Excessing a Grand Central Ticket

[prd101]

I'd like to buy a York-Kings Cross Off Peak Grand Central Only ticket in the near future. There's a chance that I will need to use a peak time train in one direction though.

Are grand central ok with excess fares like this? ie: excessing from an Off Peak to an Anytime return by paying half of the difference? Can this be done in either direction (ie: outbound or return)?

 

[glynn80]

I'd like to buy a York-Kings Cross Off Peak Grand Central Only ticket in the near future. There's a chance that I will need to use a peak time train in one direction though.

Are grand central ok with excess fares like this? ie: excessing from an Off Peak to an Anytime return by paying half of the difference? Can this be done in either direction (ie: outbound or return)?

Unfortunately TOC specific tickets are "unexcessable" with regard to travelling on other TOCs train services.

The FRPP states the following on the issue:

National Rail Condition Of Carriage, Condition 10, refers.

The validity of some tickets is restricted to services of a particular Train Company. Where the 'route' shown on the ticket specifies a particular Train Company name(s) for the main part of the journey it cannot be used on any other Train Company's service for that part of the journey unless authorised for this purpose (e.g. train service disruption).

No excess fare is charged and customers should purchase a new ticket to travel on the train.

(Emphasis added personally)

 

[yorkie]

No, it can't be done.

If you change type (as opposed to route/destination/class) then only the whole ticket can be excessed.

Unless GC are more lenient than the general rules on excesses!

 

[prd101]

thanks. that may well be right, I wasn't expecting to be able to excess a Grand Central ticket, for a NXEC ticket for example. I meant that my Grand Central Only Off Peak could be excessed to a Grand Central Only Anytime ??

 

[yorkie]

Unfortunately TOC specific tickets are "unexcessable" with regard to travelling on other TOCs train services.

I think the OP wants to use the 1650 GC back, not use another TOC.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

thanks. that may well be right, I wasn't expecting to be able to excess a Grand Central ticket, for a NXEC ticket for example. I meant that my Grand Central Only Off Peak could be excessed to a Grand Central Only Anytime ??

Yes it can, but not half of it.

 

[glynn80]

I think the OP wants to use the 1650 GC back, not use another TOC.

Lol, rereading the post I don't even know what I read that made me think the OP did want to travel on another TOCs services .

Back to the issue at hand, as yorkie states, the excess fare procedures would not permit an excess for a single portion to be done onboard, only the full ticket could be excessed:

Change of route or travel on a day/train for which the ticket is not valid

Charge the difference between the fare paid and the cheapest Single or Return, available for immediate travel, for the journey being made. Railcard holders are eligible for a discount only if original tickets were discounted.

Although with GC permitting tickets to be purchased onboard at no extra cost, does this override the excess fare procedures within the FRPP?

 

[prd101]

i've excessed a York-KX Off Peak Rtn (any TOC) before when having to travel on a peak train out of KX, ie: paying half of the difference.

Is the only difference here because it's a TOC specific ticket ?

 

[glynn80]

Is the only difference here because it's a TOC specific ticket ?

Nope, the TOC specific "issue" is only when attempting to excess the ticket to use on another TOCs services, in all other respects TOC specific tickets are excessable in exactly the same way as Any Permitted tickets are.

i've excessed a York-KX Off Peak Rtn (any TOC) before when having to travel on a peak train out of KX, ie: paying half of the difference.

The most likely cause, for the situation that occurred above, was that the guard was not familiar with the excess fare procedures within the FRPP. Whether that unfamiliarity is present within GC guards is another question, but I do know of at least one GC guard that reads this forum, so perhaps not...

 

[yorkie]

i've excessed a York-KX Off Peak Rtn (any TOC) before when having to travel on a peak train out of KX, ie: paying half of the difference.

Is the only difference here because it's a TOC specific ticket ?

Interesting! I've been told that's not meant to happen.

I suspect that the rules are so complex that people are often undercharged and overcharged.

It is possible that some companies think that excessing the whole ticket is rather harsh so give instructions to only excess the relevant portion perhaps.

 

[prd101]

yes it's interesting because I honestly thought that the 'half the difference' concept was automatically the normal one. clearly i won't rely on that in the future then.

I can do an Off Peak GC Sgl - £35 - one way and an Anytime GC Sgl - £58 - the other way.

Would that be better than excessing the £61 Off Peak GC Rtn to the £95 Anytime GC Rtn?

 

[yorkie]

yes it's interesting because I honestly thought that the 'half the difference' concept was automatically the normal one. clearly i won't rely on that in the future then.

I can do an Off Peak GC Sgl - £35 - one way and an Anytime GC Sgl - £58 - the other way.

Would that be better than excessing the £61 Off Peak GC Rtn to the £95 Anytime GC Rtn?

By £2, yes.

£58+£35 = £93!

The best thing to do with excesses, is if you don't get offered the excess you want, shop around until you do (if you have time and if the ticket is of high enough value). If they try to charge the full difference ask them if it should be half the difference, if they say no, try elsewhere. Different systems are set up to do different things, some are wrong and some are right.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Basically you want a to go off peak and return at peak time for £78, and you can achieve this by using the Mobitix site. https://www.mobitix.thetrainline.com/GC/advancePurchase.aspx

Mobitix was originally designed as only valid on specific trains but GC appear to allow you to use it on other trains in the same day, the conditions state:

Section 2: Terms and Conditions specific to train companies.

Grand Central: Single journey must be on the date on the ticket and completed by the following day. Outward and Return portions of a return ticket can be made within one calendar month. Reservations are not essential but are recommended for longer journeys. The outward portion of a Standard Open Return ticket is valid only in conjunction with the unused return portion.
In the event of a conflict between the train company and the general terms and conditions, the train company terms and conditions apply.

This appears to indicate that GC are more lenient so you can use a different train to the one specified. However what is confusing is where it talks about "return portions"; I believe the tickets are issued as singles not returns, so you can't actually return within a month as the terms appear to suggest.

 

[prd101]

thanks, that £78 is perfect, similar to what I was looking for, better in fact as i can just book the day before and print at home when I know my travel plans.