Fast ticket machines - 2hours?

[prd101]

I want to use red spotted hanky vouchers (hence need to buy online not at york station) but i'm making my travel decisions at the last minute tomorrow.

Do I really have to wait 2 hours to collect tickets from a fast ticket machine? Or is this just guidance?

 

[crispy1978]

I got mine at Scarborough just over an hour after booking.

 

[maniacmartin]

It depends on the website.

Trainline powered websites (e.g. Virgin) need up to the full 2 hours.

WebTIS powered websites (East Coast, Southern, Red Spotted Hanky, Chiltern etc) will virtually always release the tickets instantly, but the sites think they need 2 hours, so you can't book a seat reservation or AP ticket that's for less than 2 hours' time. You also can't book a ticket later than 2 hours before the last itinerary of the day.

 

[prd101]

Thanks. It'll be a cheap day return so no issues re specific trains or reservations. I'll take my chances tomorrow - I should be able to allow an hour.

 

[causton]

When I collect tickets from RSH it shows the time I booked it on the collection receipt. But I assumed when the times were different it was because that was when the ticket was released - but I checked my last EMT booking made at 11pm and it showed a time of 4am the next morning! Hmm...

 

[ess]

Southern's is instant and it comes with the money back guarantee (although having used it, it took 3 months to get a refund)

 

[bicbasher]

I purchased tickets from SWT's website at 0950 and was able to collect at 1130 from a Southern TVM.

 

[causton]

I purchased tickets from SWT's website at 0950 and was able to collect at 1130 from a Southern TVM.

That isn't too bad - I expect the actual time is a lot less than two hours just they have a margin for safety.

Regarding my comment - would you be able to check the collection receipt if you still have it and tell me if the time on the receipt was either the time you booked it, the time you picked it up or another time? :P

 

[embers25]

Had to buy SailRail from ArrivaWales and it annoyingly took 97 minutes to come through.

 

[tsr]

I have booked tickets on the Southern website and then been able to collect them from one of their TVMs 7 minutes later. I have left amounts of time just greater than this (10mins, 15mins, etc.) on several other occasions and I have never had any problems. I have also used the EMT website and been able to do the same, proving it's not just applicable for tickets sold by Southern.

 

[island]

I have booked tickets on East Coast while standing in the Euston ticket hall and collected them when I got the confirmation number.

 

[yorkie]

I want to use red spotted hanky vouchers (hence need to buy online not at york station) but i'm making my travel decisions at the last minute tomorrow.

Do I really have to wait 2 hours to collect tickets from a fast ticket machine? Or is this just guidance?

I agree with others, providing you avoid Thetrainline-powered sites, it's pretty much instant! So with RSH you're fine.

Enjoy the Summer break

 

[maniacmartin]

Regarding my comment - would you be able to check the collection receipt if you still have it and tell me if the time on the receipt was either the time you booked it, the time you picked it up or another time? :P

I have a collection receipt for a ticket I collected yesterday. They were booked through EMT (TTL-powered).
Confirmation email came through at 21:45
Collection Receipt Date & Time says 22:45
The time I picked it up is printed in small print on the bottom right (15:51 the next day)

I can 100% confirm that they were not available to collect within the first half hour after booking (at least).

 

[maniacmartin]

I agree with others, providing you avoid Thetrainline-powered sites, it's pretty much instant!

With Northern Rail and Mytrainticket (and thus presumably Raileasy too) you need to allow up to the full 2 hours too. I learnt this the hard way...

 

[bb21]

There is a manual process involved in the release of bookings with TTL-powered sites. Sometimes, especially on Sundays, it can take more than 2 hours for them to come through.

With Northern Rail and Mytrainticket (and thus presumably Raileasy too) you need to allow up to the full 2 hours too. I learnt this the hard way...

I thought MTT only required 15 minutes for bookings to be ready. Has that changed?

 

[maniacmartin]

It may be 15 minutes, my memory is hazy. It's certainly not instant like WebTIS though.

 

[Goatboy]

So if I buy with RSH on the way to the station, 15 minutes later I could collect?

 

[island]

Yes, it would work.

 

[tony_mac]

It would usually work, but if it doesn't then you have no cause for complaint.
I'm pretty sure that I've had one take more than 30 minutes before.

 

[Hadders]

I purchased some tickets via RSH last Saturday using my Blackberry (as I wanted to redeem some evouchers), whilst stood next to the TVM. I was able to collect them instantly.

 

[prd101]

Worked fine. Booked at 0933 and collected at 1030. Thanks.

Causton - Collection receipt said 0933 under 'Date & Time' but 'Printed 1030' on orange strip at bottom.

 

[Mike@Raileasy]

With Northern Rail and Mytrainticket (and thus presumably Raileasy too) you need to allow up to the full 2 hours too. I learnt this the hard way...

Raileasy's CTRs can be issued instantaneously.

 

[CockneySparrow]

I want to use red spotted hanky vouchers (hence need to buy online not at york station) but i'm making my travel decisions at the last minute tomorrow.

Do I really have to wait 2 hours to collect tickets from a fast ticket machine? Or is this just guidance?

No, the machine won't see the tickets sometimes but you can get them over the desk no problem