can you alter advance tickets?

[heart-of-wessex]

Hi all,

We got some little mix up on dates with a Trowbridge - Sutton ticket now paid to book to go on 3rd - 5th october. Unfortunatley, the rare portbury railtour is on, and my only chance to vistit Portbury and Filton West curve (which was last used on a tour.....yonks ago?) but I am wondering weather you can actually move the dates back/forward, assuming the cheap tickets are available for this and the fact this is wantiong to move it a month in advance (it being the 10th today).

I hope we can move it for no loss of ticket prices! I know we can re-fund and book again but would rather alter than re-fund this early.


Cheers,

James.

 

[me123]

AIUI, you can change the tickets, however you are subject to a £10 admin fee per ticket. Also, you have to pay the excess if your new tickets are more expensive on top of this fee. If the new tickets are cheaper, you do not get a refund for the difference.

So, pay an additional tenner for each ticket and any additional charges for that ticket as required. At least, I'm pretty sure that's what it is.

 

[theblackwatch]

AIUI, you can change the tickets, however you are subject to a £10 admin fee per ticket. Also, you have to pay the excess if your new tickets are more expensive on top of this fee. If the new tickets are cheaper, you do not get a refund for the difference.

So, pay an additional tenner for each ticket and any additional charges for that ticket as required. At least, I'm pretty sure that's what it is.

That's pretty much correct, below is the wording pasted from the NXEC website, I would assume it is pretty similar or identical for other TOCs:

Changing the time or date of travel
Changes to time or date of travel must be arranged before departure of the first reserved train printed on the ticket, after which the ticket has no value and a new one must be purchased. You will need to present the ticket(s) and reservation(s) when you request a change.

Changes to tickets cannot be made on-board the train. If you board a train without a ticket and reservation for that service, a new ticket must be purchased.

The origin, destination and Train Company or route shown on the ticket(s) must remain the same. The difference between the price paid and cost of the next suitable fare for your journey is payable, plus a £10 administration fee per person, per single ticket for each change to a journey. If you change to a train on which a cheaper fare is available, the difference will not be refunded.

 

[me123]

Yup, I thought so. That admin fee may vary from TOC to TOC as I understand it, but I wouldn't imagine that it would be more that £10.

 

[yorkie]

No refunds. And the admin fees were all brought up to £10 back in May for all TOCs. If the same quota is available then all you will pay is £10, but if a more expensive quota is available its £10 + the difference!

If the original ticket cost less than £10 it's not worth changing it.

 

[Coradia]

On the subject of advance tickets, will they be accepted for use at stations in between the ticket route, e.g. if you bought a Liverpool-Sheffield advanced ticket, and boarded at MancOxford Road, would the barriers let you through? I know that you can use tickets as long as you stay within the route and don't go over the ticket route, but you can get off prior of after the station your ticket states on other tickets but not sure exactly what the deal is with advanced.

 

[jv3531]

Not sure if auto barriers will, depends how they are set up. Human barrier should be ok though!As long as the train calls at the station off course, or is marked for example "and connections"..... But the ticket would only be valid to the station indicated - again, unless its a "connection" then you would be charged seperatly as if a new journey was being made.

 

[Coradia]

Thanks, I suppose if you had a problem electronically then the staff member on duty would probrably let you through, as you say, if the train specified on the ticket is due to stop at the station, despite the fact that you were booked to board earlier. Ive travelled with advanced tickets with connections using London terminals and they seem to work alright including Underground.

 

[TEW]

I don't think you are technically allowed to do that with Advance tickets. I doubt auto ones would let you through and I don't think they would have to let you through Manual ones.

 

[Tom B]

How exactly it costs £10 to "administer" a square of card is beyond me - even if you included postage, printing etc it surely can't be more than a quid?!

 

[TEW]

Its all part of the Advance ticket. Its cheap and fixed, they punish you for changing it.

 

[jv3531]

You have always been allowed to purchase advance tickets from one station and board further down the line, as long as you travel on the train stated on the ticket, its valid. Same thing applies if you leave the train early. As long as the journey is covered by that stated then its valid...

 

[Tom B]

Its all part of the Advance ticket. Its cheap and fixed, they punish you for changing it.

However it is advertised as an "administration" charge, not a "penalty" charge.

 

[A60K]

You have always been allowed to purchase advance tickets from one station and board further down the line, as long as you travel on the train stated on the ticket, its valid. Same thing applies if you leave the train early. As long as the journey is covered by that stated then its valid...

Not true now I'm afraid. New conditions were introduced for 'Advance' in May this year. You can *only* travel from the origin to the destination stated on the ticket (no boarding or alighting at intermediate stations) and (as before) only on the train stated. It was a grey area before, but now it's made explicitly clear.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Dead right I'm afraid. From the fares and retail publication portal (restrictions for advanced fares):

Break of Journey
- Customers may not start, break and resume, or end their journey at any intermediate station except to change to/from connecting trains as shown on the ticket(s) or other valid travel itinerary.