Excessing a Std to a cheaper 1st ticket

[bengolding]

A friend has a Standard Anytime Return ticket from St Pancras to Kettering at £101.50. Can the entire ticket be excessed before travel to a slightly cheaper First Off Peak Return at £98.50?

 

[Starmill]

I don't think there is a rule against this, as long as the outward journey was made at a time when the First Off-Peak was valid - which might be a little tricky to believe if the ticket has already been used. If the outward journey has not yet been made at all then I don't see why not. If the excess is performed, they wouldn't get anything back.

 

[crehld]

National Rail Enquiries has this to say about the matter:

Return tickets - change of class in both directions

Simply pay the difference between the price of the ticket you hold and the cost of the appropriate First Class Return ticket for the journey you're making.

So providing the off peak ticket is the appropriate one for the journeys you intend to make then you pay a difference of £0.00.

You should do this at a ticket office before you board the train.

 

[bengolding]

I don't think there is a rule against this, as long as the outward journey was made at a time when the First Off-Peak was valid - which might be a little tricky to believe if the ticket has already been used. If the outward journey has not yet been made at all then I don't see why not. If the excess is performed, they wouldn't get anything back.

Thanks. They're traveling next Weds. I've found some EMT ticket office staff to be rather reluctant to do excesses so wondered if this was possible, as they're traveling off peak both ways at non fixed times and would prefer 1st.

 

[crehld]

Thanks. They're traveling next Weds. I've found some EMT ticket office staff to be rather reluctant to do excesses so wondered if this was possible, as they're traveling off peak both ways at non fixed times and would prefer 1st.

Some ticket office staff are reluctant to issue zero-fare excesses and their TOC might actively discourage it (something to do with a lot of form filling I believe).

But given such an upgrade is clearly laid out on the National Rail Enquiries website along with the process for obtaining it, I can see no legitimate reason why such a request should be refused. Should you run into trouble you could take a print out of the webpage linked to above to support your application for an upgrade, or shop around for a 'friendly' / 'helpful' ticket office.

 

[Starmill]

It's good advice generally not to buy a ticket like an Anytime Return a long way in advance in case of this kind of change of plans.

That is, unless work is paying and they have no First Class travel policy...

 

[CyrusWuff]

Note that some clerks may be unwilling to Excess an Anytime ticket to an Off-Peak one, as it would be more restricted than the ticket already held (or some similar reason), despite what it says in KnowledgeBase (the staff version of the NRE site), so you may need to "shop around" to get the desired outcome.