Anytime cheaper than Off Peak

[talldave]

I spotted recently that an Anytime Day Return (SDR) ticket I use from time to time is actually cheaper than the Off Peak Day Return (CDR) version.

I don't want to name the ticket in case the anomaly is corrected, but is this very common?

If so, it's a second lesson to add to my existing "buying a ticket to somewhere else may be cheaper" lesson.

 

[Sapphire Blue]

I wanted to add this journey to my Northern £10 ticket at the weekend and found.

Anytime Return - Preston to Lancaster = £8.60
Off-Peak - PRE to LAN = £88.00

More than 10x the price.

(Just checked and the £88 is for a multiday Rover ticket)

 

[furlong]

(Just checked and the £88 is for a multiday Rover ticket)

You should report that problem to National Rail Enquiries. Instead of telling you that that is the cheapest 'Off-Peak' ticket, would it be better to summarise it as an 'Off-Peak Rover' to make it clearer it's not comparing like with like?

 

[RJ]

I spotted recently that an Anytime Day Return (SDR) ticket I use from time to time is actually cheaper than the Off Peak Day Return (CDR) version.

I don't want to name the ticket in case the anomaly is corrected, but is this very common?

If so, it's a second lesson to add to my existing "buying a ticket to somewhere else may be cheaper" lesson.

I've identified 275 fares where the SDR is cheaper than the CDR. The biggest percentage difference is Bryn to Chester - CDR is £16.60, whereas the SDR is £13.50. The biggest price difference is Gatwick Airport to Greenford/Castle Bar Park Any Permitted - CDR £28.00, SDR £23.00.

 

[Merseysider]

I've identified 275 fares where the SDR is cheaper than the CDR. The biggest percentage difference is Bryn to Chester - CDR is £16.60, whereas the SDR is £13.50. The biggest price difference is Gatwick Airport to Greenford/Castle Bar Park Any Permitted - CDR £28.00, SDR £23.00.

On the Bryn-Chester flow, the SDS is also more expensive than the SDR, but there are ways of making this journey for £6 or so.

The second one you mention is yet another example of the airport tax on tickets - works out to between 80p and £1 per mile.

If there are any extremely underpriced tickets, which I'm sure there are, it may be best to communicate them via PM rather than on a public forum.

 

[talldave]

I've identified 275 fares where the SDR is cheaper than the CDR. The biggest percentage difference is Bryn to Chester - CDR is £16.60, whereas the SDR is £13.50. The biggest price difference is Gatwick Airport to Greenford/Castle Bar Park Any Permitted - CDR £28.00, SDR £23.00.

My ticket's saving is similar, but not quite as much, as your latter example. It's bonkers, but appreciated. Since I also use the ticket to travel on the Gatwick Express I can feel doubly smug!!

Of course it's not just the railways that have silly pricing - I noticed last night at Tesco that buying individual cans of Heinz Baked Beans is significantly cheaper than buying multipacks. However, that is as a result of a temporary offer.

 

[bb21]

You will be a mug if you paid that price just to travel on Gat Ex.

 

[yorkie]

My ticket's saving is similar, but not quite as much, as your latter example. It's bonkers, but appreciated. Since I also use the ticket to travel on the Gatwick Express I can feel doubly smug!!

How much did you pay to travel on Southern's Gatwick Express route? Depending on the time of travel, tickets on this Southern route are usually very cheap, but some people are scared into paying rather more than they should

 

[talldave]

How much did you pay to travel on Southern's Gatwick Express route? Depending on the time of travel, tickets on this Southern route are usually very cheap, but some people are scared into paying rather more than they should

I pay £24.10 for a return, travelling at 7.30-8.00am, but that gets me to my destination on the Victoria line, as well as giving me the option to use any train from Gatwick, whatever the paint job. It's Any Permitted so avoids any aggro on the Gatwick Express.

If I'm travelling Off-Peak, I avoid the Gatwick Express (I don't feel safe on them, in the event an evacuation was required), and pay £14.80 for a Travelcard for the day, which allows Southern or Thameslink travel.

 

[kieron]

On the Bryn-Chester flow, the SDS is also more expensive than the SDR, but there are ways of making this journey for £6 or so.

Is £6 for going via Warrington or via Birkenhead? Bryn-Chester feels quite unusual in the way Merseyrail price the flow from Bryn to Chester, Arriva price the other way around (as part of a larger flow between Chester and Wigan clusters), and no-one offers route-specific fares.

 

[Merseysider]

Is £6 for going via Warrington or via Birkenhead? Bryn-Chester feels quite unusual in the way Merseyrail price the flow from Bryn to Chester, Arriva price the other way around (as part of a larger flow between Chester and Wigan clusters), and no-one offers route-specific fares.

Via Birkenhead; Merseytravel recently up-priced a ticket that allowed travel via Warrington.
I hadn't noticed that about both ATW and MT pricing the flow, very odd!