Fast Ticket Machines

[XDA]

Im looking to buy virgin train tickets online and will collect them for a fast ticket machine at the station before I board the train.

I will be catching the train on Sunday, so if i buy the tickets today/tomorrow, will they be "held" in the system until sunday? Is there a maximum time limit that tickets are held for?

Cheers!

 

[gordonthemoron]

they are available from (any) fast ticket machine about 2 hours after booking

I think they are held indefinitely, certainly up until the day of the outward journey

 

[F Great Eastern]

You can pick them up from any station, despite what National Express in East Anglia are saying recently about them only being able to be picked up from the machine you specify.

They seem to be held for at least a few days after they are valid, for instance during the snow I booked a return and the outward portion was not valid as it was due a few days earlier and I didn't use the train, but when I went to the fast ticket machine it printed out both tickets, including the one which was dated a few days beforehand.

 

[Geezertronic]

You'll also need the credit card you booked the tickets on and your booking code supplied at time of booking to get the tickets from the machine

 

[gordonthemoron]

You'll also need the credit card you booked the tickets on and your booking code supplied at time of booking to get the tickets from the machine

you don't always seem to need the booking reference, but it's best to have it just in case

 

[voyagerdude220]

I could be wrong, but i personally think that the code thing happens, when you pick up two or more seperately coded tickets.

On the subject of fast ticket machines..

When I use the NXEC website, and pick up my tickets at Manchester Picc (VT fast ticket), I've always had a 100% success rate.

However, when I use the Cross Country branded Trainline website, it never works. (Well the two seperate bookings i made, before realising that the NXEC website worked perfectly 100% of the time)

Does anyone know why?

 

[F Great Eastern]

I always book through FGW myself as I like their site and they often have special offers on when booking through it. Picked up my tickets in various locations and never had a problem.

It's normally when there are more than one booking in the system for that card that hasn't been collected that it asks for a code.

 

[tony_mac]

if you are travelling at unsociable hours then you may need to make sure that you can actually get to the machine.
At Lime Street they lock the doors at night, I know a couple of people who have been caught out by that!

 

[transportphoto]

you don't always seem to need the booking reference, but it's best to have it just in case

At machienes looking like the one pictured in this link (CLICK) you probably will need the booking code - however most machienes like those used by VT & GR you probably won't need the code along with Stansted Express (one of these type of machienes alike are in the background of the pic).

I guess it depends on the 'program' the machiene is working on.
Hope this is helpful.

 

[matt]

This thread is several months old.