ATW Club55

[trainophile]

I've just booked a Club55 journey online on the ATW website, and as I selected that it was not a one way trip, it required details for return date and time. In the past the inbound ticket has been valid for any time within a month of outward travel.

Did it do this just to enable seat reservations if required, or has the system changed so that return journey now has to be pre-committed?

 

[John @ home]

In the past the inbound ticket has been valid for any time within a month of outward travel.

Agreed, subject to some time restrictions. But the current ATW Club 55 offer allows return within 8 days of outward travel only.

Arriva Club 55 Terms & Conditions

3) Club 55 travel will be valid between 2 September 2012 and 24 March 2013, excluding the period from 18 December 2012 to 4 January 2013. Outward travel is permitted on the date shown on the ticket and return travel is permitted within eight days of the outward journey. All travel must be completed by 24 March 2013. Travel on 25 March 2013 or later will require a new ticket (non-Club 55) to be purchased.

http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/Club55/TandCs/

Did it do this just to enable seat reservations if required

No.

has the system changed so that return journey now has to be pre-committed?

The system has changed to limit return travel to within eight days of the outward journey.

 

[trainophile]

Thank you John. The moral of the story is always read the small print and never assume!

That's handy that it has confirmed a continuation post-Christmas, unlike previous years when we've had to wait to find out. Will save me buying unnecessary Advance tickets right up until April, except for the holiday period.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

There are three levels of club 55 ticket this time too, £17 (online only), £19 (not valid on Fridays) and £24 (any day)

 

[chalkie99]

Can anyone clarify the online booking please?

How far ahead do I need to book? - long enough to allow a ticket to be posted or, once booked, can a ticket be printed off at home (as I can with various other booking systems)?

I did sign up for the service but have not received any response. I was hoping for at least an e-mail acknowledgement of registration.

 

[trainophile]

There are three levels of club 55 ticket this time too, £17 (online only), £19 (not valid on Fridays) and £24 (any day)

I can't begin to imagine why they have to make it so complicated, but I'm happy as I've booked a £17 one (that's with Merseyrail add-on and a Senior Railcard £2 discount).

Am I committed to the return date I specified, or will it be valid for any day within the 8-day period? Just in case I wanted to come back early for some reason.

chalkie99 - I think the registration process is just so that you get the Club55 promotional emails in future, and also there's some sort of prize draw I believe. I didn't register and was still able to buy tickets online. Click on the Club55 info box on the right of the screen, and choose "buy tickets" from the menu options that open. I'm saying this from memory so might have to correct myself, or someone else who is more au fait with it will advise better than I can.

I selected to collect from my local station's TVM. If you don't have access to an ATW station with a TVM I expect you can have the tickets delivered but there might be a charge.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

.... (that's with Merseyrail add-on and a Senior Railcard £2 discount)....

It's a £1 Discount for Senior Railcard holders

....Am I committed to the return date I specified, or will it be valid for any day within the 8-day period? Just in case I wanted to come back early for some reason....

You can come back within 8 days, though some journeys have a time restriction.

 

[Welshman]

This still leaves the unanswered question concerning whether you are committed to certain trains when you book the ticket online -I appreciate the return period is now limited to 8 days, but if you can return any time within that period [with certain restrictions], why do you have to select a return time and date?

The website requires you to select an outward and return service, and when you do, there is no message which appears saying that ticket is valid on other services within the validity period and avoiding the peak-hour exceptions. But yet the same fare is available for all the off-peak trains.

When I tried to find-out by requesting a seat reservation, I got the message that reservataions are not required, so that seems to suggest tickets bought online are not actually quota-controlled for a specific train.

As I want to make a journey using these tickets this coming week, this information would be very useful. I want to book online, but don't want to be committed to a specific train on my return journey.

Needless to say, there is nothing to shed any light on this in the Terms and Conditions. I emailed ATW's Customer Services eight days ago, on Saturday 25th August, virtually immediately the promotion re-appeared on the website, and, apart from the formal acknowledgment, I am still awaiting a reply.

I made the mistake of ringing customer services on Wednesday of last week, and when I was eventually connected to someone, was kept hanging-on for another 10 minutes while he tried to find the answer, which eventually was "I'm sorry - I don't know" {!!}

Now why does this shoddy service from ATW fail to surprise me?

 

[Welshman]

This still leaves the unanswered question concerning whether you are committed to certain trains when you book the ticket online -I appreciate the return period is now limited to 8 days, but if you can return any time within that period [with certain restrictions], why do you have to select a return time and date?

The website requires you to select an outward and return service, and when you do, there is no message which appears saying that ticket is valid on other services within the validity period and avoiding the peak-hour exceptions. But yet the same fare is available for all the off-peak trains.

Needless to say, there is nothing to shed any light on this in the Terms and Conditions. I emailed ATW's Customer Services eight days ago, on Saturday 25th August, virtually immediately the promotion re-appeared on the website, and, apart from the formal acknowledgment, I am still awaiting a reply.

Just to follow this through.

I've heard today from ATW Customer Relations re my query above, and although you have to pick a certain train when booking Club55 tickets online, you are not restricted to just that service you've had to select, but can use any during the validation period.

In other words, it is the same as for one bought a the booking office, only cheaper online, of course.

I hope this may be helpful to any other potential purchasers.

 

[MKD]

Are we 100% clear that the ATW Club55 are specific Station to specific Station + Return tickets, and NOT as their dreadfully presented/worded details MIGHT suggest equivalent to Rover tickets with their bald/bold statements of "go anywhere" and "Return travel throughout the entire Arriva Trains Wales network on any day of the week", "Travel is valid on the entire Arriva Trains Wales network " etc etc.
MKD

 

[hairyhandedfool]

It is very definately specific station to specific station (point to point) and return, rather than a rover, though you can start or end from some selected non-ATW stations (at additional cost), the same as previous years.

 

[trainophile]

I'm trying to remember the break of journey rules from previous years' discussions. From memory I think it is permitted on the return leg but not the outbound. It's probably in the t&cs when I can summon the strength to try to find them (ATW's website is not the most user-friendly is it?).

 

[hairyhandedfool]

There is no BoJ restriction as far as I can recall, though the outward ticket is only valid on the date on the ticket.

 

[John @ home]

I'm trying to remember the break of journey rules from previous years' discussions. From memory I think it is permitted on the return leg but not the outbound. It's probably in the t&cs when I can summon the strength to try to find them

See post 2 above.

The terms & conditions do not mention break of journey. Therefore break of either or both legs of the journey is permitted. See National Rail Conditions of Carriage Condition 16.