GWR long weekender - what’s the point?

[aar0]

Next weekend I’m going for a long weekend in London from Swansea, and need flexible tickets. Travelling off peak for value, with a railcard, and GWR has offered me:
Super off peak return, £74.50
Long weekender, out Fri, rtn Monday, £89.20

Reading the T&Cs on the GWR app suggests no advantage for the long weekender. So why would I spend an extra £15 for a less flexible ticket?

 

[JonathanH]

So why would I spend an extra £15 for a less flexible ticket?

It is available at times of the day that the super off peak return isn't.

 

[aar0]

Do you know which times? The GWR app doesn’t show that.

 

[JonathanH]

Do you know which times? The GWR app doesn’t show that.

All day, ie no peak restrictions.

See https://www.brfares.com/!faredetail?orig=SWA&dest=PAD&grpd=1072&tkt=WKD

Also https://www.gwr.com/your-tickets/ways-to-save/long-weekender (My bold)

Make the most of summer with a long weekend.

Leave on a Friday or Saturday, return on a Monday and save over 50% compared to an Anytime Return.

The Long Weekender now gives you the chance to travel to even more destinations than before, with the fully flexible fare allowing you to travel whenever you'd like on the permitted travel days*.

So whether that’s for more headspace in Bristol, more calm in Cardiff or more zen in Bath, book the GWR Long Weekender ticket.

Please note, the booking process will ask you to select an outbound and return train service, but you are able to travel on any service you wish on the permitted travel days

1. Description
1.1 Long Weekender fares are fully flexible walk-up tickets with no restrictions on when you can travel on the days that they are valid – outward on a Friday or Saturday, return the following Monday.

6. When and where the ticket can be used
6.1 Long Weekender tickets must be used for outward travel on the date shown on your ticket and up to 04:29 the following day (the date shown on the ticket will be a Friday or Saturday). They are only valid for return travel the following Monday.

 

[aar0]

Ah! So far from being poor value, it’s actually pretty decent value! Thank you very much. Hope GWR give you some commission

 

[lnerazuma]

The value isn't that poor if you must travel in peak time and do not want to commit to advance ticket, apart from that it's useful product for peak time commuter if you need 2 days a week office in London; Fri am peak to London outbound & Mon pm peak return plus a Fri pm peak return & Mon am peak to London

 

[Bletchleyite]

The value isn't that poor if you must travel in peak time and do not want to commit to advance ticket, apart from that it's useful product for peak time commuter if you need 2 days a week office in London; Fri am peak to London outbound & Mon pm peak return plus a Fri pm peak return & Mon am peak to London

It's a bit of an alternative to "Advances for everything" and/or the Friday afternoon off peak practiced on other long distance services, though it is odd that there isn't a simple weekend version valid Friday to Sunday (which the old Virgin Weekender ticket did have - I seem to recall it was valid for a return journey any time between Friday and the following Monday?).

While it's adding to the offering, one could argue it's a simplification because you only have to know what day it is rather than dealing with esoteric time restrictions.

 

[JonathanH]

It seems to be something that works primarily for the weekend in the country / weekdays in London market, effectively giving the ability to travel away from London in the Friday afternoon peak (or Saturday morning) and return in the Monday morning peak. The fact it is available in both directions suggests some use in the opposite market as well.

 

[NorthOxonian]

It seems to be something that works primarily for the weekend in the country / weekdays in London market, effectively giving the ability to travel away from London in the Friday afternoon peak (or Saturday morning) and return in the Monday morning peak. The fact it is available in both directions suggests some use in the opposite market as well.

Yes - GWR certainly serve a number of places where you'd expect such a market to be large, for instance the Cotswolds or Bruton. Though interestingly, Long Weekender tickets aren't available to Cornwall or west Devon where I'd also expect demand - it seems to depend on whether the off peak restrictions are YC (east of Newton Abbot) or YD (west of and including Newton Abbot) as to whether the ticket is offered. Perhaps they think the latter's restrictions are more generous enough not to warrant offering a more flexible discounted fare.

 

[30907]

Yes - GWR certainly serve a number of places where you'd expect such a market to be large, for instance the Cotswolds or Bruton. Though interestingly, Long Weekender tickets aren't available to Cornwall or west Devon where I'd also expect demand - it seems to depend on whether the off peak restrictions are YC (east of Newton Abbot) or YD (west of and including Newton Abbot) as to whether the ticket is offered. Perhaps they think the latter's restrictions are more generous enough not to warrant offering a more flexible discounted fare.

Or perhaps they reckon they don't need to generate demand for those areas as they have as much as they can cope with?

 

[DeverseSam]

See also the Hull Trains Long Weekender Return which isn’t currently available but works the same

 

[ainsworth74]

I think the question has probably been answered so anything else is probably best suited to another thread

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