Interrail Global Pass in the UK

[j2002]

Afternoon...

I have an Interrail Global Pass that has one unused travel day remaining. I am aware that as a UK resident, i can use a travel day as an 'inbound' or 'outbound'. I haven't used any travel days for this purpose yet.

So, are there any restrictions on how I can use an inbound/outbound day? Or, when i get back home, can I use it freely, and let's say travel from Cardiff to London and back to Cardiff in a day?

I would appreciate your thoughts on whether this would be compliant with the terms of the pass please?

Many thanks.

 

[Tazi Hupefi]

You can't use it in the UK for a circular or return trip.

You can make one single journey, with connections, supposedly from a port or airport to your home.

 

[Watershed]

The rule is that you must be travelling to or from a port, airport or the border. However there is no requirement to provide evidence of your previous or onward "international" journey; indeed there is no requirement to be making an international journey to use the domestic day.

There is also no restriction as to the route you can take to & from the port, airport or border. Nor is there any explicit bar on doubling back, though substantial doublebacks could attract unwelcome attention.

Using a domestic day for a return journey would be pushing it, I would suggest. If you encounter the same member of staff at any point, or if anyone looked at the scan history, it might become evident what you were doing.

 

[30907]

You could alternatively save it to add to another IR trip before it expires.

Alternatively I would use a cheap Advance one way and take an interesting route with the IR (perhaps on the return leg just in case you get asked for your address).

 

[MrJeeves]

or if anyone looked at the scan history, it might become evident what you were doing

Do Interrail scans actually get recorded? If they do, it certainly wouldn't be across barcode scanning providers, would it?

It's also worth mentioning that you could just activate and deactivate trains on the day to make the live ticket not "look" like a circular or return one. Seeing the same staff is also somewhat risky.

You could also add and activate journeys to a port and then just never finish the journey to the destination... E.g., Cardiff to London Heathrow via Paddington, plus London to Cardiff Airport. At the end of the day, you're ultimately unlikely to encounter any issues doing these (and noone I know has either).

It's your own decision at the end of the day.

 

[bkhtele]

Scanning would show journeys taken across any provider

 

[MrJeeves]

Scanning would show journeys taken across any provider

Interrail scans won't be written to the eTVD system though, surely?

 

[MalaiseForever]

Afternoon...

I have an Interrail Global Pass that has one unused travel day remaining. I am aware that as a UK resident, i can use a travel day as an 'inbound' or 'outbound'. I haven't used any travel days for this purpose yet.

So, are there any restrictions on how I can use an inbound/outbound day? Or, when i get back home, can I use it freely, and let's say travel from Cardiff to London and back to Cardiff in a day?

I would appreciate your thoughts on whether this would be compliant with the terms of the pass please?

Many thanks.

not an issue. I had an “outbound” journey spare - so used it from St Ives to Cheshire via London. I stuck a leg from Crewe to Manchester Airport just in case but nobody said anything when looking at the pass.

 

[MrJeeves]

not an issue. I had an “outbound” journey spare - so used it from St Ives to Cheshire via London. I stuck a leg from Crewe to Manchester Airport just in case but nobody said anything when looking at the pass.

My experience has always been that the moment staff see "Interrail" they just let you do whatever, honestly.

 

[Tazi Hupefi]

Interrail scans won't be written to the eTVD system though, surely?

eTVD is rarely used for fraud/investigations - most of the suppliers, e.g. TTK provide their own reporting suites/APIs that contain additional information, audit logs etc.

 

[MalaiseForever]

My experience has always been that the moment staff see "Interrail" they just let you do whatever, honestly.

Yes that tracks with my experiences too. Some ticket barrier staff scan it but unsure what the scan would return.

 

[MrJeeves]

eTVD is rarely used for fraud/investigations - most of the suppliers, e.g. TTK provide their own reporting suites/APIs that contain additional information, audit logs etc.

Hence the scans wouldn't show across different providers. TTK scans would maybe show for other TTK TOCs, while scans on whatever else wouldn't.

 

[Watershed]

Do Interrail scans actually get recorded? If they do, it certainly wouldn't be across barcode scanning providers, would it?

I can't say for sure what level of detail is recorded, but as a minimum I know that TTK keep a record of scans under a pseudo-UTN generated using some of the details contained in the barcode.

It's not exactly the kind of thing you want to take chances on.

It's also worth mentioning that you could just activate and deactivate trains on the day to make the live ticket not "look" like a circular or return one.

Quite, and in a lot of ways this is advisable even for entirely legitimate circular journeys (e.g. abroad). It can help to avoid confusion from staff as to why you are taking such a circuitous route.

Seeing the same staff is also somewhat risky.

Indeed - if they were switched on, they may realise what you are doing. Only a tiny minority of staff will be sufficiently clued-up on the rules for Interrail domestic days, let alone remember you, but sod's law would dictate that you would encounter someone belonging to that minority twice in the same day...

 

[smsm1]

My experience has always been that the moment staff see "Interrail" they just let you do whatever, honestly.

I've been told that Interrail ticket barcodes can't be scanned by the UK rail systems, though I think some can. Certainly any gates require assistance to get through when I last used them.

 

[Watershed]

I've been told that Interrail ticket barcodes can't be scanned by the UK rail systems, though I think some can. Certainly any gates require assistance to get through when I last used them.

Most of the common scanning systems are capable of scanning the barcode. The problem is that systems (particularly gatelines) are generally not set up to recognise Interrails as valid rangers/rovers.

 

[zero]

I found that Britrail passes worked at all barriers except Newcastle. Is Interrail different?

 

[smsm1]

I found that Britrail passes worked at all barriers except Newcastle. Is Interrail different?

Newcastle and Edinburgh were the two stations I tried and had issues. Not tried others yet as haven't had a relevant journey.

 

[Watershed]

I found that Britrail passes worked at all barriers except Newcastle. Is Interrail different?

Very much so. Britrail barcodes are issued under RSP (i.e. British) standards; the payload is effectively a location-based ranger/rover. Interrail barcodes are issued to a completely different, European standard with a different barcode format.