FIP Card

[First class]

After 12m service, most toc employees receive an 'international priv'. This usually allows 50 or 75% off all public fares.

A few questions I have:

1. Is this pass valid in your own country?

2. The Eurostar through tickets e.g. Liverpool-Paris via London... can a priv discount be given against these fares?

3. Finally, has anyone ever used theirs and had any problems obtaining discount?

thanks!

 

[dan_atki]

1. Is this pass valid in your own country?

I don't understand why it'd need to be valid in the UK as you'd have a TOCNE priv card to get 75% off UK fares, unless I've misunderstood the question.

2. The Eurostar through tickets e.g. Liverpool-Paris via London... can a priv discount be given against these fares?

AFAIK, no. That's not to stop you using free/priv travel to London then the FIP to get to Paris or Brussels though - i.e. as two separate tickets.

3. Finally, has anyone ever used theirs and had any problems obtaining discount?

Haven't tried using one abroad, although when requesting fares information from Eurostar at one time, they were only too happy to tell us the price of the discounted fares.

Hope this helps.

 

[glynn80]

After 12m service, most toc employees receive an 'international priv'. This usually allows 50 or 75% off all public fares.

A few questions I have:

1. Is this pass valid in your own country?

2. The Eurostar through tickets e.g. Liverpool-Paris via London... can a priv discount be given against these fares?

3. Finally, has anyone ever used theirs and had any problems obtaining discount?

thanks!

1. No it is not valid within your own country

2. No it is not valid on Interlining tickets, you will have to purchase a Privelige ticket to London then a FIP discounted ticket to Paris/Belguim.

3. The FIP card has all the companies it is valid printed on it which usually solves most problems with using it

 

[Craig]

Correct on all accounts.

Through fares to Europe are not subject to PRIV discounts as they are not "Anytime" tickets. Eurostar has to be booked as one journey using your FIP card and these fares are set at a constant FIP rate on a first come first serve limited number per train basis.

FIP does not get you discount on fares in your own country as the TOCNE pass is issued first and you can't get FIP until 1 years continuous service with a TOC.

Finally all the discounts all printed on the card (minus the country of issue) and from people I've spoken to, the only barrier would be a language barrier, otherwise the cards seem to be generally well recognised. Always use the ticket offices where possible, a lot of services can be subject to reseverations and suplements which may end up paying full fare for on board. Some countries are extremely strict on this.

 

[First class]

I don't understand why it'd need to be valid in the UK as you'd have a TOCNE priv card to get 75% off UK fares, unless I've misunderstood the question.



AFAIK, no. That's not to stop you using free/priv travel to London then the FIP to get to Paris or Brussels though - i.e. as two separate tickets.



Haven't tried using one abroad, although when requesting fares information from Eurostar at one time, they were only too happy to tell us the price of the discounted fares.

Hope this helps.

I was more wondering whether tickets which we can't buy on a normal priv, e.g. the scotrail strathclyde stuff would be available for purchase with a FIP card...

 

[glynn80]

I was more wondering whether tickets which we can't buy on a normal priv, e.g. the scotrail strathclyde stuff would be available for purchase with a FIP card...

Why was it that staff lost the ability to use Strathclyde PTE services with their Priv?? Do safeguarded staff still have the ability to use those services (as the FRPP seems to suggest not)?

Also just out of interest this is the back of a FIP Card:

http://img183.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fipcardbacktk3.png

 

[EM2]

Kind of related, is there any way for Network Rail staff to get discounted travel in Europe?

 

[glynn80]

Kind of related, is there any way for Network Rail staff to get discounted travel in Europe?

Yes, if you are Safeguarded staff and have negotiated to keep your facilities when you joined Network Rail/Railtrack.

 

[EM2]

Yes, if you are Safeguarded staff and have negotiated to keep your facilities when you joined Network Rail/Railtrack.

No, I only joined in Autumn '07

 

[Tom C]

The main difference between FIP and PRIV is that it allows to purchase tickets outside of class. There are special 1st class FIP fares on Eurostar, Elipsos etc which you can buy regardless of the class on your FIP card. Normal FIP 1st class fares are the standard FIP fare plus the difference between the public 1st and 2nd class fares.