ATW Club 55

[MKD]

Update on failure of their system to offer Club 55 tickets BHI-AYW when tried 30/9 and 1/10 morning : this evening 2/10, their system is finally now offering a Club55 ticket!

Booking engine won't let you put a same day return date, but with enough 'Earlier' clicking on the results, it will show same day return trips [even ones with a non-ATW leg back!!!!!] with £23 fare out, and 'N/A' fare for return.

So not 100% broken, just 'cant be bothered with keen customers' it seems.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Booking engine won't let you put a same day return date, but with enough 'Earlier' clicking on the results, it will show same day return trips ...[even ones with a non-ATW leg back!!!!!] with £23 fare out, and 'N/A' fare for return.

Well, call me old-fashioned, but that does not sound the most customer-friendly experiance to me...

 

[trainophile]

I'm surprised you have to commit to a return date when booking, as provided you return within eight days, and not on a Friday (if that's the ticket option selected), it shouldn't matter whether it's the same day or any date up to seven days ahead, should it? :?

I managed to buy mine online yesterday, and found there is no additional discount for booking online this time, although I did get the £1 senior railcard discount. HFD-MAN return actually works out dearer than the cheapest Advance tickets with railcard discount, but at least we're not constrained by a rather tight connection at MAN on our return from Scotland, so the flexibility is useful.

Also good news in the T&Cs is that BoJ appears to be permitted in both directions, which fits in very nicely with our plans .

 

[Flamingo]

The poster I saw in Cardiff yesterday showed a map with London featured very prominently, but ATW don't run any services to there, and FGW are not participating in the scheme as far as I know...

 

[Welshman]

The poster I saw in Cardiff yesterday showed a map with London featured very prominently, but ATW don't run any services to there, and FGW are not participating in the scheme as far as I know...

There is an "add-on" fare to London Marylebone via Smethwick Galton Bridge involving Arriva, London Midland and Chiltern trains, but in my opinion it's such a faff with connections and staying within "off-peak" times that it's hardly-worth attempting!

I'm surprised you have to commit to a return date when booking, as provided you return within eight days, and not on a Friday (if that's the ticket option selected), it shouldn't matter whether it's the same day or any date up to seven days ahead, should it? :?

I queried this during the last promotion when you had to specify certain trains on their website, and was told to just to nominally pick a train in order to purchase the ticket, but I was free use any provided they were within the broad availability limits. And, sure enough, when I collected the tickets, they did not specify any particular train.

 

[OLJR]

I have often wondered about Club 55...

Anyone aged 55 and over can travel with an Arriva Club 55 ticket

They don't specify the units! 55 years, 55 months, 55 days...?!

[/joke]

 

[firespire]

Had a woman in Cardiff today insisting it was FGW running club 55...

As in organising it? Maybe she meant she was able to travel on First Great Western which is ok as you can travel with any operator and it is sold as an Any Permitted route ticket. The terms and conditions try to explain it although they have forgot to add the web link to the map.

You can travel throughout the Arriva Trains Wales network (blue coloured routes on the map here using any rail operator. In addition, travel can be made on the services of specific rail operators only on the purple, orange, green, pink, purple/orange, and grey colour coded routes shown on the map here (web address).

Terms and conditions -
http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/Club55/TandCs/
Route Map -
http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/Club55/Map/

The web booking site can book you on any operator but unfortunately it is also equally happy to sell a Club 55 off the map, eg for LLantwit Major to Manchester Club 55 it can put you on First Great Western from Bridgend to Bristol Parkway and then up to Manchester on Cross Country which is not a mapped route for Club 55.

 

[cymro inside]

club 55 returns in a few days however in most cases if you are making more than one journey on atw network before end of March then the arriva 10th anniversary ten pound offer for season ticket holders is cheaper, monthly season wrx to Wrexham central anyone?