Inter-rail flash sale 50% off

[rvdborgt]

How does the outward/inward journey work when using Eurostar? Would both an LNER journey and the Eurostar service (excluding seat reservation) be covered by the free outward/inward journey?

On a travel day, you can use as many trains as you want. On 2 of your travel days, you can also travel in your country of residence. So yes, it's no problem whatsoever to use both LNER and Eurostar an inbound/outbound journey.

 

[EllieAquitrain]

On a travel day, you can use as many trains as you want. On 2 of your travel days, you can also travel in your country of residence. So yes, it's no problem whatsoever to use both LNER and Eurostar an inbound/outbound journey.

I've been curious about the "1 inbound/1 outbound journey" restriction as an Edinburgh resident who'd have to change in London to reach mainland Europe. How long between changing from LNER to Eurostar can I get away with? Must it be the next reasonable train or could I spend the day in London?

 

[trei2k]

From the terms: [PDF document] https://www.interrail.eu/content/dam/pdfs/terms-and-conditions/CoU SCIC-RPT 03-2022 v6.pdf

5.2 Travel in Country of Residence with an Interrail Pass

The Interrail Global Pass has a specific convenient price which assumes that you are
traveling abroad to experience Europe. Therefore the product cannot be used
extensively in your country of residence since the pricing for such a usage, in some
countries, would be higher. In case of extensive misuse, the railways would decide to
increase globally the price of the product which would be unfair towards the travellers
who really want to experience Europe. In case a ticket inspector observes misuse of this
condition, e.g. in case of frequent travels from and to the same destination, he/she can
issue a fine and ask for blocking of the Pass to limit further usage.
An Interrail Global Pass may only be used for two specific trips in the country of
residence of the traveller (provided this country is an Interrail participating country).
These two trips are referred to as the outbound and inbound journey.
• The outbound journey can be used to travel from any location in the country of
residence to the border or an airport or port.
• The inbound journey can be used to travel from the border or an airport or port
back to any location in the country of residence.
During these trips, the traveller may travel with more than one train, provided the trips
are within the same day. Please note that the special rule for travel with an overnight
train also applies.
In order to make use of these trips, the traveller must indicate the relevant date and
journey on the Interrail Pass Cover and on the Travel Calendar on the ticket, in case of a
Flexi Pass (see also § 3.2).
One Country Passes are not valid in the country of residence of the Pass holder.

There are no restrictions. The important thing is that the UK outbound travel occurs in one day.

 

[lachlan]

That's great, thank you.

 

[cambsy]

Im looking get the 2 month.1st class continuous pass, on this sale, and was wandering, if say as start of the continuous 2 months, i do 17 days travel or so, then return home to UK. Then few weeks later, decide want to, use some more days traveling in Europe, can i still use my pass, to travel from Uk into Europe as part of the, outward and return journeys allowed? And could I repeat this multiple times for say a day or 2 at a time? Obviously paying the Eurostar reservations etc, just I wont be able to get 2 months off work etc.

 

[trei2k]

Im looking get the 2 month.1st class continuous pass, on this sale, and was wandering, if say as start of the continuous 2 months, i do 17 days travel or so, then return home to UK. Then few weeks later, decide want to, use some more days traveling in Europe, can i still use my pass, to travel from Uk into Europe as part of the, outward and return journeys allowed? And could I repeat this multiple times for say a day or 2 at a time? Obviously paying the Eurostar reservations etc, just I wont be able to get 2 months off work etc.

As part of the pass, you get ONE day to travel to the border and you get ONE day to come back home. These can be at any time during the pass.

Once you use these, you'll need to find alternative ways to mainland Europe and back (ferry, paying for own Eurostar, flights etc.). See my post from earlier today with the terms.

 

[Watershed]

From the terms: [PDF document] https://www.interrail.eu/content/dam/pdfs/terms-and-conditions/CoU SCIC-RPT 03-2022 v6.pdf





There are no restrictions. The important thing is that the UK outbound travel occurs in one day.

I've always thought that St Pancras counts as the port, meaning that Eurostar journeys aren't included in the 2 free "domestic" journeys? Perhaps I'm mistaken on this point.

 

[Richard Scott]

I've always thought that St Pancras counts as the port, meaning that Eurostar journeys aren't included in the 2 free "domestic" journeys? Perhaps I'm mistaken on this point.

That was my original understanding hence my earlier post.

 

[Feuillesmortes]

I ask because I am a UK/RoI citizen living in Sweden. But if I buy the pass with a GB credit card and my GB identity, what is to prove that I am resident (or not) of Sweden?

I think your ROI passport may be of some use if you want to travel in UK but don't have a Swedish residency card.

 

[JB_B]

In a few cases 2nd class (compulsory) reservations can be quite a bit cheaper than in 1st class. If you hold a 1st class pass but only want 2nd class travel for that leg can you just use a 2nd class reservation?

 

[Feuillesmortes]

On a travel day, you can use as many trains as you want. On 2 of your travel days, you can also travel in your country of residence.

There are no restrictions. The important thing is that the UK outbound travel occurs in one day.

On your outbound day, I think you only can make one journey from departure station to port, on a permitted route.


***Dividing line because of automerge***

Allow me to share this map as it basically shows there's only a third of Europe that's worth Interrailing in.

https://traintracks.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/karte-interrail-2048x1366.png

 

[peteb]

I'm hoping to get a 3 month continuous ticket tomorrow (9th May). I assume it's ok to wait until 8th April 2023 (11 months) then I need to validate it so it can run to 8th July 2023? Also does anyone know if I can buy the 50% discount version in paper format, the website implies it's app only format? I can use tech but would prefer paper simply because eyesight issues make constant use of a mobile device difficult....

 

[Watershed]

I'm hoping to get a 3 month continuous ticket tomorrow (9th May). I assume it's ok to wait until 8th April 2023 (11 months) then I need to validate it so it can run to 8th July 2023? Also does anyone know if I can buy the 50% discount version in paper format, the website implies it's app only format? I can use tech but would prefer paper simply because eyesight issues make constant use of a mobile device difficult....

The Promo pass is available in both formats, though there's a hefty £19 fee for having a paper pass posted to you.

I'm disinclined to get a mobile pass, partly owing to the number of technical problems with the app which I've seen reported by people on the Eurail forums.

I also don't like the fact that it is effectively an m-ticket tied to the Interrail app, so I can't print it off in case my phone dies. The usual comments of "yes but surely you can carry a charger/battery bank" don't apply if you're on trains without plug sockets, particularly if you've come off an overnight sleeper the night before! And the app needs to have an internet connection every 72 hours, otherwise it locks your pass.

That said, the app option is attractive in offering flexibility over the start date, as well as containing the requisite barcodes to get you through station barriers and allowing digital ticket checks, rather than an inspector poring over your ticket and travel diary!

 

[rvdborgt]

I'm hoping to get a 3 month continuous ticket tomorrow (9th May). I assume it's ok to wait until 8th April 2023 (11 months) then I need to validate it so it can run to 8th July 2023? Also does anyone know if I can buy the 50% discount version in paper format, the website implies it's app only format?

Start date must be within 11 months after purchase. If you buy on 9 May, the latest possible start date is 9 May 2023 and a 3-month pass will then be valid until 8 July.
The pass is also available on paper (you choose on checkout), but then you have to choose your start date when ordering and you pay GBP19/EUR19 for delivery (used to be only 9 until recently). On www.myinterrail.co.uk delivery is GBP 10.

 

[Watershed]

The pass is also available on paper (you choose on checkout), but then you have to choose your start date when ordering and you pay GBP19/EUR19 for delivery (used to be only 9 until recently). On www.myinterrail.co.uk delivery is GBP 10.

I struggle to believe that £19/€19 really represents the cost of postage, even with insurance. The pass could be sent in an envelope if they wanted! I suspect this is down to encouraging everyone to use mobile passes, with a view to eventually getting rid of the paper passes entirely.

 

[Mag_seven]

The pass is also available on paper (you choose on checkout), but then you have to choose your start date when ordering

Oh that's not so good - the website I suggest is a bit misleading as it states:

• Start travelling up to 11 months after purchase. No need to choose a start date until you travel
• Offer is valid for mobile and paper Passes - choose mobile for maximum flexibility

 

[jamesontheroad]

The Interrail website was stupendously buggy all weekend for me. I tried and failed several times to place an order. This morning it went through ok, but I haven't received an email confirmation.

To those of you here who have availed of the special offer: how long did it take to get the email with details of your mobile pass?

Many thanks

 

[Mr_B]

The Interrail website was stupendously buggy all weekend for me. I tried and failed several times to place an order. This morning it went through ok, but I haven't received an email confirmation.

To those of you here who have availed of the special offer: how long did it take to get the email with details of your mobile pass?

Many thanks

Ordered ours (mobile) yesterday evening, got an acknowledgement straight away, and the email with the magic pass number has just arrived.

 

[lachlan]

The Interrail website was stupendously buggy all weekend for me. I tried and failed several times to place an order. This morning it went through ok, but I haven't received an email confirmation.

To those of you here who have availed of the special offer: how long did it take to get the email with details of your mobile pass?

Many thanks

I too ordered one last night, money taken but no emails received. Will have to chase it up today.

 

[rvdborgt]

The Interrail website was stupendously buggy all weekend for me. I tried and failed several times to place an order. This morning it went through ok, but I haven't received an email confirmation.

To those of you here who have availed of the special offer: how long did it take to get the email with details of your mobile pass?

They had a very high load yesterday and in the afternoon, everything took forever. In the evening, they had apparently fixed it (more capacity I suppose) and people could order normally again.
If you haven't received a confirmation mail, check the Order Overview in your Interrail account to see if the order is there. The pass number should also be mentioned in the order there.

 

[jamesontheroad]

Posting in this thread apparently prompted the gods of the interwebs to intervene, and I got my confirmation email.

No idea when I will use it, but excited to have a 2-month 2nd-class pass in my back pocket ready for a couple of spontaneous trips between now and next year.

 

[peteb]

Start date must be within 11 months after purchase. If you buy on 9 May, the latest possible start date is 9 May 2023 and a 3-month pass will then be valid until 8 July.
The pass is also available on paper (you choose on checkout), but then you have to choose your start date when ordering and you pay GBP19/EUR19 for delivery (used to be only 9 until recently). On www.myinterrail.co.uk delivery is GBP 10.

Many thanks for clarification, it's a shame they cannot leave the date blank on the paper pass but I guess it's so that they ensure its used in the 11 month period. Agree with other posters £19 postage is steep, but there you go!

 

[Beebman]

The Interrail website was stupendously buggy all weekend for me. I tried and failed several times to place an order. This morning it went through ok, but I haven't received an email confirmation.

To those of you here who have availed of the special offer: how long did it take to get the email with details of your mobile pass?

Many thanks

I ordered mine on Friday via the National Rail portal at https://www.myinterrail.co.uk/ in order to pay using GBP. I received a confirmation email right away saying that my Pass Number should arrive within the hour but I didn't get it until this morning.

 

[lachlan]

I ordered mine on Friday via the National Rail portal at https://www.myinterrail.co.uk/ in order to pay using GBP. I received a confirmation email right away saying that my Pass Number should arrive within the hour but I didn't get it until this morning.

I got my pass number this morning too.

 

[rvdborgt]

I ordered mine on Friday via the National Rail portal at https://www.myinterrail.co.uk/ in order to pay using GBP.

On interrail.eu, you can also choose GBP (at the top right). It's even a few pounds cheaper, it seems.

 

[Capybara]

The blurb kind of implies that the paper version has a flexible start date but it turned out not to be the case. I've only ever used paper versions before so how does the mobile one work? Any drawbacks? I also contacted them because my passport is due to expire before I intend to use the pass and they said that I should specify the number of my current passport and take it along. That sounds a bit risky to me. I need to think about this.

 

[trei2k]

The blurb kind of implies that the paper version has a flexible start date but it turned out not to be the case. I've only ever used paper versions before so how does the mobile one work? Any drawbacks? I also contacted them because my passport is due to expire before I intend to use the pass and they said that I should specify the number of my current passport and take it along. That sounds a bit risky to me. I need to think about this.

I bought one yesterday from interrail.eu and I wasn't asked my passport number, only my name as it was on the passport. This was a mobile pass. I've not loaded it onto the app yet, I'll wait until nearer the time, just in case I change devices between now and when I want to use it.

 

[Mr_B]

I bought one yesterday from interrail.eu and I wasn't asked my passport number, only my name as it was on the passport. This was a mobile pass. I've not loaded it onto the app yet, I'll wait until nearer the time, just in case I change devices between now and when I want to use it.

My reading of the FAQ was that at least for the mobile pass you only add your ID document when you activate it on the first day of travel. It's not asked me for it yet, but for the same reasoning as trei2k I'll be adding the pass number to the app later.

 

[Watershed]

The blurb kind of implies that the paper version has a flexible start date but it turned out not to be the case. I've only ever used paper versions before so how does the mobile one work? Any drawbacks? I also contacted them because my passport is due to expire before I intend to use the pass and they said that I should specify the number of my current passport and take it along. That sounds a bit risky to me. I need to think about this.

As stated above, the mobile pass does have some drawbacks. Personally I'm very much on the fence about getting an Interrail pass that way.

 

[Capybara]

As stated above, the mobile pass does have some drawbacks. Personally I'm very much on the fence about getting an Interrail pass that way.

Well, having looked at it I'm inclined to book a mobile pass and treat it as an adventure.