Starting short - sale tickets

[ajhard]

Hi there,

I regularly travel from Didcot to Paddington for work, I saw the GWR sale that launched today and am wondering whether I can make use of it.

There are no DID-PAD fares available but I do see OXF-PAD listed (for example 07:04 changing at DID which would then be the 07:27 to PAD).
Can I buy the £5 single for that route and just join the 07:27 at DID?

Will the ticket work on the gates at DID?

Thanks!

 

[Mike395]

Hi there,

I regularly travel from Didcot to Paddington for work, I saw the GWR sale that launched today and am wondering whether I can make use of it.

There are no DID-PAD fares available but I do see OXF-PAD listed (for example 07:04 changing at DID which would then be the 07:27 to PAD).
Can I buy the £5 single for that route and just join the 07:27 at DID?

Will the ticket work on the gates at DID?

Thanks!

In short, no. The promotional fares are Advance tickets, and you're not permitted to start short on these to gain a financial advantage.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Hi there,

I regularly travel from Didcot to Paddington for work, I saw the GWR sale that launched today and am wondering whether I can make use of it.

There are no DID-PAD fares available but I do see OXF-PAD listed (for example 07:04 changing at DID which would then be the 07:27 to PAD).
Can I buy the £5 single for that route and just join the 07:27 at DID?

Will the ticket work on the gates at DID?

Thanks!

It doesn't look like you can do this. Using the GWR website and choosing a random £5 ticket from Oxford to Paddington (14/1/25, 1100 departure from Oxford) and clicking on the information for the 'Jan Sale Standard Advance Single' ticket gives (if you scroll down far enough)

Break of journey:​

Outward:

Customers may not start, break and resume, or end their journey at any intermediate station except to change to/from connecting trains as shown on the ticket(s) or other valid travel itinerary.

I think these are the regular rules for Advance fares, so while disappointing it's not surprising.

 

[ajhard]

Thanks for confirming - in any case when I look at fares to get back in the evening it struggles to compete with a weekly season so wouldn't be a massive saving.
Much appreciated - and happy new year!

 

[father_jack]

There was a hoo hah and song and dance years ago where a London to Eastleigh passenger thought they could be a clever clogs and buy a "Megatrain" London to Southampton ticket for less than half of a London to Eastleigh ticket and leap at Eastleigh but they were intercepted and charged a new single and they ran crying to the Daily Mail etc.

After that the internal railway rules wording was changed.

I was surprised to find it survived the silly National Rail website upgrade or so called.

So you can't take really take advantage of a sale by boarding during the "sale" trains journey, no.

Q: Can a passenger alight short of the destination on their Advance ticket, or board after the origin shown on their Advance ticket but on the same booked train?

A: Although Advance tickets are intended to be used only between the origin and destination stations shown on the ticket, there may be occasions where a passenger joins the correct train but at a later station, or alights earlier than the indicated destination. Although this is not strictly in accordance with the rules for Advance tickets, the Rail industry has agreed that in such cases, no additional fare should be charged (unless there is clear evidence of intent to try and avoid a higher fare).

 

[tram21]

There was a hoo hah and song and dance years ago where a London to Eastleigh passenger thought they could be a clever clogs and buy a "Megatrain" London to Southampton ticket for less than half of a London to Eastleigh ticket and leap at Eastleigh but they were intercepted and charged a new single and they ran crying to the Daily Mail etc.

After that the internal railway rules wording was changed.

I was surprised to find it survived the silly National Rail website upgrade or so called.

So you can't take really take advantage of a sale by boarding during the "sale" trains journey, no.

I would say that doing this with sale tickets does show a 'clear intent to avoid a higher fare' and would be dealt with accordingly.

 

[talldave]

Hi there,

I regularly travel from Didcot to Paddington for work, I saw the GWR sale that launched today and am wondering whether I can make use of it.

There are no DID-PAD fares available but I do see OXF-PAD listed (for example 07:04 changing at DID which would then be the 07:27 to PAD).
Can I buy the £5 single for that route and just join the 07:27 at DID?

Will the ticket work on the gates at DID?

Thanks!

You can buy an additional single DID-OXF in order to be compliant with the T's & C's and get through the barriers at DID. And I'm sure you'd enjoy the journey DID-OXF-DID .

Personal opinion - always use paper tickets when playing money saving ticketing gymnastics!