Virgin announces significant downgrade to Traveller effective 4 September

[MKB]

We’ve recently reviewed the Traveller programme, and as a result are making some changes to the benefits it offers.

After careful consideration, we will no longer be able to offer free travel on Fridays and Mondays. We understand this might be disappointing to some customers, however these changes will allow us to maintain the broader benefits of the Traveller programme, which I hope you will continue to enjoy.

• Free First Class travel on Saturday and Sundays, for you and a guest
• Kids can join you for just £10 each
• Priority parking
• Complimentary alcoholic and soft drinks at London Euston’s First Class lounge

And of course, you still get that great Virgin Trains experience when you travel with us…

• Our complimentary onboard entertainment service, BEAM
• Automatic Delay Repay
• Our paperless, ultra-easy, time saving m-tickets
• And earn Nectar points whenever you book tickets online, or via our app

This email constitutes the 60 days notice we're required to give you under Traveller’s terms and conditions, which begins on 5 July 2017, and ends 60 days later, on 3 Sept 2017. Please note the following points;

• We’ll honour all bookings made for free travel to be taken on a Friday or a Monday during the 60-day notice period which ends at midnight on 3 Sept 2017 (or until Traveller membership expiry, if this occurs before the end of the notice period)
• After the 3 Sept 2017 (or if your Traveller membership expires before then), you won’t be able to make bookings for free travel to be taken on a Friday or a Monday.
• We’ll honour all future bookings for free travel on a Friday or a Monday which were booked before midnight on the last day of the 60-day notice period, which will be 3 Sept 2017.
• From 4 Sept 2017, free Friday and Monday booking will no longer be available.

We look forward to welcoming you onboard soon.

Since they'd already blocked booking of Friday/Monday peak-time trains last year, I struggle to understand the logic here. All they're likely to achieve is upsetting a lot of their first-class customers.

 

[boxy321]

Since they'd already blocked booking of Friday/Monday peak-time trains last year, I struggle to understand the logic here. All they're likely to achieve is upsetting a lot of their first-class customers.

This daft scheme only annoys most customers who don't even know what it is. 'Reserved Traveller'. Same as 'Reserved Companion'. Eh?

I'm sick of half empty trains - especially Voyagers, where nearly all the seats say 'reserved'. Those occupying the 'Traveller' seats tend to be annoying motor mouths anyway.

 

[Bletchleyite]

DB also have a scheme whereby a few seats are reserved for their "frequent flyers". I don't see why there is a problem with that at all to be honest.

"Companion" relates to the seat reserved next to someone requiring assistance for their companion. Quite why those don't just say Reserved I have no idea.

 

[gordonthemoron]

DB also have a scheme whereby a few seats are reserved for their "frequent flyers". I don't see why there is a problem with that at all to be honest.

"Companion" relates to the seat reserved next to someone requiring assistance for their companion. Quite why those don't just say Reserved I have no idea.

I don't think the DB scheme (in germany) is so much to do with free tickets, more reserved seats on ICEs which Bahn Comfort customers have priority on

 

[All Line Rover]

There is no value in offering free first class tickets in Germany considering the extremely low cost of a year's first class travel across the entire country - similar to a Milton Keynes to London first class season ticket (which is sufficiently expensive to qualify for Traveller).

 

[DarloRich]

if only they offered such a scheme to second class passengers................

PS is club a free travel reward after a certain spend level or journey number is breached? Never seen it before

 

[All Line Rover]

16 moderately expensive one-way journeys using first class Advance or Anytime tickets (not Off Peak, even though they cost more than Advances) or a yearly first class season ticket costing at least £7000.

 

[DarloRich]

16 moderately expensive one-way journeys using first class Advance or Anytime tickets (not off-peak, even though they cost more than Advances) or a yearly first class season ticket costing at least £7000.

Thanks - is it, say, a case that only £100+ journeys count towards your spend and you cant run up the meter on short 1st class journeys. Seems a strange scheme to fiddle on with. The cost cant be that much and the patrons must be those you want to keep sweet.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I don't think the DB scheme (in germany) is so much to do with free tickets, more reserved seats on ICEs which Bahn Comfort customers have priority on

That's what RESERVED TRAVELLER means isn't it? Or are those just the free seats?

 

[gordonthemoron]

That's what RESERVED TRAVELLER means isn't it? Or are those just the free seats?

bahn comfort seats generally say bahn comfort in the reservation screen. Don't know if you get them in first class, but in second they are near the BordBistro/Restaurant