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East Coast rewards after February 2015?

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Hopefully when the details of the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points emerge, this will be significantly better.
Its not going to be any different from Virgin Trains offering which is 2 miles per £1.
 
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Its not going to be any different from Virgin Trains offering which is 2 miles per £1.

And only available on Virgin EC trains, ie you wont get any Nectar points for Ely to Peterborough as per the WCML rewards
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Huh!? Since December I've just used Southern (there website hasn't changed has it?), I never would have accumulated enough points for a free ticket so to me it was worthless getting points only to see them disappear.

Southern have the best benefit right now, but like I say hopefully another TOC will come up with a similar rewards scheme to what EC have now.

I will be around 30 points short on the 2nd March, I did redeem one free ticket last night so had better book that one and take the hit on the return
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Looks like its confirmed on your link, Nectar points are only available from the new EC website and for bookings on Virgin trains

•Once registered customers will earn 2 Nectar points for every full £1 spent on Virgin Trains East Coast tickets at the Virgin Trains East Coast website. Nectar points will not be earned for tickets valid only for usage with other train companies. Nectar points will be credited within 28 days of the booking
 

Kite159

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So pretty much like VWC, Nectar points for journeys which involve a Virgin train at some point.

I wonder how much revenue V-EC will loss out on with the commissions from ticket sales.
 
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So pretty much like VWC, Nectar points for journeys which involve a Virgin train at some point.

I wonder how much revenue V-EC will loss out on with the commissions from ticket sales.

I have just emailed EC and asked them to advise what they do to encourage me to use the new website for journeys that don't involve a EC train
 

GatwickDepress

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I don't have a Nectar card and I don't fly. Looks like I won't be purchasing from VWC.

Of course it isn't the end of the world, and it was a very generous scheme.
 

ASharpe

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Points towards tickets suits me.

But it is going to be something like a 1% reward, about what I would get on my credit card anyway.

Until recently I got a 1st class ticket for every £350 I spent - that is around a 10% return, possibly more.

I think I'll be going to southern for my complicated stuff from now on.
 

yorkie

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I think I'll be going to southern for my complicated stuff from now on.
Or perhaps trainsplit? They only charge fees if they identify a split (and even then it's only a proportion of the saving).

I hope Virgin/Stagecoach have factored in the drop in sales from the website, into their bid? If they think people are going to continue to book with them regardless, they are mistaken.
 

Tetchytyke

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Buy tickets through First TPE- who give Nectar and 1% cash back on Quidco- until you have enough Nectar points for a single.

Not ideal, but best option right now.
 

thealexweb

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Buy tickets through First TPE- who give Nectar and 1% cash back on Quidco- until you have enough Nectar points for a single.

Not ideal, but best option right now.

This is what I have been doing for some time. I am I correct TPE has the best Quidco % for all tickets?
 

Tetchytyke

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Raileasy offer 2% and TrainLine offer 1.5%, but both charge booking fees.

EMT offer 2.5% for EMT tickets and 1% for all other tickets.

TPE offer 1% for everything, plus Nectar.

Gatwick Express offer 4% "for all sales", but on their webpage only sell tickets for GatEx. Whilst I'm sure some people have said they've gone through to Southern's sales page and it has still tracked, I've not tested it.
 

extendedpaul

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I plan to buy a Lichfield annual season ticket to get a Gold Card when my Network Card expires next weekend.

Can I make that purchase from East Coast to earn reward points ?
 

yorkie

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I plan to buy a Lichfield annual season ticket to get a Gold Card when my Network Card expires next weekend.

Can I make that purchase from East Coast to earn reward points ?
East Coast do run a scheme that allows you to obtain Rewards points for Seasons, however I suspect Virgin will scrap that.

However I believe it may only be for routes which could actually be done on East Coast services, so I doubt you would be able to obtain this for a Lichfield Season ticket. It also doesn't apply to Rovers either (though their Web Support claimed it does, station staff were adamant that it does not).
 

Tetchytyke

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I plan to buy a Lichfield annual season ticket to get a Gold Card when my Network Card expires next weekend.

Can I make that purchase from East Coast to earn reward points ?

No. Points are only issued for certain season tickets, priced by East Coast, on certain flows, bought from an East Coast Travel Centre.
 

Hadders

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You might be able to get some Nectar points if you purchase your Lichfield Gold Card through FGW. Their website says you get a fixed number of points on annual seasons but doesn't say if this is only applies to seasons on their route.
 

Tetchytyke

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Virgin have already confirmed they will scrap that from the point where they take over.

I think extendedpaul was asking about buying a season ticket now, before the scheme ends (presumably to top up his points total).

VEC will not pay Nectar points on season ticket purchases, although some First websites will do (do they issue on Gold Card stock?)
 

extendedpaul

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Thanks for advice received.

I already have huge number of nectar points waiting for that "special deal";) but not quite enough East Coast reward points for a free ticket, hence my enquiry.
 

thealexweb

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Raileasy offer 2% and TrainLine offer 1.5%, but both charge booking fees.

EMT offer 2.5% for EMT tickets and 1% for all other tickets.

TPE offer 1% for everything, plus Nectar.

Gatwick Express offer 4% "for all sales", but on their webpage only sell tickets for GatEx. Whilst I'm sure some people have said they've gone through to Southern's sales page and it has still tracked, I've not tested it.

Thanks for clarifying.
 

Deerfold

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I think extendedpaul was asking about buying a season ticket now, before the scheme ends (presumably to top up his points total).

VEC will not pay Nectar points on season ticket purchases, although some First websites will do (do they issue on Gold Card stock?)

But they pay the points on season tickets each month for the number of valid days in the previous month so collection of points will stop after 1st March.
 

cjp

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Frrom East Coast today
ello

As you may be aware, the Department for Transport (DfT) recently announced that a company led by Stagecoach and Virgin will take over the East Coast Main Line franchise from 1 March 2015. The new company will be called Virgin Trains East Coast. We are emailing you to let you know about the new owner’s plans for the existing East Coast Rewards loyalty scheme.

Virgin Trains East Coast will be rolling out a new rewards scheme that will deliver a wide range of benefits for Virgin Trains East Coast customers. Nectar, the UK's largest loyalty programme, will replace the existing Rewards scheme. It will be launched on 1 March 2015 and customers will be able to start collecting Nectar points straight away. Nectar points can be collected on any Virgin Trains East Coast journey booked through the Virgin Trains East Coast website. Customers will also be provided with the option to collect Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points.

Customers will be able to use their Nectar points when booking a Virgin Trains East Coast Advance ticket through the Virgin Trains East Coast website, which is a first for the rail industry. Nectar also offers a range of other exciting rewards for customers to spend their points on with options for days out, entertainment and charity donations.

Many existing Rewards members will have Rewards Points they want to use, and whilst the scheme will close on 28 February, existing Rewards Points can be redeemed up to and including 30 September 2015 against the current range of rewards. Alternatively, existing Rewards Points can be converted into Nectar points. Virgin Trains East Coast will contact all members of the existing East Coast Rewards scheme from 1 March to provide information on Nectar and how they can redeem their existing Rewards Points or convert them to Nectar points.

Further details about Nectar and the closure of Rewards can be found by clicking on the following links:

• Closure of the existing Rewards scheme
• Rewards for Season Ticket Holders
• Business Rewards (Rewards for Business Travel Agent bookings)
• Nectar

We look forward to providing you with more information about Nectar from 1 March 2015. In the meantime, if you have any questions about the existing Rewards scheme please contact us.

Kind regards,
The East Coast team

So No more booking for me with East Coast /Virgin websites.
Hurrah for Southern
 
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andrewkeith5

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But it is going to be something like a 1% reward, about what I would get on my credit card anyway.

Until recently I got a 1st class ticket for every £350 I spent - that is around a 10% return, possibly more.

I think I'll be going to southern for my complicated stuff from now on.

However for people like me, the new scheme theoretically gives a refreshingly greater flexibility.

I will miss the First Class lounge passes (although there's only so far been one occasion when I've not had a First Class Advance to use it with so if VTEC adopt a more sensible approach to access that won't matter too much).

On the flip side, I currently collect Nectar points on all my rail bookings (thanks to First Great Western, who are now my preferred largely because their app works on my phone and they give me some sort of loyalty reward). I also get Nectar points for all the fuel I put in my car (thanks to BP), Nectar points from my occasional Sainsbury's shops on the way home from work, and even more from eBay when I pay by PayPal.

Until now I have only ever used my points on the odd treat from Sainsbury's or to help win an eBay item that's just ticked over my budget. Now though I will be able to put them towards VTEC tickets there will actually be something useful to spend them on even if it doesn't buy me a whole ticket.

I think in all the time I was a member of EC Rewards (which is coming up to 2 years) I earned maybe 325 points, as most of my purchases wouldn't have qualified. At least this way, people like me who make frequent small purchases but can't bunch them all together get rewarded too.
 

Deerfold

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I will miss the First Class lounge passes (although there's only so far been one occasion when I've not had a First Class Advance to use it with so if VTEC adopt a more sensible approach to access that won't matter too much).

The only lounge you can't access with a 1st Advance is Kings Cross.

I think in all the time I was a member of EC Rewards (which is coming up to 2 years) I earned maybe 325 points, as most of my purchases wouldn't have qualified. At least this way, people like me who make frequent small purchases but can't bunch them all together get rewarded too.

But only on purchases for travel on VTEC. I built up my rewards (4000 or so over nearly 3 years) including purchases on many different TOCs (everything except some EMT advances).
 

westv

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At a guess I made roughly 5,500 points in the last 2 years.
 

andrewkeith5

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The only lounge you can't access with a 1st Advance is Kings Cross.

Which is the only lounge I usually ever want access to (apart from one short visit to Edinburgh), the others usually aren't open when I get to them!

But only on purchases for travel on VTEC. I built up my rewards (4000 or so over nearly 3 years) including purchases on many different TOCs (everything except some EMT advances).

Only if you book from VT - book via a First Group site and you get Nectar points at 2 to £1 on all tickets of all values.

Congratulations on getting so many points - I would never have been able to because my average transaction value is around £8 - I just make a very large number of transactions because I rarely have enough certainty of plans to combine them to more than £22. With the new scheme i can just carry on collecting Nectar points, except I'll be able to actually use them to buy tickets instead of being limited to WiFi I don't want and lounge passes I probably won't need.
 

Bungle73

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Does anyone know if they'll still have the seat selector option on their website? I hope so, as I find it very useful.
 

andrewkeith5

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Does anyone know if they'll still have the seat selector option on their website? I hope so, as I find it very useful.

East Coast do for now. Nobody knows if that will remain once it all gets rebranded, but I certainly hope it does.

I hope it becomes a standard part of all booking engines - getting the seat you want reserved is normally an utter nightmare!
 

yorkie

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East Coast do for now. Nobody knows if that will remain once it all gets rebranded, but I certainly hope it does.
Virgin will use Thetrainline.

So far the only TOC website using the Trainline to have this feature is XC, it is unclear why the others don't, but the feature does exist.
 
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