Madafwo
I'm probably being facetious.
- Nov 11, 2013
- 1,733
3 days used to be the point where it is cheaper to get a weekly season ticket, have a check on the National Rail website to check the price of a weekly compared to 3 day tickets.
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[Misc] Off-peak Day Return to London
- Thread starter Bozza
- Start date
3 days used to be the point where it is cheaper to get a weekly season ticket, have a check on the National Rail website to check the price of a weekly compared to 3 day tickets.
tinycowboy
Well-known member
Thanks - I think you're right re season tickets. And about the pricing.
- Thread starter
- #23
From when I used to periodically commute, a weekly ticket cost between 2 and 3 times a daily ticket, assuming you are travelling in the morning peak period. As such, a weekly ticket is likely to be the best option. I can’t recall if you need a photo card to go with weekly tickets.
Madafwo
I'm probably being facetious.
- Nov 11, 2013
- 1,733
Yup, you do.
This is a right pain in the arse - I work from home a couple of days a week so have exactly this issue
Cut off for me is 3 days - if I do three days in any seven, a weekly ticket is cheaper than 3 daily returns (my days are flexible as well, so sometimes I can get 4/5 days out of a weekly - 7 day - ticket buy buying it on say, Wednesday and then travelling in Wed, Thurs, Fri and Tues for example).
Daily peak return from Burgess Hill/Wivelsfield (all routes - it's cheaper if using 'Thameslink only) is £43.90 (so 3 x this would be £131.70)
Seven day return is £110 so a 7-day return is easily better for 3 days
Edit -yes, a photocard is definitely needed
If she needs the underground as well, DON'T get a travelcard with the weekly ticket unless it's going to be used for 5 days. It's cheaper to just get the basic weekly rail return and pay as you go using a contactless debit card on the tube
tinycowboy
Well-known member
Thanks both. She'll be a student as well, to complicate things, so we'll see what's on offer - looks like some form of weekly ticket is going to be the best option. Hopefully she'll be entitled to subsidised beer and we can get the money back by buying pints for 58p. Don't know whether the Albion do cheap match tickets for students, but it's not relevant as after the Chelsea match she told me she preferred shopping
Ludensian Gull
Well-known member
It's all very complicated isn't it 
The Large One
Who's Next?
Tom Hark Preston Park
Will Post For Cash
- Jul 6, 2003
- 72,327
Actually, yes.
Unbelievably, National Rail refer to pre-9am tickets as 'Off Peak'.
Seem to recall from fairly recent use that Off-Peak tickets bought on the day don't actually appear on the ticket machine list of available options until about 09:45.
The Large One
Who's Next?
I think the proper off peak thing starts at 9am. In other words, the 10am deadline is for trains arriving in London, not leaving Brighton.
Commuters had to fight tooth and nail to get the machines at Brighton to issue 'Off Peak' tickets before 9am, so now you can do it from 8.30am onwards. However, as I understand it, this is only available at Brighton Station. It's certainly not available at Lancing Station.
- Jun 27, 2012
- 14,612
The other crazy way of getting cheaper peak London tickets is get a split ticket to Aldershot via Clapham Junction and then also buy a Clapham > Victoria return.
Madafwo
I'm probably being facetious.
- Nov 11, 2013
- 1,733
From memory the "Aldershot Special" only works from certain stations down the east, also only valid if the train stops at Clapham Junction (unless one of the tickets is a Zonal ticket or a season ticket).
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Not the exact same question, but train ticket officiandos can you help:
I want to go Worthing to Victoria tomorrow evening
But return Farringdon to Worthing on Saturday.
If I buy these separately it is £28 with a railcard.
I can buy an off-peak return Worthing to Farringdon or Victoria for £24, but would I be able to get through the ticket barriers with this, or for example whatever leg was wrong would it not work? Or is there some other better way of doing this
I want to go Worthing to Victoria tomorrow evening
But return Farringdon to Worthing on Saturday.
If I buy these separately it is £28 with a railcard.
I can buy an off-peak return Worthing to Farringdon or Victoria for £24, but would I be able to get through the ticket barriers with this, or for example whatever leg was wrong would it not work? Or is there some other better way of doing this
Would an off-peak return to East Croydon with singles for Croydon-Victoria & Farringdon-Croydon be what you need?
Worthing to East Croydon is coming in at £20 so don't think I could do the other legs for any cheaper
Is it possible to buy the ticket to “London Terminals”?
My 7 day season ticket is for this and works at both Victoria and Farringdon (amongst others).
I did look at that, but then saw on Nationalrail.co.uk that Farringdon is NOT a London Terminal. Although I think with the problems that is relaxed as they have paired it with St Pancras
Oooh, that's changed since I commuted. London Terminals didn't reach Farringdon, anything north of Blackfriars was charged extra. There even used to be a note to that effect on the machines when buying the ticket.
Having said that, I have got away with a Farringdon ticket at Victoria although it depends on finding a sympathetic staff member.
Durlston
"You plonker, Rodney!"
I hardly go on trains now apart from football due to making a very expensive and stressful mistake. All common sense went out of the window.
buying a train ticket shouldn't be this difficult.