[Travel] O/T train help

[PHCgull]

I need to buy a train ticket for a friend to get him back from Carmarthen to Brighton.

He doesn't have any photo ID or even a card in his name, and all the online ticket retailers say you must pick up the ticket from a machine after putting in a card with the travellers name on it..

Anyone got any ideas? Its been ages since I used trains much and the system just seems to get more and more labyrinthine....

 

[Guinness Boy]

If you're going to buy a ticket online that gives you a code to collect it from a ticket machine then step one is for you to insert the card you paid for it with in the ticket machine and you cannot pick it up without passing that step.

There's probably ways round it but I don't know them. I'd normally suggest phoning National Rail but in the pingdemic you might be on hold a while.

 

[Eeyore]

The ticket office at Carmarthen is open on Saturdays. Your best bet is to find a route to speaking to them. It should enable you to bypass the other stuff.

Alternatively, get him to go there. Be on the mobile and pay for his ticket.

 

[el punal]

Agree with the other posters so far. Best bet is to contact National Rail - they have a phone number for help and advice. Again, try the local station and explain the situation (with your friend present) which might make a transaction less complicated.
Failing the above courses of action is there anyway you can forward some money (I would imagine there are various methods) to your friend so that he can purchase the ticket himself.

Best of luck.

 

[PHCgull]

ok thank you - for clarity, obviously, i am in Brighton and he is in Carmarthen, so its a bit difficult to get "the card you paid with" to the machine in wales....

Ill call the welsh and see if i can get through

 

[Beach Hut]

Unless rules have changed, which they may have, you can go to any station and pay a one-way ticket plus admin fee so your friend can be issued the ticket at Camarthen.

NB these were rules some 30 plus years ago when I worked in a ticket office

 

[Barry Izbak]

It actually doesn't matter which card you put in the machine. Doesn't have to be the one you used to buy. Can be any.

But if tour friend has no card at all, I guess that won't help.

 

[PHCgull]

It actually doesn't matter which card you put in the machine. Doesn't have to be the one you used to buy. Can be any.

But if tour friend has no card at all, I guess that won't help.

how sure are you about that? he doesnt have a card, but he could cajole a passer-by into helping him....

 

[Barry Izbak]

I had to use train tickets issued by my work and all I had was the reference number.
Each time I would all the way down to Brighton station, queue up and explain I only had the code and not the card my company had used.

They always issued me the ticket.

On about the fifth occasion the ticket office guy said I could collect at the machine using any card.

So I did that since.

Thinking about it, if carmarthen ticket office is open perhaps your friend can go in there with just the code?

 

[PHCgull]

did they ask you for any form of ID? card with your name on or something?

 

[Barry Izbak]

Nope. I had the email with the code on, but they didn't ask for it

 

[Clive Walker]

You can print tickets at brighton station and then DHL them to him in Wales.

 

[Lethargic]

If you purchase through Trainline it's all electronic, the tickets are on your Trainline account so no need to go to any station or machine. So you could buy the tickets then give him the account details for the phone app.

Sent from my CPH2173 using Tapatalk

 

[PHCgull]

You can print tickets at brighton station and then DHL them to him in Wales.

he needs to come back tomorrow morning latest... but thanks for the idea

 

[Clive Walker]

he needs to come back tomorrow morning latest... but thanks for the idea

Well you should have listened to me days ago.

 

[Jesus Gul]

Get him to head to Carmarthen station and ask for Jones the Steam.

 

[PHCgull]

Well you should have listened to me days ago.

nice


you sound like my mrs

 

[Beach Hut]

nice


you sound like my mrs

Have you resolved the issue ?

 

[PHCgull]

If you purchase through Trainline it's all electronic, the tickets are on your Trainline account so no need to go to any station or machine. So you could buy the tickets then give him the account details for the phone app.

Sent from my CPH2173 using Tapatalk

his phones broken, his cards dont work ... he's in a right old mess.

it looks like basically if i give him the codes then he can either use a passer by's debit card just to put in the machine or go to the ticket office with the ref number and get them to call me for validation.

thanks for your help everyone!

 

[Beach Hut]

his phones broken, his cards dont work ... he's in a right old mess.

it looks like basically if i give him the codes then he can either use a passer by's debit card just to put in the machine or go to the ticket office with the ref number and get them to call me for validation.

thanks for your help everyone!

Do you really think a passer by would just put their debit card in a machine to help someone, if that works.

Have you gone to your local station to see if you can pay there and the ticket issued at Camarthen ?