How to buy eTickets with smartphone

[faringdon]

Hi,
How can I buy eTickets with my smartphone if its not on a contract?
I commute from Theale to Reading return each day.
Its £10 but would be £2.99 cheaper if I bought eTickets with my smartphone, instead of ordering them over the web with my laptop.
The problem is that my smartphone is not on a contract and so I can only use it when using free public wifi eg in Mcdonalds etc.
Is there some way I can buy these cheaper eTickets?
I can use my home wifi with my smartphone....(that home wifi is what I usually use for my laptop)

 

[Darandio]

You don't need a contract to use mobile data. I assume this phone is pay as you go and you top it up with credit?

 

[John R]

Hi,
How can I buy eTickets with my smartphone if its not on a contract?
I commute from Theale to Reading return each day.
Its £10 but would be £2.99 cheaper if I bought eTickets with my smartphone, instead of ordering them over the web with my laptop.
The problem is that my smartphone is not on a contract and so I can only use it when using free public wifi eg in Mcdonalds etc.
Is there some way I can buy these cheaper eTickets?
I can use my home wifi with my smartphone....(that home wifi is what I usually use for my laptop)

Surely a very cheap sim only contract would pay for itself if you could save £3 a day by doing so.

 

[Joe Paxton]

e-tickets do not require the smartphone to have internet connectivity when the tickets are actually being used - all that's required is for it to display the e-ticket on the screen... indeed alternatively you can print the e-ticket.

Regardless, you might find having a mobile plan with a small amount of data helpful - I'd recommend the website "Ken's Tech Tips" for listings of low cost mobile plans - some are monthly contract, but some are 'Pay-as-you-go plans' - i.e. there's no contract (and hence no credit check), rather you are charged a set amount for the forthcoming month.

 

[Haywain]

I commute from Theale to Reading return each day.
Its £10 but would be £2.99 cheaper if I bought eTickets with my smartphone, instead of ordering them over the web with my laptop.

£10? An Anytime Day Return is £6.80. Can be bought at the station* on the day, no smartphone required, and, as there are no advance tickets for the journey, you can only save more by buying through a retailer that offers some form of cashback.


*Theale station has a ticket office and ticket vending machines, according to GWR's website.

 

[Sonic1234]

The prices are the same on the web and through an app, and unless you're buying Advance tickets (which as mentioned above aren't available on this route), the price is the same at the station.

If buying online (web or app), the vast majority of retailers do not charge for paper tickets compared to e-tickets (I think XC does charge a premium for paper if e-tickets are available). Some do make you open up a menu or click a few extra times if you do want paper.

 

[superalbs]

Can someone explain how the ticket is £2.99 cheaper if bought on a phone instead of a laptop? Feel like we've glossed over that?

 

[Haywain]

Can someone explain how the ticket is £2.99 cheaper if bought on a phone instead of a laptop? Feel like we've glossed over that?

The OP needs to explain several things before we can get close to that.

 

[pwharley]

£10? An Anytime Day Return is £6.80. Can be bought at the station* on the day, no smartphone required, and, as there are no advance tickets for the journey, you can only save more by buying through a retailer that offers some form of cashback.

If the O.P. commutes every day (as they state), a weekly season is only £32.90. Over 7 days, that's £4.70/day.

This can be printed on a CCST (Credit Card Size Ticket). They will need to carry a photocard with the season (free from any station - supply a passport size photo to get one).

 

[faringdon]

Thanks, i have purchased on the laptop at thetrainline.com the night before (gives you a code to use the next day when you travel and you put it into the machine and it gives you the tickets) and it charges me £10 for the anytime day return, but tells me i could have got it £2.99 cheaper if i bought it with smartphone...so you are saying if i buy it at the machine at the station with my debit card, it would only have cost me £6.80?

 

[John R]

If you buy tickets on Trainline on the day there is no booking fee, whereas a fee applies on bookings prior to the day of travel on a laptop. That will make a difference.

 

[Edvid]

Thanks, i have purchased on the laptop at thetrainline.com the night before (gives you a code to use the next day when you travel and you put it into the machine and it gives you the tickets) and it charges me £10 for the anytime day return, but tells me i could have got it £2.99 cheaper if i bought it with smartphone...

For travel on a weekday (Theale - Reading; Anytime Day Return) Trainline charge you £6.80 for the ticket itself, plus 59p for booking before the day of travel, plus £2.99 for choosing the collection from station option instead of free eTicket delivery. £10.38 in all.

Plenty of other retailers on the web - both TOCs and other third parties - would only charge you for the ticket itself.

Since you have Wi-Fi at home you can buy an eTicket with your phone and download the PDF once it's emailed to you. Or buy it with your laptop and transfer the PDF to your phone or print it. Or stick with the station collection option (with a different retailer) if you prefer. Furthermore...

so you are saying if i buy it at the machine at the station with my debit card, it would only have cost me £6.80?

Yes, that's correct.

 

[Adam Williams]

Can someone explain how the ticket is £2.99 cheaper if bought on a phone instead of a laptop? Feel like we've glossed over that?

Trainline have been sending out a promotion for one-third off app purchases. I am wondering if this is related?

Only 6,000 redemptions, though.

 

[saismee]

Trainline have been sending out a promotion for one-third off app purchases. I am wondering if this is related?

Only 6,000 redemptions, though.

That wouldn't be one third off though, it would be one third more without the code as others have said it should be 6.80. I'm pretty sure that increasing the base price and then applying a discount is quite illegal, so I doubt it's related to that.

 

[Swedenorer]

Son't use Trainline seems to be the advice - for example you can buy from Southern and collect from Theale and benefit from their money back guarantee

 

[talldave]

The £5 or £6 a month for a PAYG SIM with unlimited calls and decent chunk of data is peanuts compared to the money the OP's been wasting on the Trainline. Not only would it allow fee free ticket buying 24/7 (eg on the Forum's site) it also gives on the move access to useful tools such as realtimetrains.co.uk and Google maps to make the journey that little bit easier.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Some cracking deals here https://www.uswitch.com/mobiles/compare/sim_only_deals/

 

[jon81uk]

If you buy tickets on Trainline on the day there is no booking fee, whereas a fee applies on bookings prior to the day of travel on a laptop. That will make a difference.

Just don't use trainline at all, there are plenty of other retailers that don't charge booking fees no matter when you buy the ticket.

Also irrespective of what device is used to buy the ticket, the eticket can be shown on any device, mobile, laptop or printed onto paper.

 

[Adam Williams]

That wouldn't be one third off though

I am not putting much stock in the OP's recollection of prices.

 

[mikeg]

If the op is buying anytime day returns why the need to buy so far in advance anyway? Surely in this case it’d have been easier and cheaper to go to the ticket office? I like e tickets too but they’re not worth £2.99!

However I do second the idea of a cheap contract. Sometimes can be as little as a few pounds a month and the op will get far more out of their phone (and e tickets).

I’d also recommend the OP looks into seasons and if seasons aren’t suitable the app id use if I were still regularly commuting would probably be Virgin Trains Ticketing. No booking fees and you collect Virgin red points which can be used against future bookings. Although the app isn’t perfect in particular its ability at split ticketing is rudimentary at best.

 

[Vexed]

Trainline have been sending out a promotion for one-third off app purchases. I am wondering if this is related?

Only 6,000 redemptions, though.

I am not putting much stock in the OP's recollection of prices.

As per #12 the £6.80 fare + £2.99 collection fee (outrageous imo) is around £10. I don't think it's anything to do the 1/3 off promotion.

 

[jon81uk]

As per #12 the £6.80 fare + £2.99 collection fee (outrageous imo) is around £10. I don't think it's anything to do the 1/3 off promotion.

Its not a collection fee, its the Trainline booking fee. Can avoid it by not using Trainline.

EDIT - I was wrong, it seems Trainline have fees on top of fees.

 

[Vexed]

Its not a collection fee, its the Trainline booking fee. Can avoid it by not using Trainline.

It is the collection fee. The booking fee is on top!

How do I collect tickets from a self-service ticket machine?

Your tickets will be available to collect from a self-service ticket machine or station ticket office within 15 minutes of making your booking. They can be collected at any time, but you’ll need to make sure you have them with you before you trav...

support.thetrainline.com

If you choose to collect your ticket at the station, the delivery fee is £2.99.

 

[Adam Williams]

Well that's new, I think.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Does the original poster have a printer? If so, why not print the e-ticket?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Feb 2026 ==

Well that's new, I think.

Perhaps for Trainline, but at least some of the TOC sites charge for collection where e-ticket is available. I think XC were first to do so?

 

[WelshBluebird]

I mean given OP has a smartphone, why cant they just use that on the WiFi at home if buying in advance is required? Or even buy on the laptop and then just get the eticket pdf on the phone (either with the app or via email).

And trainline are certainly not the only ones who charge for ToD when etickets are available.

 

[jon81uk]

It is the collection fee. The booking fee is on top!

How do I collect tickets from a self-service ticket machine?

Your tickets will be available to collect from a self-service ticket machine or station ticket office within 15 minutes of making your booking. They can be collected at any time, but you’ll need to make sure you have them with you before you trav...

support.thetrainline.com

Thats new then! Didn't know Trainline were adding even more fees.

 

[Vexed]

And trainline are certainly not the only ones who charge for ToD when etickets are available.

Indeed, but the extra cost to them of ToD vice eTicket is nowhere near £3.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Indeed, but the extra cost to them of ToD vice eTicket is nowhere near £3.

Prices charged for things by businesses almost never directly reflect the cost of provision. Prices are set based on what they feel people will pay, not the cost of supply, aside from that if you don't set the price above the cost you're not going to make any money.

 

[TUC]

You don't need a contract to use mobile data. I assume this phone is pay as you go and you top it up with credit?

Or is it that it has no sim, and he purely uses wifi?

Either way, as said, tickets can be downloaded.