-Peak Return.

Additionally buying one for both legs results in a Saver Return being printed anyway


Regarding the OP's journey there is always LM if you're not in a rush - £12.55 for a Super Off Peak return

 

[swt_passenger]

The Off-Peak Single (Online Only) is half the price of the Off-Peak Return.

Except the earlier poster found it was £28.40 vs two £14.50s... Only a small difference, but still there.

^^^^ that's not correct, I misread the earlier info.

IMHO Virgin are confusing things here, if you are going to be sold the combined ticket anyway as SS4 points out, why not show it in the fares matrix and let you select it?

 

[AlterEgo]

Except the earlier poster found it was £28.40 vs two £14.50s... Only a small difference, but still there.

No, that was the 'normal' Off-Peak Single price, not the Return. A SVR on that flow costs £29.00.

2 x SVH = 1 x SVR. Always.

 

[Paul Kelly]

I think it's debateable whether showing an off-peak return as two saver halfs is confusing. It is consistent with the rest of the user interface and I'd hazard a guess that it is less confusing to the average non-ticketing expert.

 

[swt_passenger]

No, that was the 'normal' Off-Peak Single price, not the Return. A SVR on that flow costs £29.00.

2 x SVH = 1 x SVR. Always.

Thanks for correcting that bit.