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Saving Money on Train Tickets

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Mojo

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No... I'm not suggesting hiding in the toilet when the Train Manager comes round, but since I have become sixteen, I am having to find better ways to save money on train fares, here's what I've done for a journey that I frequently make.
Aylesbury - Bristol Temple Meads Standard Class Open Rtn is £122
BUT
Aylesbury - Didcot Parkway Standard Class Standard Day Single is £18.10 and Didcot Parkway - Bristol Temple M Standard Class Standard Day Single is £16.90.
Add it up, and multiply it by two to get a return fare, which is £70, saving £52 off the peak hour fare!
So with my Priv (adult rates thank you!) Aylesbury - Didcot = £4.55 and Didcot - Bristol Temple M = £4.25. £8.80 x 2 is £17.60 vs £30.50 for the Open Rtn.
Bargain! Saving myself £12.90!
Totally legit and legally allowed. Anyone else saved any sums?
 
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yorkie

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You're learning :lol:

I save £15, or 30% on a walk-on fare to London with my Railcard from York. 8)

I save around £10 on a walk-on fare to Derby or Nottingham by asking for a certain ticket priced by a cheaper TOC 8)

Rovers are also good value for regular journeys.

The Routeing Guide can be your friend, if you can understand it. ;)

I don't want to give away some of the most outrageous RG anomalies as ATOC have a habit of revising the RG to eliminate them. <(

But be warned: when combining tickets your train must call. On the GWML Didcot is very useful but the fastest trains do not call there.
 

David

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Listen to what Yorkie says. he gave me a good lesson yesterday about how to find the cheapist tickets. He is probably going to save me a fair bit of money now. :D
 

Techniquest

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Indeed, yorkie is king of ticketing!

Still, I'd rather have my knowledge of pronouncing Welsh station names... :P
 

Mojo

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yorkie said:
But be warned: when combining tickets your train must call. On the GWML Didcot is very useful but the fastest trains do not call there.

Yes, Im aware, but I can catch any train, as I actually have to BOARD the FGW train at Didcot.
I havent actually made any journeys since Ive been 16, so Ive never needed to work out cheaper fares before!
Ah well, at least in 2 years time I'll get FREE tickets again (hopefully!).
I also have a season for another journey, and the train doesnt have to stop for that to be valid!

I bought an All Line Rover a few weeks back, except the 1st time they issued me with a mutation ticket (http://www.railwaysonline.co.uk/Internet/rover.PNG), then I went back and told them how to do it according to ATOC's instructions (because the ticket office doesnt hold Retail Manuals/National Fares manuals so no barcodes). They still got it wrong, but I got around fine!
 

joeholmes

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Well i saved some money thanks to Yorkie, I got a Saver Return from Marlow to Swindon = £10.30 and a Cheap Day Return from Swindon to Cardiff = 6.30 and a day ranger from Cardiff to Rhymney. All In All Yorkie saved me £9.50 so a big THANK YOU to you!!

joe
 

yorkie

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Mojo said:
I bought an All Line Rover a few weeks back, except the 1st time they issued me with a mutation ticket (http://www.railwaysonline.co.uk/Internet/rover.PNG), then I went back and told them how to do it according to ATOC's instructions (because the ticket office doesnt hold Retail Manuals/National Fares manuals so no barcodes). They still got it wrong, but I got around fine!
That says 8 in 15, and also 3 in 7! :?

Is railwaysonline.co.uk your website?

And yes you're right about combining a season ticket meaning the train doesn't have to call. The same applies with rovers (they count as seasons).
 

HSTfan!!!

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being the king of ticketing yorkie, perhaps you could tell me how I would save on a journey to Tiverton Parkway from Newport. I can see to viable options. get a wessex service direct there (not the most favourable option) or HST to Parkway and change either here for Temple Meads changing again, or direct service from here - either wessex or virgin I'm guessing! (I prefer travelling on FGW HST's over Virgin and Wessex mind!)
 

Jonno2055

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I go on holiday next week down to cornwall, 5 hour journey so i thought i had better go by 1st class. It cost us £210.70 for a family of four and that was with just 40 pounds extra to go up to weekend first. Apex is a good system, it cost my friends family to go to devon for just £30 but you have to be on that train, if you miss it you cant travel, i think thats right. Fares have gone up, in the early 1990s it was 5 pounds extra weekend first now its 10.
 

yorkie

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HSTfan!!! said:
being the king of ticketing yorkie, perhaps you could tell me how I would save on a journey to Tiverton Parkway from Newport
Just split it into something like Newport-Bristol, Bristol-Taunton, Taunton-Tiverton. But check: it may be that you only need two CDRs. The ticketing wont affect whether you change at Parkway or Temple Meads - the timetable and connections can determine that.
 

Mojo

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yorkie said:
Is railwaysonline.co.uk your website?

Yes

Today, my train from Banbury - Oxford (change for Didcot) was delayed, and only 1 TPH from Didcot - Bristol TM stops there, so I stayed on the Voyager all the way to Reading and went back from Reading straight to Swindon and Bristol, the train didnt stop at Did. Technically not allowed, but I was only 30mns later, rather than 1hr late.
 

HSTfan!!!

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yorkie said:
HSTfan!!! said:
being the king of ticketing yorkie, perhaps you could tell me how I would save on a journey to Tiverton Parkway from Newport
Just split it into something like Newport-Bristol, Bristol-Taunton, Taunton-Tiverton. But check: it may be that you only need two CDRs. The ticketing wont affect whether you change at Parkway or Temple Meads - the timetable and connections can determine that.

ok I'll take that into consideration, cheers yorkie! :)
 

yorkie

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Mojo said:
Today, my train from Banbury - Oxford (change for Didcot) was delayed, and only 1 TPH from Didcot - Bristol TM stops there, so I stayed on the Voyager all the way to Reading and went back from Reading straight to Swindon and Bristol, the train didnt stop at Did. Technically not allowed, but I was only 30mns later, rather than 1hr late.
It's not a permitted route to double-back via Reading.

However in the event of trains being delayed or cancelled the TOCs must endevaour to get you to your destination as quickly as possible regardless of the routeing. It is unreasonable to expect you to wait 1 and a half hours for a delay out of your control, so I can't see a problem with doing it in those circumstances.
 

Mojo

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Yea, I know it's not allowed and the delay was not the fault of FGW, but if the Train Manager had asked to see my ticket, I would have just told him why I did it, and I'm sure he would have had no issues with that.

Though I did end up with that nasty ex-RIO set that is plying it's trade with FGW and seems to be on almost every FGW HST journey!
 

HSTfan!!!

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Mojo said:
Yea, I know it's not allowed and the delay was not the fault of FGW, but if the Train Manager had asked to see my ticket, I would have just told him why I did it, and I'm sure he would have had no issues with that.

Though I did end up with that nasty ex-RIO set that is plying it's trade with FGW and seems to be on almost every FGW HST journey!

not that nice a set is it!
 

Mojo

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HSTfan!!! said:
not that nice a set is it!

Well, the first Class bit isnt very nice, and the coach I was in stank even worse than the tiolet [sic] on the Voyager.
 
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