First Great Western Groupsave on Rugby Days

[big_dirt]

Thanks to this forum, I have read about FGW's Groupsave and how it is not valid on high demand dates, such as rugby internationals.

I am going to go to the Heineken Cup Final on 24th May in Cardiff.

I can see that the tickets are for sale for that date and a Groupsave ticket can be bought.

Does this mean that the Groupsave tickets will be valid on the day? Am I at risk of buying the tickets now and then being told that they are invalid?

The calendar on National Rail is only showing restrictions as far as March.

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/ticket_types/48462.aspx

I got the tip on here about going to Newport on the Groupsave and buying a return from there but I'd prefer to buy a ticket the whole way.

 

[yorkie]

If you buy a ticket with that itinerary, it will be valid on those trains. I recommend obtaining reservations, if available.

See 3.15 Routes permitted by booking engines

Whilst all tickets offered by booking engines for journeys should be valid for the journeys selected, there might be rare occasions when software issues lead to a ticket being offered that is not technically “valid” for the journey in question. However, in such circumstances, if a ticket purchased through an authorised site is accompanied by a valid itinerary (which shows both the journey being made and the fare quoted for that itinerary matching the ticket held) then the purchaser should be able to use the ticket for that journey.

Once it has been brought to the attention of the relevant Pricing Manager, that there is a fixture on that date, the tickets will be removed from sale and no longer available to purchase.

 

[island]

Reservations won't be out yet for the 24th of May.

Bear in mind that queueing systems are in operation at Cardiff Central station on match days depending on your destination and they often direct people travelling to Newport or destinations within Wales onto ATW services. ATW doesn't accept GroupSave (GPS-3 and GPS-4) tickets so you would be well-advised to get on an FGW service in that scenario. It would be difficult to ensure you travel on the service on your itinerary, as yorkie suggests.

 

[big_dirt]

When are reservations for 24th May out?

 

[yorkie]

Ah yes, reservations have not yet opened for that date!

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/ticket_types/44703.aspx is the page to keep an eye on, though in my experience they have often already been open for a while before that page is updated.