I need some advice on buying train tickets

[boxfullofjunk]

I'm going to Blackpool on the 26th of October and returning on the 2nd of November so can you recommend the cheapest way to buy return tickets with a family and friends railcard for 2 adult, 1 child and a ticket for a 17 year old but I guess this will be classed as an adult.
I want a train either from Pontypool & New Inn or Cwmbran station direct to Manchester Piccadilly then Manchester Piccadilly to Blackpool North but the 07:01 from Cwmbran I will have to change at Crewe. If I change the search from Cwmbran to Manchester Piccadilly it shows the 07:01 direct to Manchester Piccadilly so would this be the same train because if I booked it this way I would need tickets from Manchester Piccadilly to Blackpool North.

 

[mikeg]

Have to say the savings from split ticketing aren't huge, nor are there many cheap advances available, and off peak returns seem to be the way to go. seems to be between £5-10 per person according to trainsplit.. Have you tried a split ticketing site such as the forum's? Through tickets are available, which cover you for both trains, routed via Hereford (cheaper) and via Newport. Virgin Trains ticketing identifies a split at Shrewsbury for the via Hereford ticket, from Pontypool and New inn at least, bringing the off peak return down to £102.10 without railcard. You are correct the 17 year old is an adult but would pay for itself in one journey to buy said 17 year old a 16-17 saver card, which would allow them to avail of normal child rate*, provided they'll be 17 throughout outward and return journey. Even then if they turn 18, or you judge it to be better value in the long run, a 16-25 railcard would pay for itself too in one journey. Note despite the name the off peak returns have very relaxed restrictions, being valid at more or less all times. (ok, after 0415 for the Shrewsbury to Blackpool North ticket). Note that these tickets are available on day of travel, not need to book in advance, just buy them either online shortly before travel or from a ticket office, etc.

*ie 50% off, not the child rate with the family railcard. You must select 16-17 saver as the option rather than child. I should have just said it'll get you 50% off for the 17 year old.

Not sure if anyone can beat what I'm suggesting?

 

[MrJeeves]

Welcome to the forum!

Unfortunately, the Family and Friends Railcard won't be of any use for you anymore as this only covers someone until the day before their 17th birthday (or its expiry, whichever is sooner). You can split tickets at Shrewsbury to save a small amount on the overall cost of the journey, but there's not much in it.

If you purchase both a Two Together Railcard for the two adults, and a 16-17 Saver for the 17 year old, you'll end up saving about £60 in total over the booking, even accounting for the cost of the Railcards.

The itinerary that would match your requirements would be the 0701 from Cwmbran direct to Manchester Piccadilly, changing there for a Northern service to Blackpool North departing at 1033. The return is effectively the same, but in reverse (xx56 from Blackpool North, xx30 from Manchester Piccadilly).

With Railcards

Two Together Railcard	£30.00
16-17 Saver	£30.00
2x Off-Peak Return, via Hereford Two Together Railcard	£72.50 £72.50
1x Off-Peak Return, via Hereford 16-17 Saver	£54.95
Total	£259.95

Without Railcards

3x Off-Peak Return, via Hereford	£109.90 £109.90 £109.90
Total	£329.70

Unfortunately, the 0701 direct train to Manchester isn't one of Transport for Wales' premier trains, otherwise I would have suggested potentially upgrading on-board to 1st Class and enjoying a restaurant breakfast on board! If you wanted to do this, the 0459 and 1116 services from Cwmbrân are booked to operate these loco-hauled services (though these can change on the day), but that may not fit your schedule.

If you book through the forum's website, you'd need to do two separate searches: one for the 2 adults with the Two Together Railcard, and another with the 1 adult with a 16-17 Saver. You can add them both to your basket, and then checkout together.

The forum's website manages to drop the cost of the tickets further with a split at Shrewsbury, meaning the total cost with Railcards would end up being £249.10.

FYI, the website that powers the forum's site, TrainSplit will also sell you Digital Railcards: https://railcards.trainsplit.com. You should also be able to buy them from ticket offices, or from Rail Delivery Group or train operators directly.

Two Together search:

Results | RailUK Tickets

TrainSplit is a free service that makes it easy to find the cheapest train tickets for your journey.

tickets-beta.railforums.co.uk

16-17 Saver search:

Results | RailUK Tickets

TrainSplit is a free service that makes it easy to find the cheapest train tickets for your journey.

tickets-beta.railforums.co.uk

 

[yorkie]

I'm going to Blackpool on the 26th of October and returning on the 2nd of November so can you recommend the cheapest way to buy return tickets with a family and friends railcard for 2 adult, 1 child and a ticket for a 17 year old but I guess this will be classed as an adult.

Our ticketing website will work this out for you; yes, the 17-year-old is counted as an adult for railway ticketing purposes.

If the 17-year-old is in addition to the 2 adults and 1 child you already mentioned, then your search should be for 3 adults and 1 child.

If the 17-year-old has a 16-18 saver then you would need to do a separate search for their tickets; however you should add all tickets to the basket and pay for everything at once, under one transaction.

I want a train either from Pontypool & New Inn or Cwmbran station direct to Manchester Piccadilly then Manchester Piccadilly to Blackpool North but the 07:01 from Cwmbran I will have to change at Crewe. If I change the search from Cwmbran to Manchester Piccadilly it shows the 07:01 direct to Manchester Piccadilly so would this be the same train because if I booked it this way I would need tickets from Manchester Piccadilly to Blackpool North.

Instead of doing separate searches, you can specify a via point of Manchester Piccadilly.

If you want additional interchange time, you can specify that too.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The off-peak tickets from Cwmbran through to Blackpool mentioned above will be valid from Crewe to Blackpool via Warrington as well as via Manchester.
They are also valid on any train/operator on the route (ie Avanti north of Crewe).
Avanti has through trains Crewe-Blackpool at certain times, otherwise change at Preston.
You can also go one route Crewe-Blackpool and come back the other.
Changing at Piccadilly involves a trek from the main line terminal platforms to the P14 through platform for Blackpool.
The simplest interchange for P14 is to use the internal footbridge at the rear of the train and avoid the ticket check at the barriers (unless you want a break there).