Finding ticket number before collecting CCSTicket

[Skymonster]

Hi all,

I've recently booked Advance tickets to the Isle of Wight including a cross-London transfer which - such is the nature of the beast - have to be issued on CCST. Now, I also need to make reservations with Hovertravel for the Solent crossing, which necessitates me entering the rail ticket number(s) into an online form. I have no great desire to go to my local station to collect the tickets until I next need to use the train which won't be for a few days, and "My trips" on the EMR website (through which I bought the tickets) shows only collection references, not the ticket numbers. So, is there any way I can ascertain the ticket numbers before I actually collect the tickets, or have I got to go to the station before I can make the hovercraft reservations?

I know I don't absolutely HAVE to make hovercraft reservations but I'd rather do so to cover myself (I want crossings at fairly busy times of day) and I also know I could have opted for postal delivery of the rail tickets - but I didn't think about that when I was making the bookings.

Thanks for any advice that you can provide.

 

[Adam Williams]

My ToD knowledge is somewhat rusty, and not what I work on day-to-day, but I don't think the ticket numbers will exist until you collect them due to the way that the ToD indirect fulfilment works. Tickets are only """sold""" at the point of collection.

Which brings me on to my next suggestion: the form has no validation, so why not just type in the ToD collection reference into the box?



It'll normally appear on the printed coupons at the bottom after the text "ToD CTR". The Hovertravel people aren't gonna know what a ticket number is vs a ToD collection reference, they'll just look to match up what you submitted in the form with something on the ticket.

 

[SargeNpton]

My ToD knowledge is somewhat rusty, and not what I work on day-to-day, but I don't think the ticket numbers will exist until you collect them due to the way that the ToD indirect fulfilment works. Tickets are only """sold""" at the point of collection.

Which brings me on to my next suggestion: the form has no validation, so why not just type in the ToD collection reference into the box?

View attachment 154574

It'll normally appear on the printed coupons at the bottom after the text "ToD CTR". The Hovertravel people aren't gonna know what a ticket number is vs a ToD collection reference, they'll just look to match up what you submitted in the form with something on the ticket.

Except that the Hovertravel form does say that the ticket number on the form must match that presented.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Except that the Hovertravel form does say that the ticket number on the form must match that presented.

And a collected ToD will have the ToD CTR number on it.

 

[Adam Williams]

Except that the Hovertravel form does say that the ticket number on the form must match that presented.

Well it will, won't it? All of my ToD-collected CCST tickets have the CTR printed on the bottom left of them underneath the price!

 

[Skymonster]

OK, thank you very much for the advice provided. My past experience suggests that Hovertravel staff don't match the ticket numbers - indeed, as long as they're not full they don't usually check for a reservation and only ensure that the CCST hasn't got a Hovertravel "used" stamp on it. But I'd rather play it safe and enter the proper rail ticket numbers onto the form, just in case they tighten up procedures. The trip isn't for some time yet and I thought I'd leave collection of the tickets until much nearer the date of travel - I can't misplace CCSTs that have not been printed, there are plenty of machines at my nearest station and the collection references are available online, in emails, and in my phone diary so I won't lose those. But it seems like my best approach will be to collect them sooner rather than later so that I can get the hovercraft bits sorted.

 

[Haywain]

My ToD knowledge is somewhat rusty, and not what I work on day-to-day, but I don't think the ticket numbers will exist until you collect them due to the way that the ToD indirect fulfilment works.

This is correct, the ticket number is a sequential number of tickets issued.

 

[Joe Paxton]

If I was the OP I'd just quote the TOD reference as suggested above. It'll match what's printed on the ticket, even if it isn't the proper 'ticket number' as such.

The Hovertravel people aren't going to be in the business of trying to 'catch people out' on meaningless stuff such as this.