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 December 04, 2025, 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 December 04, 2025, 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.

I stopped using Trainline just before Covid when I got ripped off by them.

These days we only travel to/from London and talk to the booking clerk as the Southeastern app and website are confusing. He's often come up with a cheaper fare that wasn't offered online bringing it close to what we would pay if we'd bought railcards.

 I don't use the train now as much as I used to, but the loss of our manned ticket office a few years ago mean that some alternative fares or conditions of use were not known about. The three staff were very knowledgeable about the 'hacks' that were available, and saved myself-or my employer-quite a bit at times.

Greater Anglia tickets online sometimes diverts to Trainline, and I'm sure the last time we used it, we were told wrong information about peak time travel, but fortunately, we completed our journey OK.

Back on topic, the Isinglas Ongar driving car is nearly done, just got to find a driver and put the roof on, then add pipework.

Martyn

Quote from: martyn on Yesterday at 11:40:19 AMBack on topic, the Isinglas Ongar driving car is nearly done, just got to find a driver and put the roof on, then add piopework.

Martyn

What topic is that please @martyn ?
This topic is about railway ticketing

I agree about being offered the same routes when an alternative is preferred.
All fares are the same by law no matter who sells them. The only differences are split ticketing, booking fees and refund policy.
I travel by train regularly for pleasure and use Trainpal who offer regular discounts.
There is a video on youtube by Green Signals at the moment about ticketing that I am sure you will find interesting.

Chris

Quote from: Newportnobby on Yesterday at 12:02:15 PM

Quote from: martyn on Yesterday at 11:40:19 AMBack on topic, the Isinglas Ongar driving car is nearly done, just got to find a driver and put the roof on, then add piopework.

Martyn

What topic is that please @martyn ?
This topic is about railway ticketing

Oops!

Should be in 'Where is everybody??'.

It's an age thing.....sorry.

Martyn

 
   I usually use the National Rail APP, useful for planning or buying tickets
  stay safe regards Derek

I use Trainline for all my rail travel and will continue to do so, very user friendly and to date has meet my needs without problems or errors.

Note for tickets purchased on the day there is no additional small fee.

If you are happy being restricted to one route/operator, it is often worth checking that operator's own app - there may be special offers that aren't available through third parties.

Hull Trains often have App-only deals (as you might expect from open access being allowed to be more flexible), but (DaFT owned/managed) Northern also have regular promotions.

Also worth looking at whether there is a "Rover" or "Ranger" ticket that covers your journey. Those are never included in search results. (Usually, the only restriction is on Morning Peak Arrivals/Departures at certain major stations)
As an example, last time I checked, the "Yorkshire Coast day Rover" covering the Hull-York-Scarborough triangle cost less than a Hull-York standard open Return.

You can buy any tickets through any TOC website. They may favour their own tickets, but everything will be there.
 About 10 years ago whoever the east coast franchise holder was (NXEC?) had a great rewards scheme through their website. I bought all my tickets through them, including commuting to London (on Southern). I accrued enough points for 2 cases of wine and 4 First Class returns from Kings Cross to Edinburgh. They closed the rewards scheme annoyingly!

I refuse to use the Trainline website, I resent their booking fees, and I've heard of too many people having issues (probably of their own making admittedly, but hey ho).  They do provide their back end to other TOCs, it's actually the bulk of their revenue, so you often use them by default!

I had an irritating one recently. I was going from Gatwick to Birmingham. All the booking sites for the specific train I wanted routed me via the west London line, to pick up Avanti WC at Watford. I was comfortable going via London, there was bags of time, and you get a choice of seats rather than whatever is left by Watford. However, the WLL route was cheaper, and there were no corresponding returns, so it was actually impossible to buy that ticket as a return, nor could I book onto the train I wanted simply going via London. Instead I had to book my reservation on a different train and chance my arm I'd get the seats I wanted on the earlier one. Daft.

In other silly oddities. I commute from darkest Sussex to London Bridge. It's £49.80 a day. If I buy a ticket from Billingshurst to Aldershot, and a return from East Croydon to London Bridge it's £42. If I buy a return to either Potters Bar or Hatfield it's £39. Any of these options work fine to the London terminals. Everyone who commutes knows. I'm amazed no one has looked and wondered why so many people travel from Sussex to Hertfordshire every day. It's only day tickets. It's only for a few stations on the Arun Valley line, from Horsham (which is closer to London) it gets more expensive again. You can't buy a weekly that is cost effective. Can't have it as an e-ticket either, old school paper tickets only. Bizarre. I've saved thousands, mind!