Virgin Trains First Class lounge entry fee?

[All Line Rover]

Here I am sat in the Virgin Trains First Class lounge in Stoke. Very nice it is too, although I don't care much for the green tea (putrid taste!).

Anyway, there is a sign on the door saying that the lounge is for Virgin Trains First Class customers only (like most other Virgin First Class lounges - the one exception being Crewe, for obvious reasons). BUT there is another sign on the door saying that ANY OTHER CUSTOMERS (those with First Class for other TOC's or those with Standard Class tickets) can also use the lounge for a £5 fee.

I've never been here before, so don't know if this is new. Is it? And is it secretly available at other lounges (e.g. Birmingham)? And can the entry ticket be used multiple times on the same day?

At just £5 for the Financial Times (£2.50), the Independant (£1), plenty of drinks and biscuits, a photocopier and a very clean loo, this is excellent value!

 

[Nym]

We don't have any of these at the 1st class lounge in Piccadilly!

At least not that I could find when I was there anyway.

Although that morning I'd just finished work the night before and just made a beeline for the coffee machine.

 

[All Line Rover]

We don't have any of these at the 1st class lounge in Piccadilly!

At least not that I could find when I was there anyway.

It says you have to buy it from the ticket office.

 

[AlterEgo]

Here I am sat in the Virgin Trains First Class lounge in Stoke. Very nice it is too, although I don't care much for the green tea (putrid taste!).

Anyway, there is a sign on the door saying that the lounge is for Virgin Trains First Class customers only (like most other Virgin First Class lounges - the one exception being Crewe, for obvious reasons). BUT there is another sign on the door saying that ANY OTHER CUSTOMERS (those with First Class for other TOC's or those with Standard Class tickets) can also use the lounge for a £5 fee.

I've never been here before, so don't know if this is new. Is it? And is it secretly available at other lounges (e.g. Birmingham)? And can the entry ticket be used multiple times on the same day?

At just £5 for the Financial Times (£2.50), the Independant (£1), plenty of drinks and biscuits, a photocopier and a very clean loo, this is excellent value!

It's not available anywhere else. The lounge at Stoke is the only lounge Virgin operate that will allow other punters in for a fee.

Anyway, at Birmingham, just buy a BHI-BHM FDS at £3.30 with a railcard. (Used to be about two quid, but Jan 2nd's fare rise seems to have increased it somewhat!)

At Coventry, buy a COV-BHI FDS (£1.50 with railcard!). Coventry is a very nice lounge - a hidden gem.

 

[Mojo]

Would I be allowed to use the Coventry lounge with a London to Birmingham FOR which has validity on Virgin?

 

[AlterEgo]

Would I be allowed to use the Coventry lounge with a London to Birmingham FOR which has validity on Virgin?

Yes, you can. You can legitimately break your journey there. In practice, most lounge staff will accept ANY Virgin First Class ticket valid on the day you want to enter. (For example if you had a EUS-COV First Advance and approached the lounge at BHM, you'd probably get in).

 

[Seacook]

Would I be allowed to use the Coventry lounge with a London to Birmingham FOR which has validity on Virgin?

If anyone has a definitive answer, I'd like to know as well. I have used the Coventry lounge with a First Class All Line Rover, but no one checked that I had any sort of ticket at all which proves nothing. In fact, the only station where my ticket was inspected was Wolverhampton, but that time I had a Virgin-only ticket, so it's still unclear whether access is based on holding a first class ticket valid on a Virgin service or a Virgin-only ticket.

I was not too impressed by Coventry FC lounge - better than Wolverhampton, but less comfortable than Birmingham International. [I tend to judge primarily by the seating - BHI has proper chairs and tables, whereas the other two have only sofas which are too low to get up from easily. ]

 

[Brucey]

Anyway, at Birmingham, just buy a BHI-BHM FDS at £3.30 with a railcard. (Used to be about two quid, but Jan 2nd's fare rise seems to have increased it somewhat!)

There is a Virgin Trains Only for £3.70 (or £2.45 with railcard). Although worth remembering that Y-P railcards won't get this discount

 

[island]

Isn't BHI-COV FDS cheaper again?

 

[extendedpaul]

We're going to Inverness first class next month on the £25 promo offer. Will our tickets allow use of the First Class lounge at Kings Cross ?

 

[island]

No, you have to pay a £5 surcharge.

 

[Bungle73]

If you're a member of EC Rewards you can get access (on any ticket in fact, or even no ticket for that matter) for 50 points.

 

[causton]

Could you buy that £2.45 ticket without the appropriate railcard then use it to get in the lounge? a) Would they check your railcard and b) is it against any rules to use that ticket seeing as you're not actually travelling?

 

[Ascot]

This is something I have been toying with for months across the Virgin network when travelling other TOCs. You can "buy-in" to most Virgin lounges by buying cheap FDS tickets but some you have to evaluate the cost.
Personally I find the cheapest and can confirm entry with BHI-COV, BHM-BHI, COV-BHI, LIV-RUN, MAN-SPT, RUN-LIV, SOT-MAC, WVH-SAD. Crewe and Euston I cannot justify the cheapest VT FDS but Crewe would probably be Wilmslow.

In response to gaining access to Coventry with a Birmingham to London then I have tried this at Birmingham International but it depends who is on the receiving end of the TV camera. Some have said "only valid at the start station" and others don't care and let me in. Your Mileage May Vary...

Case study: I travel Birmingham to Liverpool 1ST on London Midland and the above buy-in tickets work every time at Liverpool and New St. Check to see if the lounge is open though as a few times the Liverpool lounge has been flooded.

 

[All Line Rover]

Could you buy that £2.45 ticket without the appropriate railcard then use it to get in the lounge? a) Would they check your railcard and b) is it against any rules to use that ticket seeing as you're not actually travelling?

You need a valid ticket to gain entry to a First Class lounge. A Railcard-discounted ticket is not valid unless accompanied by a Railcard, so technically you would not be allowed entry into the lounge.

Family & Friends and 16-25 Railcards do not give a discount on First Anytime tickets. The only "general" Railcard that does is the Senior Railcard, and I suspect you would get some funny looks if you are a young person and try to use such a ticket to get into the lounge!

 

[Bungle73]

You need a valid ticket to gain entry to a First Class lounge. A Railcard-discounted ticket is not valid unless accompanied by a Railcard, so technically you would not be allowed entry into the lounge.

Family & Friends and 16-25 Railcards do not give a discount on First Anytime tickets. The only "general" Railcard that does is the Senior Railcard, and I suspect you would get some funny looks if you are a young person and try to use such a ticket to get into the lounge!

The Disabled one does too.

 

[All Line Rover]

In response to gaining access to Coventry with a Birmingham to London then I have tried this at Birmingham International but it depends who is on the receiving end of the TV camera. Some have said "only valid at the start station" and others don't care and let me in. Your Mileage May Vary...

That is complete poppycock. If your ticket is valid on services departing, arriving, or passing through the station with the First Class lounge, you are fully entitled to use it - the "arriving" part is made quite clear on the Virgin Trains website.

However, gaining access to a lounge in a station where you do not have a ticket valid on services departing, arriving or passing through that station (but another Virgin Trains station) is highly debatable. That would mean you could buy a Birmingham International to Coventry VT Only FDS at £2.30, and use it to gain access to the First Class lounge at London Euston, where the cheapest ticket is a London to Milton Keynes VT Only FDS at £24. I don't think so!
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The Disabled one does too.

Yes, but it is not main-stream.

 

[Bungle73]

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


Yes, but it is not main-steam, and I don't believe that Disabled Railcard tickets can be bought from TVM's (although I'm not 100% sure).

I assume you meant main-stream? I don't see how it's any less main-stream than an Old Person's one?

Ticket can be bought anywhere you can normally purchase tickets. I have one.

 

[All Line Rover]

This is something I have been toying with for months across the Virgin network when travelling other TOCs. You can "buy-in" to most Virgin lounges by buying cheap FDS tickets but some you have to evaluate the cost.
Personally I find the cheapest and can confirm entry with BHI-COV, BHM-BHI, COV-BHI, LIV-RUN, MAN-SPT, RUN-LIV, SOT-MAC, WVH-SAD. Crewe and Euston I cannot justify the cheapest VT FDS but Crewe would probably be Wilmslow.

The cheapest ticket to gain entry to the Crewe lounge is a Crewe to Stockport VT Only FDS at £10.60. The London Euston lounge is at least £24 (as mentioned above).

The main problem I have with buying these cheap tickets is that occasionally the staff give you funny looks - at Manchester, for example, they will tell you the next departure (which for Stockport is every 20 minutes), so you feel a bit uncomfortable if you wait for much longer.

I like the idea of a £5 "entry fee" - you don't feel like you're being cheeky, and you don't feel rushed. It is strange that Virgin don't introduce a flat £5 entry fee at all First Class lounges (bar London Euston), given your examples above. You can gain entry to all lounges (bar London Euston and Crewe) for no more than £5 anyway!
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I assume you meant main-stream? I don't see how it's any less main-stream than an Old Person's one?

Of course. It's not "main-stream" in that, unless you're disabled in some way or another, people will never qualify for one at some point in their lives. I'm sure it's one of the least used Railcards.

Ticket can be bought anywhere you can normally purchase tickets. I have one.

I stand corrected.

 

[Ascot]

That is complete poppycock. If your ticket is valid on services departing, arriving, or passing through the station with the First Class lounge, you are fully entitled to use it - the "arriving" part is made quite clear on the Virgin Trains website.

Maybe, maybe not, but unless you walk into the ticket office and push the open button yourself then you may be arguing with a mini TV camera for a while. It really depends if you get the wrong lounge dragon.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

The cheapest ticket to gain entry to the Crewe lounge is a Crewe to Stockport VT Only FDS at £5.30. The London Euston lounge is at least £24 (as mentioned above).

The main problem I have with buying these cheap tickets is that occasionally the staff give you funny looks - at Manchester, for example, they will tell you the next departure (which for Stockport is every 20 minutes), so you feel a bit uncomfortable if you wait for much longer.

I like the idea of a £5 "entry fee" - you don't feel like you're being cheeky, and you don't feel rushed. It is strange that Virgin don't introduce a flat £5 entry fee at all First Class lounges (bar London Euston), given your examples above. You can gain entry to all lounges (bar London Euston) for no more than £5.30 anyway! (Interestingly, bar London Euston, Stoke in the only station which would cost more than £5.30 to get into without Virgin's £5 entry fee - it's £7.80 for a Stoke to Macclesfield VT Only FDS. I really don't see their logic! :roll

How crowded would them lounges get though if it was advertised? It might not be airline standard but compared to the platform it's a haven. I can see a few discerning passengers would hop on the band wagon.

 

[All Line Rover]

How crowded would them lounges get though if it was advertised? It might not be airline standard but compared to the platform it's a haven. I can see a few discerning passengers would hop on the band wagon.

Stoke's Standard Class waiting room is not exactly "idyllic." Right next door is the First Class lounge, on which there is a big sign saying that anyone can enter for £5. How many people were in there? Just one - me! So I don't think the lounges would be "flooded" if Virgin introduced a £5 entry fee at all of them (except London Euston) - they're rarely busy.

It would be a nice little revenue raiser for Virgin. And at least Virgin are nicer than East Coast - East Coast won't let Standard Class ticket holders (or First Class ticket holders on other TOC's) in at all, and those rotten First Advance ticket holders must pay £5 to get in (at each end)!

 

[Bungle73]

It would be a nice little revenue raiser for Virgin. And at least Virgin are nicer than East Coast - East Coast won't let Standard Class ticket holders (or First Class ticket holders on other TOC's) in at all, and those rotten First Advance ticket holders must pay £5 to get in (at each end)!

They will if you hand over 50 Reward points

 

[Ascot]

Stoke's Standard Class waiting room is not exactly "idyllic." Right next door is the First Class lounge, on which there is a big sign saying that anyone can enter for £5. How many people were in there? Just one - me! So I don't think the lounges would be "flooded" if Virgin introduced a £5 entry fee at all of them (except London Euston) - they're rarely busy.

It would be a nice little revenue raiser for Virgin. And at least Virgin are nicer than East Coast - East Coast won't let Standard Class ticket holders (or First Class ticket holders on other TOC's) in at all, and those rotten First Advance ticket holders must pay £5 to get in (at each end)!

Maybe that is why they are trialling it at Stoke but as you say Euston and I can even say Birmingham New St is "close" during the peak. Am I correct in interpreting the notice at Stoke as "Any 1ST class holder" and then "STD class tickets on a VT train"?

50 reward points will let you in the East Coast lounge.

 

[LondonJohn]

To be honest the Virgin 1st class lounges are nothing to write home about with a couple of notable exceptions. With so many people having 1st Advance tickets the lounge is always full to heaving to the point that you won't get a seat at say 2pm on a Monday afternoon.. try 6pm on a Friday evening and it will be standing in groups only.

The range of refreshments is often poorly stocked at Euston and tables rarely cleared of clutter due to the fact that its so busy. I personally would be happy to pay £5 to get into the lounge with a 1st advance ticket if it meant that I could get a seat and a coffee/orange juice and a snack.

I will often use the lounge when arriving at my destination where open whilst waiting for people etc or checking last minute arrangements.

The plus sides to Virgin's lounges are

Stoke on Trent's lounge - never busy and often I have been the only person in there. Good choice of tea/coffee and snacks.

Birmingham New Street - Never full but helpful attentive staff always clearing up and well stocked with snacks and ample range of hot/cold drinks.

Manchester - Busy with wide range of refreshments but high turnover of customers. Friendly staff but very focussed on length of time you spend there.

I have travelled 1st class to Manchester in the morning, used the lounge on arrival, had my meetings etc and used the lounge a few hours later before getting the train to the airport to fly down. No matter when I book trains from Manchester to London in the afternoon/evening always seem to be stupid money when you can often get a flight for £30 or £40.

 

[All Line Rover]

Maybe that is why they are trialling it at Stoke but as you say Euston and I can even say Birmingham New St is "close" during the peak. Am I correct in interpreting the notice at Stoke as "Any 1ST class holder" and then "STD class tickets on a VT train"?

Only Virgin Trains First Class ticket holders. You have to pay £5 if you have a First Class ticket with any other train company (e.g. XC), as to Virgin, there is no difference if you hold a Standard or First Class XC ticket.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

To be honest the Virgin 1st class lounges are nothing to write home about with a couple of notable exceptions. With so many people having 1st Advance tickets the lounge is always full to heaving to the point that you won't get a seat at say 2pm on a Monday afternoon.. try 6pm on a Friday evening and it will be standing in groups only.

I have to disagree. In comparison to the Standard Class waiting rooms, most of Virgin's First Class lounges are very nice (but maybe that's because their Standard Class waiting rooms are so horrible! ).

I do agree that Euston is the exception though, and that it gets very busy (followed by Manchester). The Manchester one is nice (I like the view) but too small.

 

[Ascot]

+1 LondonJohn. The bmi diamond lounge at Heathrow does spoil walking into a VT lounge.

Only Virgin Trains First Class ticket holders. You have to pay £5 if you have a First Class ticket with any other train company (e.g. XC), as to Virgin, there is no difference if you hold a Standard or First Class XC ticket.

Sorry I should of made my post clearer. Obviously all VT 1ST with a valid route can enter for free. The notice advertising the "buy-in" for £5 is available to ALL 1ST class passengers (obviously with a valid route/ticket). But then for STD class passengers is it passengers travelling on VT or ALL STD class passengers (obviously with a valid route/ticket).

 

[LondonJohn]

+1 LondonJohn. The bmi diamond lounge at Heathrow does spoil walking into a VT lounge.



Sorry I should of made my post clearer. Obviously all VT 1ST with a valid route can enter for free. The notice advertising the "buy-in" for £5 is available to ALL 1ST class passengers (obviously with a valid route/ticket). But then for STD class passengers is it passengers travelling on VT or ALL STD class passengers (obviously with a valid route/ticket).

I have just got my BMI Silver card back which gives access to the BMI Lounges at Heathrow and Manchester. BMI are also trialing lounge access for around £18-£20 this does include alcohol.

 

[Ascot]

I have just got my BMI Silver card back which gives access to the BMI Lounges at Heathrow and Manchester. BMI are also trialing lounge access for around £18-£20 this does include alcohol.

Off topic but I do hope they stop the pay entry for the bmi lounges. They are getting more crowded but it is amusing watching people trying to drink their own body weight.

Back to VT, I like the manned lounges for use in IRROPS as the lounge dragon can provide useful information without battling busy station staff. Something I miss at places like Liverpool where services got disrupted for hours.


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[calc7]

Legal issues aside, is there anything to stop somebody registering for a new EC account with a new email, bagging the 100 reward points and buying a FC lounge pass for each end of their journey?

 

[Ascot]

Legal issues aside, is there anything to stop somebody registering for a new EC account with a new email, bagging the 100 reward points and buying a FC lounge pass for each end of their journey?

Can't see why not.


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