Off-peak ticket confusion

[minema]

I have an off-peak open return from Bexhill to Bangor that I want to use tomorrow. Ideally I would like to leave around 7am to get there early but I'm confused about the off-peak rules. When I looked up the train times on nationalrail by entering Bexhill - Bangor, the 6:59 train is listed as off-peak, but when I search by entering Bexhill - London, the same train is listed as peak. I'm very confused about whether I can get this train using my off-peak open return or not, and trying to find the answer myself has just confused me even more! Can anybody help me out?

 

[clagmonster]

All tickets have different restrictions, rather than trains being blanket peak/off peak. so a 'peak train' for a Bexhill to London ticket may be off peak for Bexhill to Bangor. If that makes sense.

 

[soil]

The ticket restrictions apply to the ticket, not the train. So you would have to search for Bexhill - Bangor to see if it was valid, not Bexhill - London

Restrictions are here:

http://brfares.com/#faredetail?orig=BEX&dest=BNG&rlc= &rte=0&ldn=1&tkt=SVR

From south of London there are no restrictions, the restrictions only apply to the leg from Euston.

 

[Searle]

Bexhill - Bangor has a fare set by Virgin, and the only restriction on these tickets usually only have restrictions on the bit out of London ie. the Euston - Bangor section (Any train departing Euston at after 0930, whereas a Bexhill - London Terminals ticket will have restrictions on the train into London. Because your train FROM London will be at a later time than your train TO London, then your ticket to Bangor will be off peak whereas a ticket to London will be peak.

It might help if you take an itinerary for your journey along with you, because some gateline staff may wrongly think that your ticket is not valid at Bexhill.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[minema]

Okay, that's brilliant, thank you for the advice!

I have another question now though.. I'm pretty sure I booked an open return, and my ticket from Bexhill to Bangor says it's valid until the 28th April, but I have a ticket from London to Bangor that is a seat reservation for 4th April. Does it matter if I just don't get this train and go tomorrow instead? Also when I look at my booking online it says my return journey is on April 4th and doesn't say anything about an open return! I'm so very confused!

 

[soil]

It should say on your ticket if it is an 'off-peak return'.

You don't have to use any seat reservation, you can go a different train unreserved.

 

[minema]

It should say on your ticket if it is an 'off-peak return'.

You don't have to use any seat reservation, you can go a different train unreserved.

Okay, thanks. I think I'm getting confused since I often buy two singles and they're normally for specific trains and if I miss them I can't get another. Been a while since I actually bought a return.

 

[John @ home]

Bexhill to Bangor says it's valid until the 28th April, but I have a ticket from London to Bangor that is a seat reservation for 4th April. Does it matter if I just don't get this train and go tomorrow instead?

The outward leg is valid one day, so it would not be valid to start your outward journey the day after the date on the outward portion of your ticket.

The return leg is valid one month, so it is OK to start your return journey on any day up to the "Valid until" date shown on the return portion of your ticket.

You will notice that the expiry dates of outward and return portions are different.

 

[yorkie]

I'm very confused about whether I can get this train using my off-peak open return or not,

The website is correct, in that if you search for a Bexhill to Bangor journey, an Off Peak ticket from Bexhill to Bangor is valid on any train between Bexhill & London, and restrictions are only applicable between London & Bangor.

However, a Bexhill to London ticket is a different matter entirely. But if that's not the ticket you hold, you don't need to concern yourself with that

I don't anticipate you will have any problems, but just in case you encounter one of the staff who do not understand the Network Area Rule, you could print & bring an itinerary from the National Rail website. I have heard of a small number of people be incorrectly excessed in this situation, it's unlikely to happen, but where it does, I will certainly be willing to help by proof reading a letter of complaint and will do my best to make sure that any incorrect charges are refunded.

NETWORK AREA

Off-Peak tickets for journeys
starting within the Network
Area to destinations outside
the Network Area with travel
via London are valid by any
train to London, to connect
with trains from London.

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I'm pretty sure I booked an open return

Not quite, but I can certainly see how the confusion has arisen!

You may recall the days of the Open Return as an unrestricted ticket type, both the outward and return portions were valid for one calendar month.

However the term "open return" started to be used by websites such as Thetrainline.com to refer to any ticket that was not a "booked train only" ticket, ie a restricted ticket that was only valid for a day was still considered an "open return", not just the ticket type "Open Return"!

So, there was much confusion. In 2008, the ticket type Open Return became Anytime Return. These days, the outward portion of an Anytime Return is (only) valid for 5 days.

However, you don't have an Anytime Return, you actually have an Off Peak Return, which is the new name for what used to be called a Saver Return.

So, these days, the term "open return" is effectively meaningless, and no-one can quite agree on what it should mean (but that discussion is for another day!), I suggest avoiding the use of the term, to avoid confusion.

and my ticket from Bexhill to Bangor says it's valid until the 28th April, but I have a ticket from London to Bangor that is a seat reservation for 4th April. Does it matter if I just don't get this train and go tomorrow instead?

Your outward journey must commence on the date shown on the ticket, although it can continue into the second day if you stay overnight (e.g. you could depart Bexhill in the evening, stay overnight, and take a train the next morning from London to Bangor)

Also when I look at my booking online it says my return journey is on April 4th and doesn't say anything about an open return! I'm so very confused!

The return journey must commence within the validity period shown on the return portion of the ticket, you are not tied to travelling back on any particular day. (it can get a bit complicated if you were to return on the very last day of validity and have an overnight stay but that doesn't appear to be applicable here so I won't go into that!)

 

[minema]

Thank you all so much for the help! I had no idea tickets were so complicated...