Purchasing railway ticketing can be mighty difficult and confusing so I though it might be an idea to share knowledge and ideas on here.

I like to think, probably misguidedly, that I know something about how ticketing works and am quite good at getting the best deal. I'm also very conversant with the network and timetabling which is a big advantage in working out the bst route etc.

I travel fairly regularly by rail. Today, having a bit of spare time, I bought my regular day return from Teignmouth to Bristol but instead of using Trainline, which I usually do, I'd have a shop around.

This is what I discovered :

Now I know that many people don't like Trainline because it applies a small commission to the charge but.....

Using the GWR App the price for the  same train was £11 more.
Now, I could get that down a bit by buying tickets from Teignmouth to Taunton then Taunton to Bristol but it was still £6 more.
Trainline automatically applies the Split Ticket rate in their algorithm rather than me having to do it.

I also noted that with GWR you can't get a refund if you've made a mistake but Trainline gives you a free 30 minute cancellation period and allows a cancellation (with an admin fee) up to the time of departure.

My final point, for now, is that both Apps only offer selected trains.
I guess that is because most people want the quickest train.
As an example, I'm offered Teignmouth to Exeter SD then Exeter SD to Bristol TM.
But.....it means I get to Bristol a bit too early.
I often plump for a slightly later service from Exeter to Bristol which goes the longer way via Weston Super Mare. I don't mind sitting on the train at all and the timings suit me better but this service isn't offered by either App as a default.

I just wondered if others might be inclined to share their thoughts.

Quote from: port perran on Today at 05:09:29 PMPurchasing railway ticketing can be mighty difficult and confusing so I though it might be an idea to share knowledge and ideas on here.

I like to think, probably misguidedly, that I know something about how ticketing works and am quite good at getting the best deal. I'm also very conversant with the network and timetabling which is a big advantage in working out the bst route etc.

I travel fairly regularly by rail. Today, having a bit of spare time, I bought my regular day return from Teignmouth to Bristol but instead of using Trainline, which I usually do, I'd have a shop around.

This is what I discovered :

Now I know that many people don't like Trainline because it applies a small commission to the charge but.....

Using the GWR App the price for the  same train was £11 more.
Now, I could get that down a bit by buying tickets from Teignmouth to Taunton then Taunton to Bristol but it was still £6 more.
Trainline automatically applies the Split Ticket rate in their algorithm rather than me having to do it.

I also noted that with GWR you can't get a refund if you've made a mistake but Trainline gives you a free 30 minute cancellation period and allows a cancellation (with an admin fee) up to the time of departure.

My final point, for now, is that both Apps only offer selected trains.
I guess that is because most people want the quickest train.
As an example, I'm offered Teignmouth to Exeter SD then Exeter SD to Bristol TM.
But.....it means I get to Bristol a bit too early.
I often plump for a slightly later service from Exeter to Bristol which goes the longer way via Weston Super Mare. I don't mind sitting on the train at all and the timings suit me better but this service isn't offered by either App as a default.

I just wondered if others might be inclined to share their thoughts.

I see hundred of train tickets a day at work and the only App I would actively avoid is The Trainline one!
Cheers Colin

Quote from: Shropshire Lad on Today at 06:00:55 PMI see hundred of train tickets a day at work and the only App I would actively avoid is The Trainline one!
Cheers Colin

And the reason, Colin??

Purely because of the amount of invalid tickets people buy in good faith.
Cheers Colin

My experiences going from Thanet to Heathrow were that both Trainline and Southeastern wanted me to go via the underground and walk 'miles' between mainline stations and underground platforms. Southeastern did promote Advanced purchase prices and 'no service charge' and offer slower, cheaper routes but they included too many changes for us.
Sorting it myself was the best and proved to be at a reasonable cost too provided I insisted on the intermediate stations - Stratford International and STRATFORD Mainline.
If the current system of ticket selection by algorithms is applied universally then it's likely a simple App search will NOT provide the best value nor accommodate particular needs. Avoiding cramped underground trains it is possible to cross a fair bit of London with the Elizabeth, DLR and Thameslink systems. Also the aboveground services are now more integrated into the TfL pricing than they were so it's worth checking on TfL for the price of a point to point journey and the preferred route!

I generally avoid trainline as their terms and conditions on refunds are much worse. Thankfully in Wales since we nationalised most of this nonsense all you have to do for sane pricing (or as sane as it gets in the UK) in South Wales is avoid GWR services.