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VT and Trainline

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Trackman

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I usually book through VT for my journeys as I am a regular traveller, plus I like the option of changing my seat.
I’m doing a regular journey next week and a friend wants to tag along, he uses Trainline.
On VT’s website it’s 58.00 first advance single, Trainline it’s 107.00, plus there is a big difference in other fares too, a standard single advance is nearly double.
Anyway, he went on the Northern website this afternoon, and low and behold it has the VT prices.
As I type, Trainline still has the same fares.
Question is, who is bagging this money? Trainline or VT, or even both?
All sounds a bit wrong to me.
 
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LNW-GW Joint

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I usually book through VT for my journeys as I am a regular traveller, plus I like the option of changing my seat.
I’m doing a regular journey next week and a friend wants to tag along, he uses Trainline.
On VT’s website it’s 58.00 first advance single, Trainline it’s 107.00, plus there is a big difference in other fares too, a standard single advance is nearly double.
Anyway, he went on the Northern website this afternoon, and low and behold it has the VT prices.
As I type, Trainline still has the same fares.
Question is, who is bagging this money? Trainline or VT, or even both?
All sounds a bit wrong to me.

All those sites (VTWC, NT and Trainline) use the underlying Trainline IT platform to sell tickets, so Trainline will take a small fee for hosting the transaction either way.
VT will get the vast majority of its fare shown on its site, and only a bit less from NT and Trainline who will take commission for selling it.
Can't really comment on the high Trainline fare though. There's no reason for them to be any different from the others. It will take commission like NT (and will charge service fees).
 

AlterEgo

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I usually book through VT for my journeys as I am a regular traveller, plus I like the option of changing my seat.
I’m doing a regular journey next week and a friend wants to tag along, he uses Trainline.
On VT’s website it’s 58.00 first advance single, Trainline it’s 107.00, plus there is a big difference in other fares too, a standard single advance is nearly double.
Anyway, he went on the Northern website this afternoon, and low and behold it has the VT prices.
As I type, Trainline still has the same fares.
Question is, who is bagging this money? Trainline or VT, or even both?
All sounds a bit wrong to me.
m

If I had a penny...

This is what happens when you check on more than one site within a short space of time.

ALL sites pick from the SAME pool of tickets.

If you go through the enquiry/reservation process, the tickets you look st are held for up to two hours. So, if those are the last ones at a certain price tier, they get held for you - nobody else can buy them for two hours - and you'll see the next most expensive tier if you go onto another site.

There is no wrongdoing, just user error (though I accept the system is a bit barmy!).
 

John @ home

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there is a big difference in other fares too, a standard single advance is nearly double.
This may be the half-price Off-Peak Single (SVH) ticket, available online only when combined with another (usually Advance) ticket in the opposite direction and purchased in the same transaction. Not all sites are able to sell this half-price ticket.

This list of Glasgow - London fares shows that the Off-Peak Single (SVH) ticket costs £67.55, while the normal Off-Peak Single (SVS) ticket costs £134.10.
 

Paul Kelly

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Reading
This may be the half-price Off-Peak Single (SVH) ticket
I don't think that can be it, as OP mentioned a first class advance single. I am doubtful about AlterEgo's explanation, especially if it's a journey involving more than one train as there so many quirks in the way advance fare availability is worked out by journey planners and this is often a more likely explanation for anomalies. But unless we have details of the exact journey we can't really look into it any further.
 

Trackman

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Lewisham
I don't think that can be it, as OP mentioned a first class advance single. I am doubtful about AlterEgo's explanation, especially if it's a journey involving more than one train as there so many quirks in the way advance fare availability is worked out by journey planners and this is often a more likely explanation for anomalies. But unless we have details of the exact journey we can't really look into it any further.

Trainline has now been updated with the VT fares.
What about the poor sods who had bought tickets at the higher price?

Northern and other TOC's had the VT prices all day.

Journey is 13.12 BON-LEW 26/8
 

Paul Kelly

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Interesting. I confess I'm not sure what has happened. There are two reasonable itinerary options to get to Lewisham once you reach London: one changing at London Bridge and the other at Charing Cross. But they both change onto the same train, and I can't see any reason why that should affect availability of the £58 advance single. The next price tier up is £90 (£107 is the tier above that), and I have just tested by reserving the last seat at £58 and then checking in another site and the price has only gone up to £90, not £107, so it is really quite baffling.
 

Trackman

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Lewisham
Interesting. I confess I'm not sure what has happened. There are two reasonable itinerary options to get to Lewisham once you reach London: one changing at London Bridge and the other at Charing Cross. But they both change onto the same train, and I can't see any reason why that should affect availability of the £58 advance single. The next price tier up is £90 (£107 is the tier above that), and I have just tested by reserving the last seat at £58 and then checking in another site and the price has only gone up to £90, not £107, so it is really quite baffling.

I usually go to Hither Green, So I travel on the Charing Cross - Hither Green express whilst the London Bridge works go on.
Lewisham mostly points to the London Bridge route, which I've done for years.

I tried Trainline on several devices whilst I was at work but it was still £107, I received text later from my friend about Northern's website (as above) and it had the VT prices.
2 hours later, still £107 on Trainline.

The dates and journey time were correct, the first thing I checked with him.
 
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