How to buy eTickets with smartphone

[TrainTraveler]

Personally I would get a cheap data SIM on a rolling 1 month contract.

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If you have no commitment to the number (only using the data) the £1.60 deal and stopping it after 6 months would be a good start. Often data for a month can be 99p!

 

[blimmo]

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.

And that if you set the price too much above what it costs you're going to get undercut and possibly lose customers. Which should really be happening here!

 

[Bletchleyite]

And that if you set the price too much above what it costs you're going to get undercut and possibly lose customers. Which should really be happening here!

Only rail enthusiasts and staff have even the slightest clue how much it costs. And most of these people are not customers of Trainline anyway.

 

[blimmo]

I mean that people will eventually get sick of the fees and switch to a different retailer. The different retailer would not be able to profitably offer it cheaper if trainline only charged their costs.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I mean that people will eventually get sick of the fees and switch to a different retailer.

I think it's quite clear that people like Trainline and will not do that even if there are fees. Most people use e-tickets if they can, anyway - there is a very high population of relative Luddites here (which is odd given that this is an Internet forum) compared to the general population. The number of people you see producing paper tickets on trains these days (almost none) is evidence enough. On the trains I use, well over 90% if not more of passengers are producing e-tickets on a smartphone - even printed e-tickets seem rare now.

 

[blimmo]

I think it's quite clear that people like Trainline and will not do that even if there are fees.

By eventually I meant if they keep increasing (since this seems to be an increase). My experience is that people ignore the fees when they consider them insignificant. Therefore if trainline increase them enough I think they really will lose customers. I suppose that is just reinforcing what you said about the price being set at the level that people are willing to pay...

 

[Bletchleyite]

By eventually I meant if they keep increasing (since this seems to be an increase). My experience is that people ignore the fees when they consider them insignificant. Therefore if trainline increase them enough I think they really will lose customers. I suppose that is just reinforcing what you said about the price being set at the level that people are willing to pay...

I think they could lose customers by making them too high, but I also think they're masters of knowing what isn't too high - they trial all sorts of things across different platforms, e.g. it's well known that iPhone users are more affluent than Android users and thus will stomach higher fees for some things, though I don't know to what extent Trainline do that the likes of YouTube certainly do.

 

[saismee]

I think it's quite clear that people like Trainline and will not do that even if there are fees. Most people use e-tickets if they can, anyway - there is a very high population of relative Luddites here (which is odd given that this is an Internet forum) compared to the general population. The number of people you see producing paper tickets on trains these days (almost none) is evidence enough. On the trains I use, well over 90% if not more of passengers are producing e-tickets on a smartphone - even printed e-tickets seem rare now.

Many, many people are using Omio/Uber or Trip/TrainPal now. They're awful retailers and Trainline is far better, but IMO the TOC-branded Trainline apps are best for simple tickets, and the forum's site is best for complex journeys.

 

[nwales58]

Fascinating example: the original poster clearly needs to be careful about spending, but somehow Trainline have convinced him to pay 52% more, day after day, week after week, than simply buying the ticket from the machine he has to use to collect it from anyway. How many others, I wonder?

 

[Sonic1234]

The number of people you see producing paper tickets on trains these days (almost none) is evidence enough.

It's something where the "progressive" South East is behind, mostly due to the interaction with TfL.

But yes, paper tickets seem to be limited to cross London, Travelcards and the few who buy at the station these days.

 

[saismee]

It's something where the "progressive" South East is behind, mostly due to the interaction with TfL.

But yes, paper tickets seem to be limited to cross London, Travelcards and the few who buy at the station these days.

You get a lot in the East as well with pay trains and London transfers.

 

[faringdon]

Indeed you are correct, buying the ticket at the machine would have been £2.99 cheaper than buying it with the laptop and getting the collection code......it was a new job and i was worried about the ticket machine not working and me not being able to travel, so i ordered the tickets on the morning of the travel...and was charged the extra £2.99......i thought if i had a collection code and the theale ticket machine wasnt working, then at east i could give the collection code to the barrier staff at REading and declare that i had payed even though not having a ticket.....but from now on, will just buy the ticket at the station.

 

[mikeg]

In the event there are no ticketing facilities at all left at Theale you can legitimately pay on the train or at Reading (whichever opportunity comes first). But I think theale also has a ticket office in the morning anyway

 

[jon81uk]

Indeed you are correct, buying the ticket at the machine would have been £2.99 cheaper than buying it with the laptop and getting the collection code......it was a new job and i was worried about the ticket machine not working and me not being able to travel, so i ordered the tickets on the morning of the travel...and was charged the extra £2.99......i thought if i had a collection code and the theale ticket machine wasnt working, then at east i could give the collection code to the barrier staff at REading and declare that i had payed even though not having a ticket.....but from now on, will just buy the ticket at the station.

Even if you did have proof of purchasing a ticket online that would not work if revenue protection stop you as it is not a valid ticket. If the ticket machine isn't working and there is no other method to buy a ticket at the station you will need to buy onboard, just possesing a collection code is not enough.
You can try and find a retailer who doesn't charge for collection, or get eticket and print it at home.

 

[fandroid]

Be very careful about assuming that the code alone will persuade gate staff at Reading to let you through without further question. You'll need backup evidence of ticket office being closed and TVM out of order (photos). Long queues are not accepted as an excuse. Some retailers (Trainline?) refund uncollected tickets automatically after a time lapse. Fare evaders make use of that and train companies are hyper aware of it too.

Better to just sort that phone issue out.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Be very careful about assuming that the code alone will persuade gate staff at Reading to let you through without further question. You'll need backup evidence of ticket office being closed and TVM out of order (photos). Long queues are not accepted as an excuse. Some retailers (Trainline?) refund uncollected tickets automatically after a time lapse. Fare evaders make use of that and train companies are hyper aware of it too.

Better to just sort that phone issue out.

Hence the changes to the refund T&Cs