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Virgin Traveller Club

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Monkey06

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Hello,
I'm a long time viewer of these Forums and find the information stored on them invaluable, so thanks!
I'm looking at joining the Virgin Traveller Club and after looking at their T&C's it seems that I only have to purchase 8 return (£70) / 16 single (£35) 1st class tickets which in theory means paying £560 for a years free weekend train travel.
I was wondering if anyone here has just bought 8 of the cheapest possible return tickets and sent them in and received their membership without any problems as I would have though Virgin may be a bit wary of people doing that although I can't find anything on their website which says anything to the contrary.
Any help or comments very much appreciated...
 
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The whole membership criteria is a complete shambles, for example as you have quoted membership is available to anyone who supplies 8 Advanced First class returns or 16 advance First Class singles.

Taking the Birmingham New St to London as an example, the total cost would be £1136 for 8 Advance First Class returns.

If you are a season ticket holder however it has to be the minimum of a month at at least £3010.

On the basis of Virgin's terms and conditions therefore some one could for all sorts of reasons end up buying weekly First Class at £350 per week odd (£16,800 pa based on 48 weeks) or a monthly at £1260 (£15,200 odd) and thus find themselves ineligible, whereas someone using 8 £70 Advance tickets sails through having only spent £560 :roll:

I am currently in debate with Virgin on this very point as for a number of reason, not least the fact that I am in the Netherlands a lot, I cannot meet the criteria with season tickets.

I think we have reached the point where someone now accepts that I pay a damn sight more than £440 yet am ineligible for membership.

At the moment the jury is out on this one, but on the basis of the stated Ts and Cs I do not qualify.

The whole scenario can be described as being the complete opposite to the KLM frequent flyer programme, where the more you spend, the more valuable the awards given. They at least are happy to reward high spenders.
 
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Mr Spock

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Can't say that I have ever bothered to study the frequent travellers T&C's but it does seem strange as it appears to be completely at odds with Virgin Atlantic's frequent flyer programme which appears to be similar to KLM's.
 

ChrisTheRef

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Is anybody a member of Traveller?

If so, is it worth the £500odd to secure membership?
I'm considering the same as the OP, but I'd hate to get my membership and find it's not all it's cracked up to be!
 

ChrisTheRef

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Free First Class travel on Virgin between Friday and 1200 on Monday.

Free booze in the Euston lounge.

Reserved parking at 16 stations (still chargeable)

Reserved seating on all Pendolino trains
 

tony_mac

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As I recall, it is one free return ticket per weekend. Must be booked by the day before travel and subject to availability. They also (according to their conditions) can stop this on any route they feel like with 14 days notice.
 

Greenback

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I don;t think one complimentayr first class return ticket, which must be booked in advance and is subject to availability is worth getting too excited about. It hardly equates to a year's free first class weekend travel, where you could travel around the network all day Saturdya and Sunday if you wanted to!
 

ChrisTheRef

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It's one free return trip every weekend.

London to Glasgow is £423.00 so I make that £22,000 worth of free travel :)
 

Greenback

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If someone wants to doa long trip every weekend they would find it useful I suppose, but how many people really have the time I wonder? Even my keenest basher mates only do a long trip on average every three weks or so!
 

Ticket Man

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travellers are allowed to book 2 free first class tickets, additional tickets at a cost of £10 per adult and £5 per child. The system is open to massive fraud though and I regularly pick up fiddled ones about 2 - 3 per weekend.
 

Greenback

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£8,000 then?

Yeah! if you want to be restricted to Virgin Trains! Most of my friends want to travel on HST's loco's and not pendo's or supervomiters! It;s also a hassle and expense having to get to a Virgin route in the first place, if you don;t happen to live on one!

Still, there's bound to some people this would appeal to! :lol:
 

cyclebytrain

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I'm a member, to be honest the most valuable thing is the reserved seats. When the power is out in G or K you know you can get a seat (with a power point) in H or J and carry on working. The free returns and the drinks in the Euston lounge are nice -I've made a few mountain bike trips that I otherwise wouldn't have and if I used a car rather than a bike I'd probably love the reserved spaces too.

I think they pitch it about right personally -the perks are nice if you travel a lot, but not earth shattering.

I think I travel enough anyway that free tickets to do even more aren't that appealling!
 

trei2k

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As a poor student who always wants to travel South (I live in Central Scotland), this actually seems interesting.

I could seriously just purchase 8 first anytime returns (anywhere on the network, as long as they are over £70?) and get this card?
 

MKB

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I've been a Traveller member since shortly after its inception.

I'm intrigued as to the alleged potential for fraud. I'm nearly always carded and often asked to produce secondary id as well, so I can't see how there's any scope.

An undocumented benefit was that they always used to send a nice Xmas present, such as a good bottle of port and some fine cheese. However, last Xmas, they seemed to have stopped. :(

Also dried up are the annual tickets to some nice jolly. I once got two free tickets to a pop/rock festival at Trafford Cricket Ground with complimentary hot buffet and drinks in the VIP area. Oh for those days!
 

Ticket Man

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I'm intrigued as to the alleged potential for fraud. I'm nearly always carded and often asked to produce secondary id as well, so I can't see how there's any scope.

The T&C's state that "an acceptable form of ID is required" to allow people to use the travellers card. As a result of this people think they use any old card with a name on it. Bank cards are just as easily changed hands as the travellers cards themselves. Anyone who pulls a bank card on me is treated with scepticism as I am not able to identify that person by a bank card. Most buckle under 2 minutes of questioning and fess up to getting the card and tickets from friends or relatives who thought they were clever.
There are a few more little scams that I can't catch though but telling would be shooting myself in the foot.
 

cyclebytrain

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Us traveller members are just trouble makers :D The worst of the lot is the one in the day glow jacket with his Champagne coloured bike. Real trouble maker that one <D

(before anyone thinks I'm slagging off a fellow traveller, check my username)
 

cyclebytrain

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No one's ever had to turn me away. (Actually; can you check the cycle reservation number at the platform? The call centre in India are most adamant that you can, but I don't see how, so I just have the cards issued from a ticket office. Mind you someone quite high up in Virgin UK thought I should be able to put the bike in K rather than A).

Walk up with a bike is the one perk I would really like traveller to give. Like the reserved seats; a reserved bike space. It's my dream.
 

Ticket Man

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That's good to hear, I been told by TM's of people who have had their bikes dumped at intermediate stations after they sneaked their bike on to fully reserved trains. As you can imagine they weren't best pleased when they arrived to find their bike was 70 miles behind them.
 
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ChrisTheRef

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I'm seriously considering this.

My ticket would be LIVERPOOL STNS to OXENHOLME L DIST for £74.10 (x8)
It'll save me an awful lot getting around next year (uni and stuff!)
 

cyclebytrain

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Well, considering what I've heard some people who are taking bikes say about staff (always those who think the reservation system is optional too) I'd say the TM's took a most appropriate course of action. There's one guy where I know the BTP have had to be called in, but seeing him find out that his bike was hundreds of miles away would be classic!

I follow the rules and haven't had any problems. But that'll just be a coincidence (or according to someone who don't bother with reservations "you haven't had any problems; you obviously don't try and do this very often then". I tried not to laugh, but I think that was the same trip that the TM made an announcement "would the owners of the bikes please come to the train managers office so I know where you're getting off. Except for the passenger in 1st class who I already know" :lol:
 

ukrob

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Yeah! if you want to be restricted to Virgin Trains! Most of my friends want to travel on HST's loco's and not pendo's or supervomiters! It;s also a hassle and expense having to get to a Virgin route in the first place, if you don;t happen to live on one!

Still, there's bound to some people this would appeal to! :lol:

What a strange thing to say.

It isn't aimed at enthusiasts, it is aimed at normal everyday people who regularly use VT, so being a 'hassle and expense to get to a Virgin route' has no relevance.

To be honest you just come across as being bitter because you can't make use of it.
 

Greenback

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What a strange thing to say.

It isn't aimed at enthusiasts, it is aimed at normal everyday people who regularly use VT, so being a 'hassle and expense to get to a Virgin route' has no relevance.

To be honest you just come across as being bitter because you can't make use of it.

Why is it strange? I was making the same point as you in a different way.

I was responding to the people who say they will go and spend £560 in order to get what they describe as free first class weekend travel for a year. Not just in this thread but in previous threads. Some of whom appear to be best described as enthusiasts. Yes, the club is aimed at rregular travellers on Virgin Trains, which is why I couldn't see why it was worth getting excited about.

Am I bitter about not being able to use it? No! Why would I be? I don't think it's worth a great deal, unless you are already a regular traveller and want or need to travel at weekends.
 

ChrisTheRef

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Anybody on the forums who has met me knows I'm really not an enthusiast. I've never taken a picture of a train, videoed one, or written down the number of one.

I am simply an interested commuter. I travel by train a lot. Most of my long distance trips are via London or Glasgow. From Liverpool, it's a very attractive option.

Rob is right! You is wrong!
 

Greenback

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Whatever! I was referring to those who are looking to spend £560 in order to get what they describe as free weekend travel but isn't really! You can't just nip out and jump on the first Virgin (train) you see and simply flash your membership card to travel anywhere you like! But calling it free weekend travel implies that it is!
 

ChrisTheRef

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Nope, that's free travel to a basher - of which i am not.

To me, a two-way trip to a popular destination where I don't have to pay counts as free travel.

What would you call it?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
On this subject, I did my first trip today, LIV > WAC > WBQ > OXN for £74.10

Can anybody find similar priced FORs?

So far I have LIV-BHM for £79.60 and CTR-LAN for £75.40

Obviously they need to start in the North West. But if you can find something which links (eg LIV-BHM for over £70 then BHM-RUG for over £70) and I could do both, that'd work too!

Merci beaucoup :)
 

Greenback

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Nope, that's free travel to a basher - of which i am not.

To me, a two-way trip to a popular destination where I don't have to pay counts as free travel.

What would you call it?

All I am saying is that some people may get very excited by the description as used by the OP of 'a year's free weekend travel' and not realise the T&C's mean that the tickets must be booked in advance, are subject to availabilty and are limited to oen ticket per weekend. I think that bashers are most likely to fall into this category! To illustrate the misunderstnadings that can arise, somebody did once say in a thread that it was equivalent to a free FC season for 104 days, which it isn't!

Anyway, enjoy your travelling!
 
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