Cross Country advance tickets.

[HSP 2]

Hello all, we're planning a trip down to the West Midlands using a West Midlands day ranger that starts at Stoke on Trent. To get to Stoke we're using Northern complimentary travel passes to Manchester Piccadilly and advance tickets to Stoke.

I went onto National Rail Enquires to check the train times and to check the prices, the price was £8.90 (Senior & 16 - 17 railcards). As the train is run by Cross Country I thought nothing of buying the tickets from them ( no booking fees etc.) all went well until I got to the bit how do you want your tickets, I wanted to collect them from a ticket machine this is now costing £1.00. I thought nothing of it, thinking that it was a new cost across all TOCs. So I bought the tickets.

I then decided to look at booking the same tickets using Northern. No £1.00 charge for collecting your tickets from a ticket machine.

When I checked the email from Cross Country the £1.00 is called a delivery fee, I find that a bit rich as most of the work is done by myself. When I checked my bank account today the money for the tickets was taken out by Train line London. So it looks like Cross Country are using a third party ticket agency.

Just something to watch out for when booking your tickets on line.

 

[Haywain]

When I checked the email from Cross Country the £1.00 is called a delivery fee, I find that a bit rich as most of the work is done by myself.

When you go to the ticket machine and key in your reference number, the ticket will be delivered to you. CrossCountry charge when other free fulfilment methods are available.

 

[swt_passenger]

XC have done this for quite a few years now, I think in a previous discussion it was suggested it was because XC have no station ticket machines of their own, so TOD pick up always costs them a transaction charge. For a more typical TOC they’ll usually be printed on one of their own machines.

 

[HSP 2]

When you go to the ticket machine and key in your reference number, the ticket will be delivered to you. CrossCountry charge when other free fulfilment methods are available.

The only free fulfilment method that I could see was to have the tickets sent to my phone, that is not something that I want.

 

[_toommm_]

The only free fulfilment method that I could see was to have the tickets sent to my phone, that is not something that I want.

Crosscountry do e-tickets, and you can print these off at a printer/library/university etc.

 

[island]

There's a charge made by the machine operator to the ticket seller when tickets are collected. Most train companies absorb this as many tickets will be collected from a machine operated by the seller – plus there is somewhat of a netting off effect between the charges paid to other operators and those collected from other operators. CrossCountry is slightly different – they don't manage any stations so they don't benefit from collecting these charges from any other operator. Because of this, they have decided to pass this charge onto passengers who choose not to use electronic tickets when these are available.

As noted above, you can purchase from other ticket providers with free collection at the station if you'd prefer.

CrossCountry and a range of train companies outsource their ticket processing to Trainline, but that isn't anything to do with the fee.

 

[Feuillesmortes]

Given that Cross Country waive the £10 admin fee for amendments, a £1 printing fee seems OK.

 

[AlterEgo]

When I checked the email from Cross Country the £1.00 is called a delivery fee, I find that a bit rich as most of the work is done by myself.

The fee is because XC own no stations and no ticket machines and will charge this nominal fee because you refused a free, non-paper method of delivery.

All TOCs should make a nominal charge for paper tickets IMO where a more environmentally-friendly option of delivery is offered, although a pound is a bit steep.

When I checked my bank account today the money for the tickets was taken out by Train line London. So it looks like Cross Country are using a third party ticket agency.

Just something to watch out for when booking your tickets on line.

All TOCs use a third party to run their booking engine. Trainline is a very common one.

 

[Hadders]

To be fair while XC don't manage any stations or their own ticket machines they don't have any of the costs involved in installing them, maintaining and operating them.

That said, paper tickets as we know them are on their way out so we will have to get used to the alternatives.

 

[infobleep]

Given the government now takes the revenue risk, does it cost TOCs when people use TVMs or is it the government?

 

[Watershed]

Given the government now takes the revenue risk, does it cost TOCs when people use TVMs or is it the government?

There is still a flow of wooden dollars within the industry, yes. And each TOC is (generally) supposed to act in its own financial best interest.

 

[Haywain]

There is still a flow of wooden dollars within the industry, yes. And each TOC is (generally) supposed to act in its own financial best interest.

Not only that but TOCs are being heavily encouraged to move away from issuing card tickets.

 

[Deafdoggie]

I can't remember the exact reason now, but XC don't charge this on all tickets. I think it's something to do with if the tickets are XC only they do charge it, but if it's an any operator ticket they don't.

 

[island]

I can't remember the exact reason now, but XC don't charge this on all tickets. I think it's something to do with if the tickets are XC only they do charge it, but if it's an any operator ticket they don't.

As mentioned upthread, it's charged where e-tickets are available on the flow and the customer chooses to have the railway print a ticket.

 

[Wallsendmag]

I can't remember the exact reason now, but XC don't charge this on all tickets. I think it's something to do with if the tickets are XC only they do charge it, but if it's an any operator ticket they don't.

I believe there always needs to be a free method of fulfilmet.

 

[AlterEgo]

I believe there always needs to be a free method of fulfilmet.

That’s correct. Collection from a machine is free is there is no other possible free method of fulfilment like e-ticket. This has been the case for many years.