To return to this thread, I'm pleased to see that Advances are now widely available for long distance journeys between NDL stations and the west. Good news. My thanks to whoever in GWR has sorted this out.
Erm, as you were.
GWR's revised (= dramatically increased) prices of Advances on the NDL is having (possibly unthought through) consequences for long distance journeys to the west again.
Example: Blackwater to Bath on Wednesday 28 July, arriving in Bath before 1000 and departing between 1700 and 1830.
- GWR offer £44.90 Advances outbound and £19.50 Advances inbound, a total of £64.40
- But, when searching for fares from Reading to Bath on the same trains, GWR offer £15.20 Advances for both legs, a total of £30.40. Given an Anytime Day Return from Blackwater to Reading is £9.60 this means GWR are charging a £24.40 premium for the "privilege" of booking through tickets.
I've looked at journeys to Exeter and Cardiff too and the pricing of Advances from/to NDL stations is nowhere near competitive with the prices from/to Reading + the cost of an Anytime Day return to Reading: Exeter is £38.80 more expensive while Cardiff is £12.40 more.
Meanwhile, Advances
from destinations beyond London via Paddington/ Reading to NDL stations have simply disappeared, despite being available to Reading on the same itineraries. An example is Ipswich - where no Advances are offered for the return leg to Blackwater at all - only the £58.70 Off Peak Single is offered. But if travelling on the same trains to Reading then £18.10 Advances are widely available.
This muddle is discouraging people from using GWR's services, which surely cannot be the Pricing team's intention.