I am trying to buy a flexible ticket for this journey on Sunday. I don't mind whether I leave from London Kings Cross or London St Pancras but that is what seems to be causing confusion and I don't know what ticket to buy and different websites tell me different things. Taking (for example) depart around 9am, return around 3pm I am getting from National Rail website if I search starting from "London" (not specifying a specific station).
National Rail quotes me a price of £16.60 and around half the outward journeys start at London Kings Cross and about half at London St Pancras (both routes are direct train taking 47 or 50 minutes. However when I pick a return I see the first screenshot.
As you see it only shows return prices for journeys that return to London Kings Cross and for the trains to London St Pancras it says "No fare available". This seems to be because the outward journey I selected was from London Kings Cross and if I select one from London St Pancras then I see on the return a fare is listed for this but not the trains to Kings Cross instead (it's the same price, £16.60).
if I try on Trainline.com (see second screenshot) this shows the £16.60 return ticket and suggests it is valid on all of the trains and even flags it as "Choice of stations". Great Northerns own website shows the £16.60 as valid to either terminal (I have specifically selected different outward and return) and it seems to think it is OK. This forums own website is showing the ticket as valid on all the trains BUT is only showing the return trains that go to St Pancras and not showing any of them that go to Kings Cross. This is the case whether I select timeline or grid and no matter which outward train I select.
So I am still not really clear. If I buy this £16.60 ticket can I use it from and to either terminal (including, say, out from Kings Cross, back from St Pancras)? I don't know exactly what time I will return so want the flexibility of using either station (they are right next door and share the same tube station, after all!).
I am confused why different planners seem to show different results and hadn't expected this to be so complicated and I find it disappointing even the journey planners cannot give a consistent answer.
National Rail quotes me a price of £16.60 and around half the outward journeys start at London Kings Cross and about half at London St Pancras (both routes are direct train taking 47 or 50 minutes. However when I pick a return I see the first screenshot.
As you see it only shows return prices for journeys that return to London Kings Cross and for the trains to London St Pancras it says "No fare available". This seems to be because the outward journey I selected was from London Kings Cross and if I select one from London St Pancras then I see on the return a fare is listed for this but not the trains to Kings Cross instead (it's the same price, £16.60).
if I try on Trainline.com (see second screenshot) this shows the £16.60 return ticket and suggests it is valid on all of the trains and even flags it as "Choice of stations". Great Northerns own website shows the £16.60 as valid to either terminal (I have specifically selected different outward and return) and it seems to think it is OK. This forums own website is showing the ticket as valid on all the trains BUT is only showing the return trains that go to St Pancras and not showing any of them that go to Kings Cross. This is the case whether I select timeline or grid and no matter which outward train I select.
So I am still not really clear. If I buy this £16.60 ticket can I use it from and to either terminal (including, say, out from Kings Cross, back from St Pancras)? I don't know exactly what time I will return so want the flexibility of using either station (they are right next door and share the same tube station, after all!).
I am confused why different planners seem to show different results and hadn't expected this to be so complicated and I find it disappointing even the journey planners cannot give a consistent answer.