East Coast rewards after February 2015?

[Kite159]

I've got 1498 + 251 pending. I'll redeem my 4 FC Singles tomorrow or the day after. Guess I'll have to try and use the rest up on lounge passes?

I've got 1036 with 366 pending, so either 4 SC tickets or 2 FC tickets (or wait for those pending tickets to become available)

Will probably be using the free tickets at weekends, so will probably go for standard class.

 

[trainophile]

Could someone please guide a Rewards newbie? I'm looking to redeem 1400 of my points before the 'price' goes up, but thought I'd have to use them for travel up to the current ticket availability dates, i.e. mid-March.

Having read this thread, (and sorry to be untrusting lol), I now believe I can redeem the points now, but need not travel until the end of June, or even beyond?

I'm also not too sure how you book the tickets once you've redeemed the points, but hopefully that will become clear once I've done the redeeming. Do you go on the normal eastcoast booking website, and it will offer you your free tickets as one of the price tab options?

Any pointers gratefully received. Don't want to get it wrong and lose them!

 

[Searle]

As far as I can see, you have until 28th February (ie. Until Virgin take over) to use any reward points, and any tickets booked will be valid, even if Virgin are operating it. So theoretically, you can use them for journeys until the end of May.

This might not all be true, but that's my take on it.

 

[trainophile]

Thank you, and glad I'm not the only one a bit baffled by the post-handover situation. I did a Rewards ticket availability check for two dates in the middle of March, and it showed tickets were available, so either they haven't decided what they are doing yet, or we should be alright at least for a while.

 

[Techniquest]

I redeemed my first and last Rewards ticket recently. All you need to do is log in, View My Rewards, click the option to redeem (it should be an outrageously obvious option, forgot what it's called!), confirm how many Standard/First tickets you want, which should lead to a confirmation screen and email (if you're using Gmail please expect a long wait for the email, otherwise if Hotmail it should be there very quick).

You then need to log out, log back in, put in the details on the journey page as normal, making sure to book at least a week in advance, and any available tickets will have a £0 option available. It makes much more sense when you're actually looking at it! Then when you've found your tickets, follow the transaction through as normal.

I hope the above makes some sort of sense! I was nervous doing my first (sadly last!) Rewards ticket!

 

[strowger]

I have a number of work colleagues with very substantial points balances with EC and very little interest in leisure travel on EC (they are generally thoroughly sick of getting on the train). All the non-train-travel options for redemption of the points (wine, etc) appear to be out of stock - leaving them stranded.

 

[trainophile]

Thanks Techniquest, not sure what "£0" means - looks like your computer re-coded something it didn't like? I've found the page to redeem the points, and will cross the ticket booking bridge when I come to it! Must diary that it has to be done by 28th Feb though.

The assumption seems to be that Virgin will not continue with the scheme in its present form then?

 

[Searle]

Thanks Techniquest, not sure what "£0" means - looks like your computer re-coded something it didn't like? I've found the page to redeem the points, and will cross the ticket booking bridge when I come to it! Must diary that it has to be done by 28th Feb though.

The assumption seems to be that Virgin will not continue with the scheme in its present form then?

You're right on the assumption for now.

If you're going to book any tickets, you might want to do it before 5th January; the "prices" are going up then.

 

[trainophile]

You're right on the assumption for now.

If you're going to book any tickets, you might want to do it before 5th January; the "prices" are going up then.

Ah, now I'm confused again - I thought that so long as I redeem the points before 5th Jan, I don't have to book the tickets until end of Feb? I'd rather travel in the Spring if possible, so was thinking of mid-April, which is beyond the current booking horizon.

< goes off to refresh damp cloth over head >

 

[CallySleeper]

Well I have almost 58000 points to use- which equates to 128 first class tickets!!! No way I can use these by end of February- I travel to London at least once a week but need to use peak trains to get down there & usually am peak coming back so cannot redeem for the business trips and tend to use with friends & family in summer for off peak trips. I really hope there is an extension of use period beyond end February otherwise I have a lot to lose!

Bear in mind train tickets aren't the only things you can redeem with 58k points, but by allowing that amount to build up such a short time before the scheme ends I can't help but feel you've shot yourself in the foot slightly.

I have 1107 pts + 2 FC to use. Since a recent FC trip was pretty disappointing I can't help but feel they'll be going towards standard class trips.

 

[TBY-Paul]

Ok, I have a similar dilemma, I've been waiting for some pending points, which have just been added, so I now have 855 points. The original plan was to add to them over the next few months so that we could use them towards a trip we have planned in July but that looks like a none starter now.

Any tips and hints would be gratefully received. As an idea I was thinking of buying £45 worth of e-vouchers ( I think I read the points are added straight away), Claim 2 first class tickets and then go from there.

 

[higthomas]

I redeemed my first and last Rewards ticket recently. All you need to do is log in, View My Rewards, click the option to redeem (it should be an outrageously obvious option, forgot what it's called!), confirm how many Standard/First tickets you want, which should lead to a confirmation screen and email (if you're using Gmail please expect a long wait for the email, otherwise if Hotmail it should be there very quick).

You then need to log out, log back in, put in the details on the journey page as normal, making sure to book at least a week in advance, and any available tickets will have a £0 option available. It makes much more sense when you're actually looking at it! Then when you've found your tickets, follow the transaction through as normal.

I hope the above makes some sort of sense! I was nervous doing my first (sadly last!) Rewards ticket!

So if I redeem my points now, I will essentially have a £0 advance fare available (on certain trains) next time I try to book tickets?

And if I redeem them now, I don't have to book which train I want until an unspecified future date?

And if what I have said is the case, could I redeem my points before they cancel/"upgrade" the scheme but still book after they do so?

 

[Kite159]

So if I redeem my points now, I will essentially have a £0 advance fare available (on certain trains) next time I try to book tickets?

And if I redeem them now, I don't have to book which train I want until an unspecified future date?

And if what I have said is the case, could I redeem my points before they cancel/"upgrade" the scheme but still book after they do so?

Yep

No idea what will happen when Virgin takes over and you still have unused reward tickets, probably will still be able to use them (probably on a more limited choices)

 

[philjo]

Ah, now I'm confused again - I thought that so long as I redeem the points before 5th Jan, I don't have to book the tickets until end of Feb? I'd rather travel in the Spring if possible, so was thinking of mid-April, which is beyond the current booking horizon.

Be aware that there is usually no availbility to use reward tickets for a few days either side of Easter as the trains are busier - so they probably can't be used in 1st week of April this year. (I was unable to use reward points on easter Tuesday last year but got a cheap 1st advance instead for that journey)

I currently have 1110 points (plus 110 pending) so will redeem for 2 FC single journeys before Monday. will probably be travelling in March or late april.

 

[John @ home]

I now believe I can redeem the points now, but need not travel until the end of June, or even beyond?

I converted 1400 points into 4 First Class Single tickets yesterday, so I hope I can help.

On eastcoast.co.uk, go to Sign In > My Account > My Rewards. This shows you the number of points you have available and the number of tickets you have available to book.

Yesterday, I had 1406 points and 3 First Class Single tickets remaining available from a conversion I made in September.

On converting 1400 points into 4 First Class Single tickets, today it shows I have 33 points and 7 First Class Single tickets available. I expected my balance to be only 6 points, but I think that overnight 27 pending points must have matured.

I find it helpful to adjust the "Recent activity" list to show "all time". I have found that conversions do not always appear immediately in the "Recent activity" list. Don't worry about that. In my experience, they're always there 24 hours later.

Two entries are relevant in my "Recent activity" list. For 30 September 2014, an entry states "1400 Points used for Rewards Leisure First Class Single Tickets - Expires on 30/03/2015". For 31 December 2014, an entry states "1400 Points used for Rewards Leisure First Class Single Tickets - Expires on 30/06/2015".

This means that I have until 30 March to book tickets with the remaining 3 of the 4 I converted last September and I have until 30 June to book tickets with the 4 I converted yesterday (but appear on the account dated today).

But I don't need to travel by these dates. If I book the last 4 tickets in late June, I can travel on any date where Rewards tickets are not barred within the then booking horizon. That probably takes me to the 3rd week in September 2015.

 

[trainophile]

Thank you John, that is exactly the sort of "idiot's guide" detail I was looking for!

So, provided Virgin don't turn the whole thing on its head or scrap it completely, I think I'm now good to go.

Thanks also to philjo for the reminder re. Easter. I did notice that they state that busy times and school holidays may not have any availability.

Quite stressful, claiming one's freebies, isn't it?

 

[Mutant Lemming]

Well I have almost 58000 points February !

You could have put a bid in for the franchise with that many points.

 

[Techniquest]

Thanks Techniquest, not sure what "£0" means - looks like your computer re-coded something it didn't like? I've found the page to redeem the points, and will cross the ticket booking bridge when I come to it! Must diary that it has to be done by 28th Feb though.

The assumption seems to be that Virgin will not continue with the scheme in its present form then?

I posted previously on my phone using the RailUK app, which for some reason doesn't like currency symbols. It also doesn't like italicised text, nor does it like showing all threads I've posted on, and other things too.

Sorry about that! It was meant to say £0.

 

[Searle]

Regarding John@Home's post, that's all right, UNLESS Virgin decide to scrap it when they take over the website on 28th February. If this happens , then all tickets will have to be booked by then.

Just thought I'd clear this up

 

[trainophile]

Regarding John@Home's post, that's all right, UNLESS Virgin decide to scrap it when they take over the website on 28th February. If this happens , then all tickets will have to be booked by then.

Just thought I'd clear this up

Let's hope Virgin give us some notice of their intentions then.

One more question... on reading about ticket collection, is says (among other options) that tickets can be collected from any of their stations with a ticket machine. Does it have to be an East Coast station, or would any station with TOD facilities be able to issue them? I've never done Print at Home, and my printer is not the most reliable, so I'd prefer to collect if possible, but my nearest EC station is over 100 miles away!

 

[ainsworth74]

Should print at any collection enabled ticket machine (which is basically all of them).

I've collected Southern DaySave's from the machines at Darlington and the Southern website actually specifically says they can only be collected from Southern ticket machines!

 

[Kite159]

Should print at any collection enabled ticket machine (which is basically all of them).

I've collected Southern DaySave's from the machines at Darlington and the Southern website actually specifically says they can only be collected from Southern ticket machines!

Although did it come out as one or two tickets (with regards to the Southern ticket)?
---

I doubt Virgin/Stagecoach will be foolish enough to close up without any prior warning, they will probably give a couple weeks notice before any remaining points are converted to Nectar.

 

[ainsworth74]

Although did it come out as one or two tickets (with regards to the Southern ticket)?

One ticket on both occasions. The second time I did it was after East Coast started printing QR codes on all tickets issued by their machines so it got a few funny looks from Southern guards but it worked fine.

I doubt Virgin/Stagecoach will be foolish enough to close up without any prior warning, they will probably give a couple weeks notice before any remaining points are converted to Nectar.

Agreed. I would still say it'll be best to get things booked before the franchise change but there's been nothing to suggest they'll close up shop at the stroke of midnight. Indeed I'm sure it was confirmed the current scheme will continue for a short period of time after the franchise change?

 

[Tetchytyke]

would any station with TOD facilities be able to issue them?

They're basically just the same as advance tickets (ticket and reservation coupon) and any ToD machine can issue them. I've got them off London Midland and First Capital Connect (now Great Northern) machines before now.

 

[ModernRailways]

Agreed. I would still say it'll be best to get things booked before the franchise change but there's been nothing to suggest they'll close up shop at the stroke of midnight. Indeed I'm sure it was confirmed the current scheme will continue for a short period of time after the franchise change?

It may be a case of the the current scheme will only work for a short period of time if you buy your tickets/redeem your points before Virgin takeover?

 

[yorkie]

Any tips and hints would be gratefully received. As an idea I was thinking of buying £45 worth of e-vouchers ( I think I read the points are added straight away), Claim 2 first class tickets and then go from there.

Agreed, but buy the e-voucher ASAP as it may take a few hours (perhaps 24 hours) for the points to appear in your account and I'd assume that the 'price' will go up at 00:01 on 5th January, ie you need the points to be in place by the evening of 4th January if you want the current 'price'.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Regarding John@Home's post, that's all right, UNLESS Virgin decide to scrap it when they take over the website on 28th February. If this happens , then all tickets will have to be booked by then.

Just thought I'd clear this up

I disagree.

Virgin may say no Rewards points will be issued once they take over. They may also give a very short deadline for Rewards points to be converted into products.

But I do not believe any of that will affect people who have already redeemed their points into products.

A forum member said to me the other day that Virgin may want to cancel their use of Atos WebTIS as soon as possible, in order to use their preferred supplier of thetrainline, and one possibility is that they will contact everyone who hasn't yet booked their Rewards tickets and issue them with scratch cards instead. That could work. But simply saying "these tickets you were previously told you had 6 months to book have to be booked within the next few days/weeks" would be totally unacceptable and I can't believe they would go for such a PR disaster.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Does it have to be an East Coast station, or would any station with TOD facilities be able to issue them?!

Any TOD-enabled station and you can insert any card.

 

[JaJaWa]

A forum member said to me the other day that Virgin may want to cancel their use of Atos WebTIS as soon as possible, in order to use their preferred supplier of thetrainline, and one possibility is that they will contact everyone who hasn't yet booked their Rewards tickets and issue them with scratch cards instead.

It will be interesting to see what happens on this front - Virgin West Coast and Virgin CrossCountry both used virgintrains.co.uk so it could be a case of eastcoast.co.uk being deleted and the content merged on to virgintrains.co.uk - if this doesn't happen then one presumes they are going to have to rename the current Virgin Trains website as most people are going to think of the East Coast as 'Virgin Trains' too. It will be a shame to see ATOS's system created for GNER no longer used on the route - at least many other TOCs have now migrated over to it.

Perhaps we may see a system like firstcapitalconnect.co.uk which has been left for people to manage their tickets - eastcoast.co.uk could just have the Rewards content and then a big link to the Virgin Trains site.

 

[trainophile]

Wonder what will happen regarding our Pending points when the switch off/over comes. Might be a good idea to redeem as many as possible beforehand, rather than keep the spare ones going to save up for another trip.

 

[John @ home]

Kite159 has suggested in post #82 above that East Coast Rewards points are likely to be converted into Nectar points.

That would be consistent with my experience when other loyalty schemes have closed, for example when one hotel chain has merged with another. The crucial element will be the conversion rate, and that's not something I'm in a position to guess.

 

[trainophile]

Kite159 has suggested in post #82 above that East Coast Rewards points are likely to be converted into Nectar points.

That would be consistent with my experience when other loyalty schemes have closed, for example when one hotel chain has merged with another. The crucial element will be the conversion rate, and that's not something I'm in a position to guess.

Thanks, I did read that but had forgotten. Must re-check my account and see if there's a way of knowing when Pending points become non-pending (presumably on the travel date of the tickets they relate to?). Or maybe it's a month later, in case of a delay repay claim?

Please forgive the rambling questions, I'm sure all the info is available if I bothered to look properly. It's so much easier to ask an expert!