Gift Vouchers

[premier01]

I'm hoping someone can provide some help with this-we were planning to buy some rail vouchers for my father in laws birthday today and just turned up at Preston Station ticket office to be told they're not sold! I was convinced that they were so to Plan B.

My father in law wants to travel from Preston to Carlisle via the Settle to Carlisle railway-he has no rail cards and would be travelling after 09.30 on a week day in August.

We were planning to spend between £20 and £25 on rail vouchers-any suggestions for a ticket or split tickets we could buy as a gift or a rover ticket that would cover it-we need to sort something within the next 2 hours as we will be presenting card and birthday present so online tickets not an option at this point-any help appreciated.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

The north west round robin is £32 and covers Preston-Carnforth-Hellifield-Carlisle and/or Preston-Halifax-Leeds-Hellifield-Carlisle.

 

[premier01]

The north west round robin is £32 and covers Preston-Carnforth-Hellifield-Carlisle and/or Preston-Halifax-Leeds-Hellifield-Carlisle.

Thanks-apparantly he's happy to drive from Preston to Settle so would a Settle to Carlisle CDR be cheaper if available-or perhaps another type of day ranger to cover other stations.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Settle to Carlisle is £21 return. Not sure if there is another rover/ranger that would be better value though.

 

[John @ home]

Does the journey have to be on a weekday? On summer Sundays, Northern run special services from Blackpool and Preston to Carlisle via Settle and back:

Sundays only
0905 Preston - (1033 Settle 1035) - Carlisle 1217
1000 Preston - (1115 Settle 1117) - Carlisle 1305

1535 Carlisle - (1717 Settle 1721) - Preston 1850
1741 Carlisle - (1921 Settle 1922) - Preston 2047

DalesRail Off-Peak Day Return £22 (£14.50 with a Railcard). Valid on above trains only.
DalesRail Duo Off-Peak Day Return £33. Valid for 2 people travelling together. No Railcard reduction. Valid on above trains only.

See http://www.northernrail.org/offers/daysout/DalesRail+2011 or Northern Rail's leaflet can be downloaded from this page.

 

[premier01]

Does the journey have to be on a weekday? On summer Sundays, Northern run special services from Blackpool and Preston to Carlisle via Settle and back:

Sundays only
0905 Preston - (1033 Settle 1035) - Carlisle 1217
1000 Preston - (1115 Settle 1117) - Carlisle 1305

1535 Carlisle - (1717 Settle 1721) - Preston 1850
1741 Carlisle - (1921 Settle 1922) - Preston 2047

DalesRail Off-Peak Day Return £22 (£14.50 with a Railcard). Valid on above trains only.
DalesRail Duo Off-Peak Day Return £33. Valid for 2 people travelling together. No Railcard reduction. Valid on above trains only.

See http://www.northernrail.org/offers/daysout/DalesRail+2011 or Northern Rail's leaflet can be downloaded from this page.

Yes it would be-found that railcard gift cards are now available and as he qualifies for 1 thought that would be a good present.

So off to Clinton's-was told issue with the system-same story at WH Smith-so guessing there's a problem with the ATOC systems-then tried another Clinton's store-same problem.

We ended up getting a high street gift card so the railways have lost out revenue there by not offering rail vouchers and with their pathetic systems-what more can u say about ATOC!

Thanks for the suggestions.

I may think about the Dales Rail for Mrs Premier01 and myself-sounds like a good trip

 

[John @ home]

the railways have lost out revenue there by not offering rail vouchers and with their pathetic systems-what more can u say about ATOC!

I suggest you tell this to Chris Scoggins, Chief Executive of ATOC's National Rail Enquiries.

 

[island]

...who will tell you that passengers should be spending their money on magazines and theatre tickets rather than off-peak train tickets!

 

[lyesbkz]

Does this mean Rail Vouchers can just be purchased from staffed stations? I thought they were only given out for compensation etc., and as Warrants to businesses for staff travel?

 

[Mojo]

Does this mean Rail Vouchers can just be purchased from staffed stations? I thought they were only given out for compensation etc., and as Warrants to businesses for staff travel?

The OP thought that vouchers could be purchased which would act as the equivalent of a gift voucher that you can buy for shops. Such a thing does not exist so they were declined.

You can however buy gift cards for Senior, 1625 and Family Railcards. I'm not sure if they're like normal gift cards on which you can put whatever amount you fancy as they have a price on them. Given that there's a near enough permanent offer of a 10% discount from online Railcards I'd hope you don't have to put on full whack!

However from what it sounds like two shops were having trouble issuing these due to technical difficulties so he couldn't get one.

 

[lyesbkz]

The OP thought that vouchers could be purchased which would act as the equivalent of a gift voucher that you can buy for shops. Such a thing does not exist so they were declined.

Ooh I see, I completely missed the first paragraph of the OP's post.. oops

 

[premier01]

The OP thought that vouchers could be purchased which would act as the equivalent of a gift voucher that you can buy for shops. Such a thing does not exist so they were declined.

You can however buy gift cards for Senior, 1625 and Family Railcards. I'm not sure if they're like normal gift cards on which you can put whatever amount you fancy as they have a price on them. Given that there's a near enough permanent offer of a 10% discount from online Railcards I'd hope you don't have to put on full whack!

However from what it sounds like two shops were having trouble issuing these due to technical difficulties so he couldn't get one.

The cost was £26 so not sure if that includes 10% discount or not.

There was no option to choose how much to put on the card just the full £26 to cover the rail card.

I do think it's stupid that rail vouchers can't be purchased for gifts.

 

[AlterEgo]

I do think it's stupid that rail vouchers can't be purchased for gifts.

I'm inclined to agree - except for some important points:

Rail revenue is divided up, on each ticket bought, by a system called ORCATS. If you purchase a ticket using vouchers instead of cash or card, the revenue is still divided up in the same manner.

So if you go to, say Carlisle booking office (managed by Virgin) and buy a voucher, where does that money go? It can be used for any rail ticket, remember. Should Virgin keep all of the money, even though you may use it for an East Coast Advance ticket?

Of course, you could possibly introduce an auditing system whereby you could trace a spent voucher issued to an owning TOC, and have the relevant account debited (a similar system exists for vouchers issued via Delay Repay). However this is expensive and time consuming and most TOCs would not be happy to have to spend money on this, when a ticket bought with cash would have no such implications!

It may seem daft, but in reality such an arrangement may prove to be unworkable.

 

[bnm]

If a gift voucher scheme can be used across a range of participating High Street retailers (Love2shop) then it can't be beyond the wit of TOCs to sort out a similar system for Rail gift vouchers.

The revenue from the sale of the voucher can be divvied up between TOCs in the same way as the revenue from All Line Rovers. I don't know whether that's a straight percentage split or weighted based on factors such as a TOCs route mileage, number of services run or other criteria. But if it can be done for ALRs then it can be done for gift vouchers. Once a ticket is bought with the voucher there's no need for further ORCATs sharing.

Just a bit of commission for the TOC selling the voucher and a bit of commission for the TOC processing its use for the purchase of tickets.

 

[AlterEgo]

The revenue from the sale of the voucher can be divvied up between TOCs in the same way as the revenue from All Line Rovers.

That would be an unbelievably unfair system. An ALR allows travel on any TOC, hence the ORCATS splitting between all TOCs.

I have no idea how the revenue is split either, but if I routinely purchased vouchers from Birmingham New Street station booking office (Virgin), and always spent them on London Midland Advances, London Midland would receive almost no revenue at all.

That would be a most unsatisfactory system and I think it would be vetoed by most ATOC members.

 

[sheff1]

If a gift voucher scheme can be used across a range of participating High Street retailers (Love2shop) then it can't be beyond the wit of TOCs to sort out a similar system for Rail gift vouchers.

Oh yes it can

 

[tony_mac]

I would think that they have more important things to do, like making the routeing guide usable or clearly describing t&cs to the customer.
However, they aren't doing those things either!

 

[me123]

If a gift voucher scheme can be used across a range of participating High Street retailers (Love2shop) then it can't be beyond the wit of TOCs to sort out a similar system for Rail gift vouchers.

I don't see why it wouldn't be. You buy the gift voucher, and say that the revenue goes to ATOC. When the customer uses said voucher, the revenue is then divided amongst the respective TOCs as appropriate. Overly simplistic, I know, but surely such a system is feasible?

Definitely gift vouchers for the railways would be a very popular gift idea. Loads of people travel by trains. Lots of people do it out of necessity (eg, business trips, travel to/from university, commuting), and others use the rails for leisure travel. By giving someone a gift voucher for the railways, you're giving them the gift of travel. They can use it how they like. They can put it towards the cost of a regular journey, or they can have a nice day out.

I've bought people rail tickets as presents before, and I think there is a gap in the market for a voucher that allows the recipient to choose where they want to go.