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Club Avanti
- Thread starter realemil
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It involves buying tickets and not using them
This was in the original terms. However, my experience is that they never detected it so...
Yea I always used splits to go places anyway, I wonder if the systems gotten better recently
SandsofEss
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- 11 May 2014
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I have some questions about the free Standard Premium redemptions. The Ts & Cs aren't explicit. I’d be grateful if anyone knows the answers:
1) I know it’s for two advance single tickets. Do both tickets have to be booked at the same time?
2) Can I instead book two advance single tickets one way on the same train for two passengers?
3) Can I book an ‘open jaw’ journey (e.g. Euston to Glasgow, Carlisle to Euston)?
1) I know it’s for two advance single tickets. Do both tickets have to be booked at the same time?
2) Can I instead book two advance single tickets one way on the same train for two passengers?
3) Can I book an ‘open jaw’ journey (e.g. Euston to Glasgow, Carlisle to Euston)?
It's actually a Return ticket (or was last time I got it, and the website still says that).
1 - yes (technically it's a return ticket, but can be used just one way)
2 - no
3 - not tried this yet!
Actually, I stand corrected. I've just checked my previous free ticket bookings and while the email with the code does say it's a Return journey, and there's only one code to use to book the two journeys, they do actually go through as Advance Single Standard Premium.
But no, I'm sure you can't book two passengers one way, as I distinctly remember thinking of that at the time and it wasn't possible.
I don't think the booking engine will let you book an open jaw journey, but maybe if you phoned them? Also, you can change your journey once before travel, so you could always chance it emailing them to change just one leg to make it an open jaw return; they might not notice (or care). Unfortunately with them being Advances, starting shorting wouldn't technically be allowed.
But no, I'm sure you can't book two passengers one way, as I distinctly remember thinking of that at the time and it wasn't possible.
I don't think the booking engine will let you book an open jaw journey, but maybe if you phoned them? Also, you can change your journey once before travel, so you could always chance it emailing them to change just one leg to make it an open jaw return; they might not notice (or care). Unfortunately with them being Advances, starting shorting wouldn't technically be allowed.
I need to caveat this answer with the fact that it's been a few months since I booked using a Club Avanti code, and Avanti have changed their desktop booking site for the worse since then. It's now next to useless. You have to be psychic because you can no longer see on the list of trains which ones have Advance fares available (and therefore eligible for a Club Avanti discount code) and which do not. You have to select each train in turn and go to the next screen, which loads VERY slowly, to find out.
How on earth did anyone at Avanti sign off on this "upgrade" to their website? It's so confusing and complicated now. It's clearly designed to hide full fare information from users so that they cannot make an informed choice. (It was far from perfect before, but this is getting silly now.)
In any case, the discount code has always been for two single journeys, which you can use as a return for one passenger if you choose.
I just did a dummy booking on their lastest desktop version of the website and can confirm:
- You can select a return trip for one passenger, and the discount code will work.
- You can select a single journey for one passenger, and the discount code will work; you can then add another single journey to your basket and use the same discount code again, and it will work. The second journey can be for a completely different date and/or route.
What I have not been able to check out is whether you can make and confirm the journey for one passenger, and then later, in a separate transaction, make the second booking using the same discount code. I think it will work because each code is set to be used twice. But caveat emptor.
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Belperpete
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I have at least worked out what it means when it says "First and Standard available" - it actually means that Standard Premium is NOT available! If all three are available, you might think it would say first, standard premium and standard are available, but no, in that case it doesn't say anything. So if you want to know what trains standard premium is available on, if you look at just those where it explicitly says standard premium is available, you will miss a lot. As you say, how on earth did anyone at Avanti sign off on this nonsense?
Tonight I have a 55-minute wait until my train out of Euston, so thought it was finally a good time to use my Club Avanti First-Class Lounge voucher. Arrived to find the lounge already closed at 20:00, despite there being services for another 3+ hours.
On a Mon-Fri, it closes at 21:00, which is barely any better. You've got to feel for passengers on First Anytime tickets who are being royally shafted, especially as it's at this time of the evening where missing a train can mean an hour's wait.
I used the lounge regularly in Virgin days, and often used it Sun-Fri until 23:00. Avanti is such a poor excuse for an operator.
On a Mon-Fri, it closes at 21:00, which is barely any better. You've got to feel for passengers on First Anytime tickets who are being royally shafted, especially as it's at this time of the evening where missing a train can mean an hour's wait.
I used the lounge regularly in Virgin days, and often used it Sun-Fri until 23:00. Avanti is such a poor excuse for an operator.
SandsofEss
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- 11 May 2014
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A quick note to say thank you. This worked exactly as you laid out (when booked as a single transaction).
I've got my voucher for my free standard premium return.
I've got a situation in December where I need to travel from Lancaster to Edinburgh on Friday, Edinburgh to Euston on Saturday and then Euston back to Lancaster on Sunday.
Would I be able to use my voucher for the Saturday and Sunday journeys? I should be able to pick up a cheap Lancaster to Edinburgh advance for the Friday, so this would be the best way to get best value from my voucher.
Edited after posting - apologies, the post above pretty much sums up what I'm asking to do!
I had assumed the voucher had to be used for a return journey with the same origin/destination pair - this however doesn’t seem to be the case!
You should be able to use the ticket as you suggest by adding two advance tickets to your basket in a single transaction on the AWC website and entering the voucher code.
As far as I know you need to add both journeys to your basket and purchase them together, so don’t try to book one and then the other - make sure to add both journeys to your basket before proceeding to complete the transaction.
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Thanks, I assumed I would need to do both transactions in one go. Suits me better as it gives me more options going back to Lancaster on the Sunday, but I guess I am a rare case where it doesn't make sense to use the voucher for a return trip.
Almost £500 saved using my free Standard Premium tickets on peaktime services to/from Manchester. It's not the best scheme in the universe but there is value to be had. Back to Platinum now so 2 free tickets for the next 12 months.
The 7 days rule advance booking rule includes the day of travel. Was able to book next Thursday today. Also the expiry date of the free ticket is when you have to book, not travel.
The 7 days rule advance booking rule includes the day of travel. Was able to book next Thursday today. Also the expiry date of the free ticket is when you have to book, not travel.
Almost £500 saved using my free Standard Premium tickets on peaktime services to/from Manchester. It's not the best scheme in the universe but there is value to be had. Back to Platinum now so 2 free tickets for the next 12 months.
The 7 days rule advance booking rule includes the day of travel. Was able to book next Thursday today. Also the expiry date of the free ticket is when you have to book, not travel.
I think it's one of the best schemes out there for UK rail to be honest. 4.5 return journeys earns you a free Standard Premium return journey. Another 6 return journeys bags you a free First Class return journey and an additional First Class lounge pass. Plus the small stuff like 10% off food and drink, 10% off your first journey when you sign up, etc. That's definitely one of the better rewards/loyalty schemes; even if split tickets are excluded and you have to use their website to book.
GWR Rewards is a contender if you travel with them regularly.
While that may be true, Avanti's scheme is paltry compared to what their predecessors offered.
I must have had several thousand pounds' worth of free first-class travel. Also got invites to the hospitality section at events such as when Morrissey played Old Trafford Cricket Ground, and some lovely cheese and port gifts through the post at Christmas.
Indeed and this was my point earlier in this thread when it was being called a scam, while it'll obviously benefit some more than others, as every loyalty scheme does, it's still a very good scheme.
Almost £500 saved using my free Standard Premium tickets on peaktime services to/from Manchester. It's not the best scheme in the universe but there is value to be had. Back to Platinum now so 2 free tickets for the next 12 months.
The 7 days rule advance booking rule includes the day of travel. Was able to book next Thursday today. Also the expiry date of the free ticket is when you have to book, not travel.
I've found it extremely useful for travelling between Newcastle and Hemel Hempstead at short notice; it's the main reason why l've almost always been going via Carlisle rather than Leeds or Edinburgh for Newcastle to Preston or Glasgow.
It’s a good value scheme if you can optimise your use of the rewards tickets - I’ve managed to save several hundred pounds over the 3-4 years I’ve been a member.
I would like to see slightly more benefits that could be used on every journey as opposed to just one-off freebies. Lounge access for all journeys regardless of travel class for their top tier (similar to what GWR offer) would be a significant improvement. I would be happy to see this offered at a higher tier (say 30 or 35 journeys a year) if offering it to all platinum members isn’t viable.
I would like to see slightly more benefits that could be used on every journey as opposed to just one-off freebies. Lounge access for all journeys regardless of travel class for their top tier (similar to what GWR offer) would be a significant improvement. I would be happy to see this offered at a higher tier (say 30 or 35 journeys a year) if offering it to all platinum members isn’t viable.
Belperpete
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The big problem is that its limitations don't become clear until you have worked to get the rewards, and only then find that you can't use them. As far as I can see, there is still no clear up-front warning that the free tickets are not available on some of their regular routes. Which is why I maintain that it is a scam, as it lures you in with false promises of free tickets that aren't actually available.
mq90
Member
Unfortunately I didn't get to the magic number this year. But I used my previous free return to tick off another of the 42 in Scotland (Queen of the South) with a London-Carlisle return that would have set me back around £200. There's a lot of merit with Club Avanti, especially travelling out of Euston.
It's always surprised me that they haven't allowed it to be used on a standard class return on the routes where Standard Premium isn't available. Might be worth raising a complaint and suggesting that one to them if you haven't already done so.
They have the ability to offer free/discounted tickets when customers make complaints so surely it would be possible for them to cancel the SP code and provide you with a standard one if you were to push it.
Belperpete
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They noted my complaint, but that was all.
They have at least now indicated in the T&C that SP is not available on all routes, although they don't make it explicit that you therefore can't use your free ticket on those routes. However, they still don't indicate that the free first class tickets also can't be used on all routes, even on trains that do have first class.
The scheme works for those who travel on their core routes where the free tickets can actually be used. But for those who live on one of their routes where the rewards aren't actually available, the scheme is a scam. Ponzi schemes may work very well for some people, but they are still a scam.
It has always been in the T&Cs.
My local Greggs doesn't do iced drinks, yet their loyalty scheme tells me I can use my free drink for hot and cold drinks, is this also a scam?