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e-tickets. North Wales Coast

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Welshman

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By sheer fluke, I have just discovered that London North Western Railways, which runs trains nowhere near North Wales, will offer me e-tickets for journeys soley along the North Wales Coast, whereas Transport for Wales, who run most of the trains, will not.
This seems crazy. Normally I would go for the local TOC, but prefer e-tickets to the faff of tod.
What is to stop TfW for offering the same?
 
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yorkie

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Providing the flow is e-ticket enabled there is nothing to stop any retailer offering e-tickets.

I've just bought tickets from a split ticket provider for a TfW priced journey and was offered e-tickets.

I had a quick look to see what the TfW site offers, but I had to register before I could get to that stage, and I see no point registering with them, so didn't get to the stage of choosing a fulfilment method.
 

Welshman

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I am registered with both Transport for Wales and Avanti West Coast, the 2 tocs which operate along the North Wales Coast.

TfW offers me either tod or an m-ticket via their app, which is not the same as an e-ticket.
AWC offers me an e-ticket for journeys to London Euston using their trains, currently 2 through per day, and also connections via Crewe by TfW, but not for journeys solely along the North Wales Coast, by either AWC or TfW.

Not a major problem as things go, but my nearest station has only 1 TVM, and as I don't like leaving it to the day of travel in case there is a queue/broken machine etc, it means I've made a special journey to collect my tickets beforehand.

In future I'll book via LNWR and print my ticket before leaving home.
 

Bletchleyite

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I used the LNR app to buy e-tickets on the Conwy Valley at the weekend without problems (that being my local TOC it's just the one I use by default). I just did a quick test and it looks to be happy to sell these for any TfW services on the Coast. It's decent enough so I'd recommend downloading it for this purpose.

The Avanti app does seem willing to sell an e-ticket for the last train today from Rhyl to Llandudno Junction (seemed a reasonable one to try) too.
 

Welshman

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Yet when I try the Avanti Website for a return journey from Rhyl to Bangor using TfW trains, it will only offer me tod or postage of paper tickets!!
 

alistairlees

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Yet when I try the Avanti Website for a return journey from Rhyl to Bangor using TfW trains, it will only offer me tod or postage of paper tickets!!
The Avanti website has some "challenges". Best avoided.
 

yorkie

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I'd use a website that doesn't offer m-tickets and does offer e-tickets, and that way you know you won't be lumbered with a dreaded m-ticket and will only be offered TOD if there is no other option.

Other things that you may want to go for include seat selection and split ticketing.

I generally book with just one retailer* and don't see the need to switch between different TOCs; it would cost me more to do that and reduce convenience

(* The exceptions are family & friends discounts which need to be booked with a TOC directly)
 

Bletchleyite

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I'd use a website that doesn't offer m-tickets and does offer e-tickets, and that way you know you won't be lumbered with a dreaded m-ticket and will only be offered TOD if there is no other option.

Other things that you may want to go for include seat selection and split ticketing.

I find I don't want the complexity of that retailer when I'm buying simple walk-up tickets for immediate travel. I do however use it on my PC for booking anything complex or where I would want a seat reservation.

:)
 

pnjman

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Fairly recently, when they switched to a new (and now also terrible) iOS app they appear to have stopped offering etickets. I used to use the old app for travelling from Wilmslow to Hereford using etickets, but now only get offered paper tickets or m-tickets, so I now just use the Avanti app which still happily offers etickets for the journey.
 

Parallel

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I'd use a website that doesn't offer m-tickets and does offer e-tickets, and that way you know you won't be lumbered with a dreaded m-ticket and will only be offered TOD if there is no other option.

I’ve tried to buy e-tickets for TfW services for South Wales journeys before on the GWR app and it didn’t let me purchase - I could purchase them as the less desirable m-tickets on the TfW app however. I didn’t try any other TOC app though!
 

yorkie

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I’ve tried to buy e-tickets for TfW services for South Wales journeys before on the GWR app and it didn’t let me purchase - I could purchase them as the less desirable m-tickets on the TfW app however. I didn’t try any other TOC app though!
Can you give an example ticket?

I booked Abergavenny to Stockport journey on Trainsplit and got e-tickets (one PDF containing both tickets, one page for each).
 

LNW-GW Joint

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I am registered with both Transport for Wales and Avanti West Coast, the 2 tocs which operate along the North Wales Coast.
TfW offers me either tod or an m-ticket via their app, which is not the same as an e-ticket.
AWC offers me an e-ticket for journeys to London Euston using their trains, currently 2 through per day, and also connections via Crewe by TfW, but not for journeys solely along the North Wales Coast, by either AWC or TfW.
Not a major problem as things go, but my nearest station has only 1 TVM, and as I don't like leaving it to the day of travel in case there is a queue/broken machine etc, it means I've made a special journey to collect my tickets beforehand.
I just booked a Wrexham-Cardiff-Merthyr Sale e-ticket on the TfW web site.
I can't remember all the options offered now but I have the email pdf, and they appear in my TfW app wallet.
They are sit-anywhere tickets too, not fixed-place reservations.
I've also booked tickets with Northern who have exactly the same options/format including e-tickets.
 
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