Advanced - Anytime confusion

[Mick Sterbs]

I am confused about buying a return Off Peak Day Travelcard. Do I have to travel out on a specific time as in Advanced? I did read Mojo's sticky but am no wiser.
For instance if I book the out on line by selecting the 11:31 and get to the station before the 11:15 departs can I travel on it or do I have to wait for the 11:31? Conversely if I am delayed getting to the station and miss the 11:31 can I take the 11:54?

 

[hairyhandedfool]

An Off-Peak Day Travelcard is not restricted to one train.

"Buying in advance" is not the same as "buying an Advance fare".

 

[Romilly]

Indeed.

Not all journey planners require you to select a train when booking an offpeak ticket. However, selection of trains allows you to check whether your proposed trains meet any time restrictions on your chosen ticket, and enable you to book complimentary seat reservations where available. Even if you book seat reservations for the journeys you will make using your offpeak ticket, you are not required to use the seats or even the trains on which you booked them (this is in total contrast to the rules for "Advance" tickets).

 

[Mag_seven]

Perhaps its time to rebrand "Advance" tickets as "Train and Date specific" tickets.

 

[Mick Sterbs]

Perhaps its time to rebrand "Advance" tickets as "Train and Date specific" tickets.

Here here

 

[najaB]

Perhaps its time to rebrand "Advance" tickets as "Train and Date specific" tickets.

That doesn't really roll off the tongue - how about 'Fixed'. That way you'll have 'Anytime', 'Off Peak' and 'Fixed' - which describe what time you can use them.

 

[clagmonster]

I am confused about buying a return Off Peak Day Travelcard. Do I have to travel out on a specific time as in Advanced? I did read Mojo's sticky but am no wiser.
For instance if I book the out on line by selecting the 11:31 and get to the station before the 11:15 departs can I travel on it or do I have to wait for the 11:31? Conversely if I am delayed getting to the station and miss the 11:31 can I take the 11:54?

What is your origin? I think there are some Virgin day Travelcards that effectively act as advance tickets on the outward portion to Boundary Zone 6. That is the only exception to the answer given by everybody else though.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

The Travelcard for use on long distance Virgin Trains services is not an Off-Peak Day Travelcard, but, as you note, does have a restrictive outward journey.

The Saturday Day Travelcard offered by Virgin is only valid on a Saturday.

 

[Mick Sterbs]

What is your origin? I think there are some Virgin day Travelcards that effectively act as advance tickets on the outward portion to Boundary Zone 6. That is the only exception to the answer given by everybody else though.

Cambridge - Great Northern

 

[Bletchleyite]

That doesn't really roll off the tongue - how about 'Fixed'. That way you'll have 'Anytime', 'Off Peak' and 'Fixed' - which describe what time you can use them.

People understood perfectly well the brand "APEX". Bringing that back would do. You could also use "Value" like VT did.

The issue was the wide range of TOC brands - a paraphrased version of the old BR setup wouldn't be very misleading, i.e. Anytime, (Super)Saver, APEX.

 

[najaB]

The issue was the wide range of TOC brands - a paraphrased version of the old BR setup wouldn't be very misleading, i.e. Anytime, (Super)Saver, APEX.

While it does avoid the confusion between 'buying in advance' and 'buying an Advnce', 'APEX' doesn't convey any more information that 'Advance' about the validity of the ticket, where a word like 'Fixed' does.

If you want a consistent branding then 'Flex', 'Semi-flex' and 'Fixed' would work.

 

[maniacmartin]

How about immutable?

 

[cornishjohn]

People understood perfectly well the brand "APEX". Bringing that back would do. You could also use "Value" like VT did.

The issue was the wide range of TOC brands - a paraphrased version of the old BR setup wouldn't be very misleading, i.e. Anytime, (Super)Saver, APEX.

APEX used to be understood across the travel industry - I remember flying on APEX plane tickets. "A" does/did of course stand for "Advanced", but the booked time only clause was quite clear.

 

[Bletchleyite]

While it does avoid the confusion between 'buying in advance' and 'buying an Advnce', 'APEX' doesn't convey any more information that 'Advance' about the validity of the ticket, where a word like 'Fixed' does.

If you want a consistent branding then 'Flex', 'Semi-flex' and 'Fixed' would work.

True, though it's worth noting that the meaning of "semi-flexible" differs from that of airlines, where it usually means "you can change the time within limited bounds and for a fee", which, unless you're excessing to an Anytime, is not how one works on the railway.

In actual fact, most airlines would call an Advance a semi-flexible ticket, because the time and date can be changed for a small fee (much smaller than any airline I know) plus the fare difference. A non-flexible ticket is typically neither changeable nor refundable.

Off-Peak probably isn't a bad name, really.

 

[najaB]

True, though it's worth noting that the meaning of "semi-flexible" differs from that of airlines, where it usually means "you can change the time within limited bounds and for a fee", which, unless you're excessing to an Anytime, is not how one works on the railway.

True. But railways ain't airlines.

In actual fact, most airlines would call an Advance a semi-flexible ticket, because the time and date can be changed for a small fee (much smaller than any airline I know) plus the fare difference. A non-flexible ticket is typically neither changeable nor refundable.

Off-Peak probably isn't a bad name, really.

Yeah, the 'Flexible' v 'Fixed' thing is more referring to the time of day that you can travel - on the day. An off-peak is only semi-flexible in that there are some trains you can use it on and some you can't. I agree that Off-Peak is a good name but it does result in some confusion where different peak restrictions apply on different TOCs.