Buying Rovers from GWR or SWR online

[Cletus]

In recent times buying Rovers from GWR online has become impossible (to me), usually I buy the Freedom of Devon & Cornwall (3 days in 7), so I'd switched to using the SWR website.

But now any Rover I try to buy, I also want a Thames 3-day Rover in mid-June the same message appears - "There are currently no delivery options available for the combination of tickets. Please try again later"

Has the option of buying these Western Rovers online ended? If so perhaps the GWR and SWR should be removing these webpages?

 

[Sleepy]

In recent times buying Rovers from GWR online has become impossible (to me), usually I buy the Freedom of Devon & Cornwall (3 days in 7), so I'd switched to using the SWR website.

But now any Rover I try to buy, I also want a Thames 3-day Rover in mid-June the same message appears - "There are currently no delivery options available for the combination of tickets. Please try again later"

Has the option of buying these Western Rovers online ended? If so perhaps the GWR and SWR should be removing these webpages?

tickets.gwr.com will certainly sell Rovers (FODC) to me ?

 

[Cletus]

tickets.gwr.com will certainly sell Rovers (FODC) to me ?

With GWR I only get the option of buying to the 1st June, every future date is grey'd out.

 

[LarryRailer]

With GWR I only get the option of buying to the 1st June, every future date is grey'd out.

(“Rover Ticket Newbie” here!)
I have a different (but related?) problem.

Attempting to buy a “Freedom of Devon and Cornwall (8 days in 15)” Rover ticket from gwr.com.

I can specify the ticket okay (starting in just a few days, so well within the available booking window), and select the railcard-priced option (£71.60).

I then need to specify a delivery option, BUT NONE ARE OFFERED!

Unable to get beyond this stage (Delivery Details) to progress to Payment Details. FWIW, I am already logged in to my GWR account by this stage.

More generally - what form will my ticket arrive in? Is it even possible to get an e-ticket, or does it need to be a physical card ticket (in order to manually write in the 8 dates, as the ticket is progressively used)?

If it’s a physical ticket only, then seems pointless to offer for sale via the website, as I will need to collect from a station regardless.

Any advice appreciated.

 

[MrJeeves]

If it’s a physical ticket only, then seems pointless to offer for sale via the website, as I will need to collect from a station regardless.

When the site is working as expected, the tickets will be posted to you. It's not possible to buy rovers or rangers for collection yet.

It may well be that your departure date is too soon as the ticket might not make it to your address in time.

You may have better luck buying from a local ticket office or some ticket machines which can now sell them.

 

[Cletus]

I generally use SWR as you can buy far in advance.

Rovers And Rangers

 

[LarryRailer]

Thanks @MrJeeves - I think you’re correct, my departure date is too soon for the ticket to be delivered by post. But, of course, it’s really poor website design not to say so explicitly, and just leave visitors unable to progress beyond that page in the booking process.

I visited ticket office at my local station today, and all now sorted (issued a two-part ticket, with second part to be filled in manually with each of the eight dates, as progressively used). I guess they don’t sell enough of these to justify writing the software to supply the equivalent as an e-ticket.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Jun 2025 ==

And, @Cletus, I see now that SWR does offer a slightly more helpful reason for failing to complete the purchase: “There are currently no delivery options available for the combination of tickets. Please try again later”

 

[MrJeeves]

I guess they don’t sell enough of these to justify writing the software to supply the equivalent as an e-ticket.

Some ranger/rovers are (issued as M-Tickets), but I think it's basically only the Scottish ones, which they sell through ACP Rail.

 

[Cletus]

Thanks @MrJeeves - I think you’re correct, my departure date is too soon for the ticket to be delivered by post. But, of course, it’s really poor website design not to say so explicitly, and just leave visitors unable to progress beyond that page in the booking process.

I visited ticket office at my local station today, and all now sorted (issued a two-part ticket, with second part to be filled in manually with each of the eight dates, as progressively used). I guess they don’t sell enough of these to justify writing the software to supply the equivalent as an e-ticket.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Jun 2025 ==

And, @Cletus, I see now that SWR does offer a slightly more helpful reason for failing to complete the purchase: “There are currently no delivery options available for the combination of tickets. Please try again later”

That message was part of my original post. The following day the message cleared and I was able to buy a ticket.

 

[Mag_seven]

That message was part of my original post. The following day the message cleared and I was able to buy a ticket.

Thread reopened

 

[AY1975]

I thought both GWR and SWR had withdrawn the facility to buy rover and ranger tickets via their websites.

 

[Cletus]

I thought both GWR and SWR had withdrawn the facility to buy rover and ranger tickets via their websites.

This is the reason I asked for the thread to be re-opened, to confirm that SWR had also withdrawn the option of buying online?