Special Offers Discussion

[4COR]

More Discounts for Teachers offers dropped into my inbox and are available for people with qualifying jobs/email addresses (these offers are available not just for teachers, but also those working in Higher Ed, etc. including support staff - sign up is needed at https://www.discountsforteachers.co.uk/). These include offers on Avanti fares on certain trains - the standard class fare offers examples quoted are:

London to:
Coventry £12
Birmingham New Street £15
Liverpool Lime Street £18
Manchester Piccadilly £25
Oxenholme or Penrith (Lake District) £26
Glasgow £35
Edinburgh £35

These fares are available on some peak time trains from a quick search and offer some large savings (eg Man Picc -> Euston standard single is £25 on the 06:15 on Mon 5th Aug, compared to £168 for the cheapest advance tier currently available).

 

[RAPC]

The Discounts for Teachers email is just a promo email for the existing fares. Have been happily using them for a number of months, as I have a qualifying role.

Most of the time Avanti staff don't seem bothered to check my proof of eligibility, but a couple of staff have been keen to see them. That includes one member of staff at Euston on the gates who was refusing to accept the proof required according to the ticket T&Cs. They wanted to see an official staff card, showing I was a teacher at a school. (I'm not and that isn't required). Took a couple of minutes of discussion for them to begrudgingly let me through without apology, when a colleague told them they were incorrect.

Great fares if you are eligible and often most journeys across peak and off-peak will have availability, depending on the route.

 

[Pemberton]

As seen on hotukdeals.com, Southern Rail are having a Summer Sale with adult tickets from £5 on routes such as London Victoria to Brighton and Eastbourne. Advance tickets must be booked at least 3 days in advance of travel for journeys between 20/8/2024 - 3/9/2024. No further Railcard discounts.

 

[bspahh]

As seen on hotukdeals.com, Southern Rail are having a Summer Sale with adult tickets from £5 on routes such as London Victoria to Brighton and Eastbourne. Advance tickets must be booked at least 3 days in advance of travel for journeys between 20/8/2024 - 3/9/2024. No further Railcard discounts.

https://www.southernrailway.com/destinations-and-offers/offers/summer-sale

says:

The Summer Sale is now on​

It’s the perfect chance to save on adventures big and small.

But hurry, the sale must end on 19 August! Don't miss out!

Book now

Tickets must be purchased 3 days in advance and are subject to availability. *Promo Advance tickets are available on selected routes only. Please read the full terms and conditions below.

Summer Sale tickets are only available for journeys from 20 August until 3 September 2024. When booking Promo Advance tickets please ensure you check the date and train service provider on your ticket(s) or reservation coupon(s). If you travel on a different train to the one shown, your ticket will not be valid for travel.

 

[Perosu1]

When booking a ticket from London St Pancras to Stevenage on the morning of the 31st the forum's ticketing site is showing Great British Rail Sale tickets for some Thameslink services. I've checked other sites and some are showing them (XC) while some are not (Uber). I thought the GBRS ended months ago, does anyone know why this is still showing up or what sale these are part of?

example: train at 7:16 for 7 GBP

Results | RailUK Tickets

TrainSplit is a free service that makes it easy to find the cheapest train tickets for your journey.

tickets-beta.railforums.co.uk

 

[alistairlees]

When booking a ticket from London St Pancras to Stevenage on the morning of the 31st the forum's ticketing site is showing Great British Rail Sale tickets for some Thameslink services. I've checked other sites and some are showing them (XC) while some are not (Uber). I thought the GBRS ended months ago, does anyone know why this is still showing up or what sale these are part of?

example: train at 7:16 for 7 GBP

Results | RailUK Tickets

TrainSplit is a free service that makes it easy to find the cheapest train tickets for your journey.

tickets-beta.railforums.co.uk

This is a brief Thameslink / great northern sale using the same ticket types as for the great British rail sale

 

[Hadders]

Frankly these Advance tickets between Stevenage and London are farcical.

The service between Stevenage and London is 'turn up and go' with the following trains each hour:

4 Thameslink fast to Finsbury Park then via the Thameslink core
2 Great Northern semi fasts to Kings Cross
2 Hertford Loop services to Moorgate
2 LNER non-stop to Kings Cross
Plus extras in the peak

I suspect many won't be travelling on the booked train, especially on the return. The tickets are targeted at the school holiday leisure market, I doubt anyone taking the kids for a day out from Stevenage to London plans an exact train home. You'll just get the first train back when you're ready - that might be early if it's wet and the kids are tired and fed-up, or it might be later if you're having a great time.

Now let's look at the pricing. £7 for Adults, £3.50 for kids sounds good, although no railcard discounts. So 2 adults and 2 kids will cost £42 to travel on specific trains if booked 3 days ahead. I can see people saying 'I found a great deal on Trainline....'

But...

For £45.05 they could have complete flexibility, and not have to decide their exact train times 3 days in advance. They simply purchase 3 adult Off-Peak Day Returns using Groupsave and a £2 child ticket. If they have an appropriate railcard (F&F or Network Railcard) they only need to pay £32.70 for flexible tickets.

Unbelievably, these £7 Advace tickets seem to be available at weekends when cheaper fares are available. A non-railcard holder at the weekend need only pay £30.80 for 2 adults and 2 kids to get to London. With an appropriate railcard it's only £23.20.

These Advance tickets really need to go.

 

[Pemberton]

There's a £5 cashback bonus on a purchase of £10 with various train and coach operators on cashback site Quidco today available to the first 1,000 opt-ins.

 

[YorkRailFan]

£1 fares on the Marston Vale Line have been extended to 16 November:

Enjoy £1 tickets between Bletchley and Bedford.
Between 19/02/24 – 16/11/24 you can enjoy £1 single tickets (£2 return) between Bletchley and Bedford.

Trains to Marston Vale Line | Cheap Train Tickets to Marston Vale Line

Find trains to Marston Vale Line with London Northwestern Railway. Best price guaranteed with no booking fees!

www.londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk

Fantastic news for those who use the line regularly.

 

[winks]

Uber 10% credit cashback has been extended to 31st Dec 2024

 

[James H]

Still showing as 31 Aug in my app

 

[317 forever]

£1 fares on the Marston Vale Line have been extended to 16 November:

Trains to Marston Vale Line | Cheap Train Tickets to Marston Vale Line

Find trains to Marston Vale Line with London Northwestern Railway. Best price guaranteed with no booking fees!

www.londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk

Fantastic news for those who use the line regularly.

As a result, I may stop off on the way to London in September and do a detour via the Marston Vale line.

 

[mikeg]

Hull Trains Flash Sale: Get 20% off all Hull Trains advances when you book direct using code HT20, book by 23:59 on 29th, valid for travel 2-20 September.

 

[standish1]

Northern £10.00 ticket is starting again next week. Just receive an e-mail about the offer

 

[Rail Ranger]

Travel under the Northern £10 day ticket offer is from Monday 9th September to Friday 8th November. After 08.45 on Monday to Friday and all day at weekends. Details are here: https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/t...tent=findoutmorecta&utm_term=jn0405newsletter

 

[Mr Magstripe]

Uber 10% credit cashback has been extended to 31st Dec 2024

I'm about to take advantage of this Uber offer for the first time, but are there any catches? (Apart from the limited booking engine interface used by Uber.)

Uber credits can be used towards train tickets, Uber rides and Uber Eats - can they also be used for coach tickets? And what about hire of Lime e-bikes and e-scooters (in London)? (Uber has a partnership with Lime.)

When using Uber credits as partial payment towards a train ticket, presumably the rest of the payment in 'real money' earns Uber credits?

If buying a walk up (flexible) ticket, what is Uber's refund fee and how easy is it to request the refund? And the same question but specifically with magstripe tickets that have been printed and collected from a TVM (i.e. not e-tickets) as they include cross-London travel?

 

[Fawkes Cat]

When using Uber credits as partial payment towards a train ticket, presumably the rest of the payment in 'real money' earns Uber credits?

For this, Uber are rather more generous than you imagine - you get your 10% on the full cost of the ticket including what you have paid for with Uber credits. So if I buy a ticket for £20, I get £2 in Uber credits: when I next buy the same ticket for £18 from my credit card plus £2 in Uber credits, I get a further £2 in Uber credits.

 

[Smidster]

I'm about to take advantage of this Uber offer for the first time, but are there any catches? (Apart from the limited booking engine interface used by Uber.)

Uber credits can be used towards train tickets, Uber rides and Uber Eats - can they also be used for coach tickets? And what about hire of Lime e-bikes and e-scooters (in London)? (Uber has a partnership with Lime.)

When using Uber credits as partial payment towards a train ticket, presumably the rest of the payment in 'real money' earns Uber credits?

If buying a walk up (flexible) ticket, what is Uber's refund fee and how easy is it to request the refund? And the same question but specifically with magstripe tickets that have been printed and collected from a TVM (i.e. not e-tickets) as they include cross-London travel?

Only thing I have seen to be aware of is that the credits expire after 6 months.

Sure for most people here that isn't a problem, especially if you use them by default, but need to make sure you don't forget them.

 

[mb]

Chiltern have a Flash Sale (credit to Hotukdeals.com) https://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/FlashSale

 

[Snow1964]

Chiltern have a Flash Sale (credit to Hotukdeals.com) https://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/FlashSale

Full details, it's for travel on Fridays during September (selected routes), booking 2-5 days before

1.1. Booking window for the Flash Friday sale:
Monday 2nd September (10am) - Wednesday 4th September (midnight) for travel on Friday 6th September
Monday 9th September (10am) - Wednesday 11th September (midnight) for travel on Friday 13th September
Monday 16th September (10am) - Wednesday 18th September (midnight) for travel on Friday 20th September
Monday 23rd September (10am) - Wednesday 15th September (midnight) for travel on Friday 27th September

Friday Flash Sale | Chiltern Railways

Thousands of cheap tickets to travel on Fridays throughout September. Summer doesn't end in August, that's why we want you to make the most of the weekends during September. Travel on a Friday to make the most of a long weekend or go out after work and let us be your taxi. You will need to be...

www.chilternrailways.co.uk

 

[LUYMun]

All Chiltern fares on offer being Advance Singles only. Not the best.

 

[Benjwri]

All Chiltern fares on offer being Advance Singles only. Not the best.

They’re of course advance singles. I don’t remember a sale ever being held on open tickets because by nature their sale volume cannot be controlled.

 

[peri]

Has the Northern £10 ticket offer started anywhere?
I can't see any tokens in the Hull Daily Mail and no
mention of it on the main Northern website.

 

[A S Leib]

Has the Northern £10 ticket offer started anywhere?
I can't see any tokens in the Hull Daily Mail and no
mention of it on the main Northern website.

16-29 September for Reach papers, 9-29th for National World ones.

 

[185143]

They’re of course advance singles. I don’t remember a sale ever being held on open tickets because by nature their sale volume cannot be controlled.

GA Hare Fares are open tickets when that promotion comes round, albeit with a rather annoying 'no break of journey' restriction.

 

[87007]

Has the Northern £10 ticket offer started anywhere?
I can't see any tokens in the Hull Daily Mail and no
mention of it on the main Northern website.

https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/t...tent=findoutmorecta&utm_term=jn0405newsletter

 

[totally]

https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/t...tent=findoutmorecta&utm_term=jn0405newsletter

Yes it has begun. Tokens have been appearing in the Blackpool Gazette and Lancs Evening Post since Monday 9th September.

 

[standish1]

Yes it has begun. Tokens have been appearing in the Blackpool Gazette and Lancs Evening Post since Monday 9th September.

Tokens in both the two weekly papers in Wigan

 

[NorthWestRover]

Yeah, did my occasional purchase of 3 copies of the Wigan Observer in one transaction.

 

[mikeg]

Has anyone seen any tokens in the mirror yet or know when they'll be in there?