Picking up/dropping off someone from airport with family railcard

[smsm1]

Planned journey is Ipswich-Liverpool Street-Heathrow return tomorrow 1 adult (on the family and friends railcard) + child, picking up another adult at Heathrow, who will return on Saturday 12th dropping off additional adult at Heathrow. There's always a child in the group. Heathrow mid afternoon both occasions. For flexibility walk up off peak tickets rather than advances.

Luckily with the IPS-LST evening return restriction not applying on Wednesday 2nd Sept (last day of the summer holidays), which makes the off peak return with travelcard an option, and no need to worry about the evening peak trains. What's the best way to get the ticket for the adult that's only doing Heathrow-LST-IPS-LST-Heathrow? Do we need to double pay for the child? Or can a ticket office get around that?

As only month returns are available could do IPS-LST month return for 1 adult + 1 child (i.e. use the return portion when return after dropping off the visitor), then LST-IPS month return for 2 adults + 1 child. The downside of this approach is that the travelcard makes a bit of a difference compared to the walkup contactless fare. Though maybe not as much as paying for the extra child ticket.

 

[Haywain]

All tickets should be for the same journey and the same ticket type so, if you want to take advantage of the railcard discount, you need to two sets of return tickets you outline above.

 

[smsm1]

All tickets should be for the same journey and the same ticket type so, if you want to take advantage of the railcard discount, you need to two sets of return tickets you outline above.

Thanks, writing it out above got me to consider the option that I'd missed before of 2 period returns (1x adult 1x child IPS-LST; 2x adult 1x child LST-IPS; both with family railcard and contactless on the tube across London).

 

[Haywain]

Thanks, writing it out above got me to consider the option that I'd missed before of 2 period returns (1x adult 1x child IPS-LST; 2x adult 1x child LST-IPS; both with family railcard and contactless on the tube across London).

You could even get the fares through to/from Heathrow Underground, but I'm not sure how that works compared to the contactless fares for the underground. Also worth mentioning that the age of the child is relevant, as an accompanied under-11 can travel free on the underground, so that could impact of the fares that work best.

 

[smsm1]

You could even get the fares through to/from Heathrow Underground, but I'm not sure how that works compared to the contactless fares for the underground. Also worth mentioning that the age of the child is relevant, as an accompanied under-11 can travel free on the underground, so that could impact of the fares that work best.

The child will be 1 on one trip, and on the second trip the children will be 1 and 4. One of those cases where paying for the child is cheaper for part of the journey, and means contactless payment is on the cheaper side, and eaiser to explain to the people travelling.

The through journey fares with tube turn out to be slightly more expensive as travelling in the off peak compared to the contactless. Contactless also gives more flexibility, such as getting out somewhere on the way if needed, or switching to TfL Rail (which granted increases the cost) but may be a more desireable route in the current climate for the people travelling.

 

[SeanG]

Children unde 5 do not need a ticket, am I not correct?

 

[Hadders]

Children unde 5 do not need a ticket, am I not correct?

Correct. But if you have a F&F Railcard it is beneficial to purchase a ticket for an under 5 so that the accompanying adult can obtain a 34% discount.

Consider an adult and under 5 making a journey where the adult fare is £10. Without railcard the total fare is £10 as the adult pays full price and child goes free.
Now add a F&F into the mix, the adult pays £6.60 and the child pays £1.90, total price £8.50.

You could even get the fares through to/from Heathrow Underground, but I'm not sure how that works compared to the contactless fares for the underground. Also worth mentioning that the age of the child is relevant, as an accompanied under-11 can travel free on the underground, so that could impact of the fares that work best.

Contactless fare from Liverpool Street to Heathrow via the Underground is £5.10 peak or £3.10 Off Peak.

The railcard discounted 'add on' for an Off Peak Return is £6.75 return for an adult and £1.95 for a child. If both Underground journeys start at Off Peak times (i.e. for the purposes of this journey on a weekday you can tap in before 16:00) then it'll be cheaper to use contactless. If one of the Underground journeys starts at peak time then the railcard discounted paper ticket will be best.

 

[MikeWh]

Children unde 5 do not need a ticket, am I not correct?

You are correct.

But the cost of 1 adult and 1 child using a family and friends railcard is such that it's better to pay for an under 5 if they would be the only child. This is completely legal.

 

[SeanG]

This makes sense then - that maths was beyond me.

Does one need an actual child to do this or could one do it without a child (ie buying the railcard + adult + child tickets)

 

[Hadders]

This makes sense then - that maths was beyond me.

Does one need an actual child to do this or could one do it without a child (ie buying the railcard + adult + child tickets)

A child must travel. You can't just buy railcard discounted adult and child tickets to travel alone.