Excess fares for e-tickets

[hvshe]

I'm travelling with a couple of friends, they have bought their tickets with trainline (sad). We would like to change our tickets to go a little further, but I don't know what would be the best option.

[The further destination has a lower fare than the original, by 10p]

Their tickets were for Bristol to Coventry, with a split at Cheltenham Spa: off peak day return Bristol - Cheltenham, off peak return Cheltenham - Coventry.

We would like to have the tickets to instead go to Leamington Spa, of which I believe would still allow travel to Coventry but also to Warwick.

The Cheltenham - Coventry ticket is £37.20, while Cheltenham - Leamington is £37.10.

What are our best options? Should/could we get excess tickets that costs £0?

 

[Haywain]

Should/could we get excess tickets that costs £0?

You can try but there is no clear entitlement to such an excess and many offices may be very reluctant to issue a zero-fares excess ticket. You may well have to shop around.

 

[crablab]

You can try but there is no clear entitlement to such an excess

In what sense? This is a fairly simple change of destination excess.

The poster might also like to note that there is no penalty to travelling off-route, except the payment of the appropriate excess for the journey actually made (NRCoT 13.2). So if the ticket office is unwilling to process this, they should feel confident making the journey and requesting the appropriate excess enroute should they be challenged.
(The above is correct, but not for the journey in question which is over distance)

 

[Haywain]

The poster might also like to note that there is no penalty to travelling off-route, except the payment of the appropriate excess for the journey actually made (NRCoT 13.2).

This is bad advice as the suggestion is that they wish to travel beyond the destination printed on the ticket. That is very different to travelling off route.

 

[crablab]

This is bad advice as the suggestion is that they wish to travel beyond the destination printed on the ticket. That is very different to travelling off route.

My apologies, quite correct. I should have read the post with less haste
In any case, the remainder still stands that a change of destination excess is not remotely complex in this situation.

 

[Wallsendmag]

any X/S is simple but is it allowed is the question, may be easier to buy a ticket from the last common point

 

[crablab]

any X/S is simple but is it allowed is the question

Why would it not be?

If one was to be declined, I would expect a slightly more fulsome explanation.

 

[Haywain]

Why would it not be?

The Conditions of Travel clearly set out the entitlement to change of route excess, or to a change of class excess. They do not set out any entitlement to an overdistance or change of destination excess.

 

[Wallsendmag]

To my mind unless the new destination is on the same route it would be a refund and rebook

 

[Haywain]

To my mind unless the new destination is on the same route it would be a refund and rebook

Refund and rebook is the best solution but some retailers will be looking for an admin fee on the refund.

 

[Birmingham]

To my mind unless the new destination is on the same route it would be a refund and rebook

Coventry (original destination) is on a route from Bristol to Leamington Spa (new destination) but Bristol to Leamington Spa is also available via Dorridge, which does not go via Coventry.

If the OP did manage to excess their tickets beyond Coventry to Leamington Spa, would they be able to travel via Dorridge to Leamington Spa, or would they be required to travel via Coventry?

 

[crablab]

If the OP did manage to excess their tickets beyond Coventry to Leamington Spa, would they be able to travel via Dorridge to Leamington Spa, or would they be required to travel via Coventry?

I would suggest yes, since you have paid the excess to the new ticket and thus are bound by the the terms (routes, restrictions etc) associated with that ticket.

Otherwise what's the point of an excess, if not to alter the contract?

There's nothing to suggest you cannot 'gain' additional routes like this

Refund and rebook is the best solution but some retailers will be looking for an admin fee on the refund.

In general, I do agree.

If refunds were fee free, automated and without penalty, you could largely remove excess fares all together.

That would be disadvantageous for those who had started their journey and wanted to modify their tickets held, but I think that's a fairly niche pursuit.

The railway seems to be in the direction of issuing supplements to cover that use case - SeatFrog upgrades, for example

 

[hvshe]

1. is this considered an overdistance excess, or a change of destination excess?
2. the plan for us is now bristol > coventry, warwick > solihull, solihull > bristol. do we really have to refund and repurchase? or buy an entirely new warwick > birmingham ticket? i've heard horror stories with trainline...

 

[crablab]

1. I would ask to change the destination, to avoid confusion
2. You shouldn't need to - ticket offices can issue an excess (and should do so, in my opinion). If it's a flexible ticket, as Haywain says, the least friction option may be to refund and rebook to Warwick, but that may incur an admin charge for the refund. Alternatively, buying a new ticket to cover the additional distance would also work.

You can work out which is the most cost efficient option and weigh that up against the time you're willing to spend getting it.

 

[yorkie]

Coventry (original destination) is on a route from Bristol to Leamington Spa (new destination) but Bristol to Leamington Spa is also available via Dorridge, which does not go via Coventry.

If the OP did manage to excess their tickets beyond Coventry to Leamington Spa, would they be able to travel via Dorridge to Leamington Spa, or would they be required to travel via Coventry?

The ticketing Settlement Agreement is clear on this:

“Excess Fare” means a variation in the Rights and Restrictions applicable to a Fare which has the impact of converting that Fare into another Fare”

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Thursday at 08:08 ==

I would suggest yes, since you have paid the excess to the new ticket and thus are about by the the terms (routes, restrictions etc) associated with that ticket.

Otherwise what's the point of an excess, if not to alter the contract?

There's nothing to suggest you cannot 'gain' additional routes like this...

Exactly this, and indeed - as quoted above - this principle is enshrined in the TSA.