Off Peak Return Ticket Question?

[TomThePlonker]

Right then I need some information on the Validity of the Off Peak Return.

I'm travelling from Birmingham New Street to London Euston on Friday the 5th June and need to get to to London before 9am. I will be returning the following day and plan to get a train that leaves London at about 8:30pm.

I'm after 2 adult returns and we both have 16-25 Railcards.

I've entered all these details into the Journey Planner on the National Rail website and it came up with a few advance tickets which i'm not interested in as I might be purchasing the tickets on the day of travel and the Off Peak Return was the one I was looking at for £53.00 for the two of us. I looked into the detail however and it said that there could be restrictions with these tickets including travel in the week before 9am.

So basically I just wanted to know if the Off Peak Return is valid for my travel requirements?

Sorry for the long post and thanks for any help

 

[dan_atki]

Afraid the answer is no. The Off Peak return for Birmingham to Euston has restriction code 2C which means it is only valid for arriving into Euston at or after 1055.

EDIT: If I learnt to remember things and read posts properly then actually I'd say the discounted off peak return is valid based on a rule Virgin Trains have about railcard discounted off peak tickets mentioned in posts below... Sorry for the confusion.

 

[clagmonster]

If you want a walk up ticket, you need a standard open return for the outward, priced at £87.10 each.
Alternatively, you could get a route High Wycombe standard open return for £54.10 each.
A London Midland standard open return would cost you £39.60.
Alternatively, depending on when you are coming back, you could get a standard open single for the outward, and a more restricted single for the return.

 

[TomThePlonker]

Surely they shouldn't be mis-selling tickets then? As even the virgin trains website would let me go forward and pay for these tickets?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
In my original post I said I may purchase the tickets on the day but if I have to i'll purchase them in advance if that makes any difference. I'm just currently shocked that it'll let me purchase these tickets and post them out to me for me to only find out on the train that they are useless..

 

[charley_17/7]

According to Fares and Retail Publications Portal (online version of 'The Ticket Examiners' Handbook'):

"Time Restrictions

No time restriction is applied to the (16-25) Railcard although minimum fares are applicable to certain ticket types for both outward and return journeys before 1000 Mondays to Fridays between September and June (except Public Holidays).

Off-Peak ticket types codes SVS and SVR purchased with a 16-25 or Young Persons Railcard are valid on any Virgin train, where Virgin Trains price the flow, without time restriction."

So I believe you can use the Off-Peak, despite the 2C restriction, as Virgin allow railcard users discretion to use services at anytime. This has been the case for quite a few years, IIRC.

 

[clagmonster]

I've just looked at the Virmin site, and yes they are offering the ticket, despite what the ticket restriction says. What I would do is to buy the ticket online, ask for a seat reservation and get the tickets posted to you. Also get a print out of the booking confirmation, in case the guard questions it.

 

[TomThePlonker]

Thanks for all the replys. I think I'll do what clagmonster says just to be on the safe side. Still think they should make things like this a lot clearer for their customers..but I guess that asking too much from them

 

[Proud Salopian]

I have an off-peak return question too - I see from National Rail's online system that all Shrewsbury-Cardiff trains on a weekday morning are covered by off-peak day return tickets. Is this correct?

 

[Mojo]

I have an off-peak return question too - I see from National Rail's online system that all Shrewsbury-Cardiff trains on a weekday morning are covered by off-peak day return tickets. Is this correct?

Off-peak tickets are covered but not Off-peak day, which isn't valid until 0830.

You may have (or not) noticed though that National Rail is actually suggesting you buy a Heart of Wales Circular Day Ranger, which, normally is only valid after 0900, except

It is also valid on the 0720 Cardiff Central to Holyhead between Cardiff Central and Shrewsbury, 0750 Cardiff Central to Manchester Piccadilly between Cardiff Central and Shrewsbury, 0550 Crewe to Cardiff Central between Shrewsbury and Cardiff, 0809 Cardiff Central to Shrewsbury via Llanelli and any service Shrewsbury and Llanelli via Llandrindod Wells.

 

[mathmo]

I'm after 2 adult returns and we both have 16-25 Railcards.

Aren't Off-Peak tickets valid on all Virgin trains for railcard holders?

 

[dan_atki]

"Off-Peak ticket types codes SVS and SVR purchased with a 16-25 or Young Persons Railcard are valid on any Virgin train, where Virgin Trains price the flow, without time restriction."

Ah yes, my apologies - it really is about time I remembered that rather than just looking at the meaning of the restriction code ! Contrary to what I said above (in my forgetful state) the ticket is in fact valid provided you use Virgin Trains (which I'm sure you would over London Midland!).

 

[Proud Salopian]

Off-peak tickets are covered but not Off-peak day, which isn't valid until 0830.

You may have (or not) noticed though that National Rail is actually suggesting you buy a Heart of Wales Circular Day Ranger, which, normally is only valid after 0900, except

Right, so let me get this straight - it is giving me the option to buy a Heart of Wales Circular Day Ranger for my journey from Shrewsbury to Cardiff (which is before 09:00) EVEN THOUGH that ticket wouldn't be valid?

If that's the case, isn't there a rather massive flaw in the online ticket system? In that it offers rangers/rovers for trains which the ranger/rover ticket cannot be used on? It doesn't give any other option for return tickets!

Edit: Fortunately Arriva Trains Wales' own ticket/journey planner knows what it's doing. Still, it's pretty poor that National Rail's website is so useless.

 

[tony_mac]

I noticed last week that the National Rail site is also saying that the Heart of Wales 2 Day Rover is the best ticket for going from Swansea to Shrewsbury via Newport, when it isn't valid on this route at all.

I've also noticed that the ticketing sites offer to sell tickets for routes that don't seem to be valid (unless I've missed something) - Darlington to Eaglescliffe via Northallerton was one, and Hampton in Arden to Coventry via Birmingham International was another.

 

[janb]

There was also an issue of the Preston - London SVR showing as valid on certain services it shouldn't be in May/June on RJIS, and online sites as well. Virgin have now fixed this, but it will be interesting to see whether anyone bought a ticket and is expecting to board a train that they actually shouldn't be on.