Basic question regarding Anytime Short Return

[steverailer]

This will seem a simple basic stupid question to most, but I very rarely travel by train.

Looking at a ticket from Chesterfield to Leeds for Tuesday next week, Need to be in Leeds for 0845 and then travel back in the evening around 1900 (not sure exact time as going out for food and drinks after work). Been looking at the 'Anytime short distance return' for £21.30. Just confused as when booking you need to select a service to return on?? So how is this a 'Anytime' return?

 

[maniacmartin]

Some websites and apps force you to select a service so they can be sure to only offer tickets valid on that service. However there is no obligation to actually travel on that service if you select a flexible ticket. Unlike Advance tickets, any seat reservations will be printed on a separate coupon which the main ticket will not reference, so you can choose to discard them and travel on another service if you wish, as long as you comply with any time restrictions for the ticket (if it were an Off Peak ticket).

Things might be different if you elect to get the ticket delivered as an eTicket or mTicket, so I’d advise you choose to collect a normal ticket from a ticket machine

 

[maniacmartin]

Also, as this is a walk up ticket, there is no price difference if you buy it at the station immediately before travel. Just make sure to allow enough time in case there are queues