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Expiring RTV - DfT have now announced a 6 month extension

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BlueFox

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I've got a rail travel voucher for £24 that's due to expire before the end of the month. I've had to cancel several trips this year so haven't been able to use it.

I contacted Avanti West Coast to ask if it could be extended, and they said no. Not happy with them at all. It's ridiculous that a voucher that expired in September can still be used in March, but anything later than that has no extension.


It will probably be another few months before I next travel by train. And I don't know when that will be, or where I'll be going.


At the moment I'm thinking of buying a return ticket for several months ahead, to somewhere I might want to go for a day out, and hoping I'll be able to travel that day.
How far ahead can ticket offices sell tickets for?


Is there a less risky way of spending it?
 
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Bletchleyite

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It'd only preserve £14 of the value, but buy any walk-up ticket for as far in the future as you can with a price of exactly £24 (I'm sure someone on here will be able to find one!) then later refund it, which will, if I understand correctly, get you a new voucher for £14 i.e. £24 minus £10 admin fee for the refund.
 

NorthOxonian

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It'd only preserve £14 of the value, but buy any walk-up ticket for as far in the future as you can with a price of exactly £24 (I'm sure someone on here will be able to find one!) then later refund it, which will, if I understand correctly, get you a new voucher for £14 i.e. £24 minus £10 admin fee for the refund.
Took a while (I found pretty much every fare between £20 and £30 before £24!) but an Anytime Day Return from Garsdale to Leeds costs exactly £24.
 

island

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As a side thought, aren't RTVs supposed to be cashable now, or is that just some TOCs?
TOCs are required to give a “money option” for DelayRepay. Some of them offer this in the form of cashable RTVs. RTVs issued for other customer service reasons, or where the customer has been given a different “money option” such as a BACS transfer but has chosen RTVs, need not be cashable.
 

Wolfie

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I've got a rail travel voucher for £24 that's due to expire before the end of the month. I've had to cancel several trips this year so haven't been able to use it.

I contacted Avanti West Coast to ask if it could be extended, and they said no. Not happy with them at all. It's ridiculous that a voucher that expired in September can still be used in March, but anything later than that has no extension.


It will probably be another few months before I next travel by train. And I don't know when that will be, or where I'll be going.


At the moment I'm thinking of buying a return ticket for several months ahead, to somewhere I might want to go for a day out, and hoping I'll be able to travel that day.
How far ahead can ticket offices sell tickets for?


Is there a less risky way of spending it?
Put the credit onto an Oyster card and get a refund later?
 

Mcr Warrior

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Similarly, what's the point (from a consumer perspective) of High Street store gift cards with expiry dates?

Like RTV's, the issuer must hope that they don't ever get used!
 

Mcr Warrior

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That's as may be, but short expiry dates on Gift cards certainly seems like sharp business practice!
 

Deafdoggie

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That's as may be, but short expiry dates on Gift cards certainly seems like sharp business practice!
It keeps the accountants happy. Gift cards basically have a value so need to have an end date. Many-but not all-places are happy to reinstate an expired card as good customer service, but expiring them keeps the company finances under control.
 

BlueFox

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Took a while (I found pretty much every fare between £20 and £30 before £24!) but an Anytime Day Return from Garsdale to Leeds costs exactly £24.

Thanks. The value is actually £23.75, and I've got another one for around £28 that expires next month.


What's the process for getting a refund, can I just go to my local station, buy a ticket (I was thinking of Carlisle to Leeds anytime short return for £52.50), and then ask for an immediate refund?

Put the credit onto an Oyster card and get a refund later?
Does Carlisle station do Oyster?

Not that it matters, I got rid of my Oyster card years ago when I got a contactless debit card.


TOCs are required to give a “money option” for DelayRepay. Some of them offer this in the form of cashable RTVs. RTVs issued for other customer service reasons, or where the customer has been given a different “money option” such as a BACS transfer but has chosen RTVs, need not be cashable.
I had the option to get this delay repay as a refund, I chose RTV because I thought it was good thing to do, keeping the money in the railway. I won't make that mistake again.
 

MKB

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I am in the same situation with £65 of vouchers due to expire at the end of this month.

Last January I was wrongly denied Delay Repay from LNER, for which I selected the refund option rather than the voucher option. It was overturned on appeal, and £25 goodwill was added on top, but arrived as vouchers. I didn't worry about this mistake at the time, as I not unreasonably assumed there would be an opportunity to use them.

Although https://www.lner.co.uk/faq/coronavi...faqs/rail-travel-vouchers-during-coronavirus/ says that vouchers with less than 3 months validity will be extended by 12 months, LNER have said I have to contact them again one week before expiry and each case is reviewed on its merits.

Has anyone had any success getting LNER to extend vouchers or convert them to cash? If they refuse, has anyone had a success escalating to the Rail Ombudsman?

(I know I can buy/cancel a new ticket, but I am loathe to throw away £10 unless that is realistically the only option.)
 

HSP 2

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When I contacted LNER on the phone last week about some RTVs worth about £19 the lady I spoke to asked me to contact her about a week before the vouchers would run out as if she did them on that day I would loose two months travel time.
The phone number that I used is as follows 03457 225 333 op2.


Edit: to correct phone number.
 
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Wallsendmag

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When I contacted LNER on the phone last week about some RTVs worth about £19 the lady I spoke to asked me to contact her about a week before the vouchers would run out as if she did them on that day I would loose two months travel time.
The phone number that I used is as follows 03457 225 33 op2.
Did you miss a 3 out at the end?
 

1955LR

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When I contacted LNER on the phone last week about some RTVs worth about £19 the lady I spoke to asked me to contact her about a week before the vouchers would run out as if she did them on that day I would loose two months travel time.
The phone number that I used is as follows 03457 225 33 op2.
I have had a similar response from TFW, after I emailed customer services last week, advised to email them near the run out date showing the vouchers cut in half and they will replace with new 12 month ones
 

Andy Pacer

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I am in the same situation with £65 of vouchers due to expire at the end of this month.

Last January I was wrongly denied Delay Repay from LNER, for which I selected the refund option rather than the voucher option. It was overturned on appeal, and £25 goodwill was added on top, but arrived as vouchers. I didn't worry about this mistake at the time, as I not unreasonably assumed there would be an opportunity to use them.

Although https://www.lner.co.uk/faq/coronavi...faqs/rail-travel-vouchers-during-coronavirus/ says that vouchers with less than 3 months validity will be extended by 12 months, LNER have said I have to contact them again one week before expiry and each case is reviewed on its merits.

Has anyone had any success getting LNER to extend vouchers or convert them to cash? If they refuse, has anyone had a success escalating to the Rail Ombudsman?

(I know I can buy/cancel a new ticket, but I am loathe to throw away £10 unless that is realistically the only option.)
I had a slightly different issue, where I repeatedly had LNER RTVs that wouldn't scan and therefore not accepted in ticket office. After having them reissued I still had the same problem and they eventually agreed to send me BACS to the value of the vouchers.
 

1955LR

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I have had a similar response from TFW, after I emailed customer services last week, advised to email them near the run out date showing the vouchers cut in half and they will replace with new 12 month ones
Just to complete the circle, replacement vouchers for another 12 months arrived this morning
 

MKB

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Update: it now being a week before voucher expiry, I took the tip above of calling LNER 03457 225 333 option 2. Got through straightaway and sorted quickly. I simply had to email in a photo of existing vouchers cut in two. New vouchers with a new 12-month validity will then be issued.
 

HSP 2

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Update: it now being a week before voucher expiry, I took the tip above of calling LNER 03457 225 333 option 2. Got through straightaway and sorted quickly. I simply had to email in a photo of existing vouchers cut in two. New vouchers with a new 12-month validity will then be issued.

Result.
 

Nunners

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Sorry for reactivating this thread, but I have a SouthWestern Railway RTV that expires on 3rd March and I don't think I'm allowed to go to a station before that. I couldn't see any information on their website, is there a way to get new RTVs, or a BACS transfer, or is the expiration date extended?
Thanks for any help
 

221129

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Sorry for reactivating this thread, but I have a SouthWestern Railway RTV that expires on 3rd March and I don't think I'm allowed to go to a station before that. I couldn't see any information on their website, is there a way to get new RTVs, or a BACS transfer, or is the expiration date extended?
Thanks for any help
You would need to contact SWR...
 

andyc20050

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Void the RTV and send SWR an image so they can see it cannot be used, and they will post you a replacement valid for a further 12 months.
 

Andy Pacer

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Void the RTV and send SWR an image so they can see it cannot be used, and they will post you a replacement valid for a further 12 months.
Hopefully SWR take the common sense approach and do this.
I had a farcical situation with Avanti over an RTV of around £3-£4 late last year that wouldnt scan/be accepted at ticket offices... they agreed to reissue it as long as I sent it back to them (photos of destroyed vouchers not accepted) and suggested I sent it recorded delivery, at my own expense which would likely be more than the value of the voucher.

I have a fairly high value of RTVs by Avanti that are due to expire in April, so I'm hoping they will reissue them somehow.
 

HSP 2

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Sorry for reactivating this thread, but I have a SouthWestern Railway RTV that expires on 3rd March and I don't think I'm allowed to go to a station before that. I couldn't see any information on their website, is there a way to get new RTVs, or a BACS transfer, or is the expiration date extended?
Thanks for any help
How did you get on?

Just put in my claim to get my LNER RTVs extended, very simple to do and no fuss when I spoke to the chap at LNER, just wright void on each one but don't block the price on the RTVs. Then it was photo them and send to [email protected]
I got a reply back with in an hour saying that it was on going.

I phoned up SWR (0345 6000 650 op5) to ask about RTVs that are nearing there expiry date to be told that they weren't extending them and that no railway cos. were, as that is what the rail delivery group has told them to do. She didn't have much to say after I told her the LNER were extending mine for twelve months.
 
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