Milton Keynes Central to Manchester Piccadilly

[PorageOats]

I sometimes travel on a weekday 07:27 or 07:50 Virgin service from Milton Keynes Central to Manchester Piccadilly.

What are my options for creative ticketing? (Leaving aside the 06:47 which can have cheaper advances, and assuming I don't want to spend at least an hour longer by taking an LM service to Stoke on Trent and changing.)

Typical advance prices with reasonable availability are (first/standard class):

Milton Keynes Central to Manchester Piccadilly - £99.00/£73.50

Often I can split at Stoke on Trent for £96.00/£68.90:

Milton Keynes Central to Stoke on Trent Advance Single - £77.00/£59.00
Stoke on Trent to Manchester Piccadilly Anytime Single Virgin Only - £19.00/£9.90

Is the following valid for £79.80/£57.70?

Milton Keynes Central to Rugby Anytime Single - £18.80/13.10
Rugby (via Tamworth) to Rugeley Trent Valley Anytime Single - £ 20.00/£11.00
Rugeley Trent Valley to Stoke on Trent Anytime Single - £9.00/£8.70
Stoke to Stockport Anytime Single Virgin Only - £12.10 /£9.20
Stockport to Manchester Piccadilly 7 Day Season - £19.90/£15.70

Are there any other options?

 

[bb21]

Is the following valid for £84.80/£57.70?

Milton Keynes Central to Rugby Anytime Single - £18.80/13.10
Rugby (via Tamworth) to Rugeley Trent Valley Anytime Single - £ 20.00/£11.00
Rugeley Trent Valley to Stoke on Trent Anytime Single - £9.00/£8.70
Stoke to Stockport Anytime Single Virgin Only - £12.10 /£9.20
Stockport to Manchester Piccadilly 7 Day Season - £19.90/£15.70

If you are happy to argue your case when needed, yes.

 

[All Line Rover]

Also given it is a straightforward combination I'd hope PorageOats wouldn't experience many problems.

 

[Crossover]

Also given it is a straightforward combination I'd hope PorageOats wouldn't experience many problems.

I would agree - it is just whether any staff members are ignorant of 19C :P

 

[34D]

I sometimes travel on a weekday 07:27 or 07:50 Virgin service from Milton Keynes Central to Manchester Piccadilly.

What are my options for creative ticketing? (Leaving aside the 06:47 which can have cheaper advances, and assuming I don't want to spend at least an hour longer by taking an LM service to Stoke on Trent and changing.)

Typical advance prices with reasonable availability are (first/standard class):

Milton Keynes Central to Manchester Piccadilly - £99.00/£73.50

Often I can split at Stoke on Trent for £96.00/£68.90:

Milton Keynes Central to Stoke on Trent Advance Single - £77.00/£59.00
Stoke on Trent to Manchester Piccadilly Anytime Single Virgin Only - £19.00/£9.90

Is the following valid for £84.80/£57.70?

Milton Keynes Central to Rugby Anytime Single - £18.80/13.10
Rugby (via Tamworth) to Rugeley Trent Valley Anytime Single - £ 20.00/£11.00
Rugeley Trent Valley to Stoke on Trent Anytime Single - £9.00/£8.70
Stoke to Stockport Anytime Single Virgin Only - £12.10 /£9.20
Stockport to Manchester Piccadilly 7 Day Season - £19.90/£15.70

Are there any other options?

There's always other options.

Bletchley to MKC seven day season £16.20
To stoke as per your one above
Stoke to Manchester Virgin only single £19.00 first £9.90 standard.
Total £83 first or £58.90 standard (standard not as good as your one). Someone may be able to better this.

HOWEVER you haven't told us about your southbound journey. Is it always a different day? What time, approx? With use of period returns on certain legs we may be able to help further.

 

[PorageOats]

Thanks for the confirmations and suggestion.

My return journey is later in the week on the 18.55 / 19.15 when advances are reasonably available for £38.00/£20.50.

I checked my addition and corrected it so the fares with the Stockport-Piccadillly season are now £79.80/£57.70

I think the Bletchley-MKC season option is slightly more in both cases: £89.90/£58.90 (unless the suggestion was to use Standard for the season BLY-MKC and First for the MKC-MAN when it would drop to £80.90 for First - arguing 19C with a class change might be more problematic.)

 

[tractakid]

You could always argue that the London Midland/Southern first class offering Between BLY and MKC is rather sub-par and not worth paying for! The VT guard might like to hear that...

 

[PorageOats]

The Bletchley-Milton Keynes season prompted another idea: split along the route as previously: Milton Keynes to Rugby to Rugeley Trent Valley to Stoke (to Stockport if travelling First) to Piccadilly plus add a 7 day season from Piccadilly to Deansgate for £8.20


This brings the cost down to £72.90/£50.90

 

[34D]

Could you make other use of a season that includes MKC at all?

Not sure which of the stations is closest to home, but potentially if there is other use then you may want to consider one?

 

[Greeby]

I discovered something a lot simpler:

Bedford - Preston SVR
Route: Not London
£77.50
Restriction Code 2T (Any train after 04:15)

Saves £82.40 over the SOS+SVS combo which is normally sold

 

[soil]

MKC - Knighton £48.50 SVR Not Via London, stopping short at Stockport (mapped route using easement 700074, Customers may double back when travelling between Cheadle Hulme and Stockport), 2 * Stockport - Manchester Virgin Only Anytime Singles, at £2.10 each

Total £52.70 return.

Valid at any time, train must call at Stockport, NRE will give itinerary.

 

[PorageOats]

Thanks for all the responses and ideas. I've eventually gone for the following at £72.90 as I decided on First Class:

Milton Keynes Central to Rugby Anytime Single - £18.80
Rugby (via Tamworth) to Rugeley Trent Valley Anytime Single - £ 20.00
Rugeley Trent Valley to Stoke on Trent Anytime Single - £9.00
Stoke to Stockport Anytime Single Virgin Only - £12.10
Stockport to Manchester Piccadilly Anytime Single - £4.80
Manchester Piccadilly to Deansgate 7 Day Season - £8.20

I bought the tickets at Manchester Piccadilly as I didn't think I could get the season online. I was served by a very patient and pleasant member of staff who even dated the season to start on Monday (rather than insisting it could only be sold for the next day as not a renewal). Right at the end I asked for a reservation on my chosen train from MKC to MAN, and he said the tickets weren't technically valid on that train. I mentioned NRCOC 19C and he provided the reservation. So all in all a good experience so far.

 

[maniacmartin]

You can buy seasons online from Southern and FGW, but if collecting from a TVM I believe you may have to collect from one operated by the company you purchase from. FGW, however, will post you any season free of charge if you allow enough time for delivery. Just click Season tickets on the left hadn side of their home page

 

[soil]

MKC - Wolverton is £3.30 FDS, and then Wolverton - Rugby £14.10 FDS, that saves £1.40

 

[PorageOats]

Presented the 5 singles, the season and a photocard for inspection on the train this morning; no issues at all.

(& Soil, thanks for the further splitting suggestion.)

 

[PorageOats]

Did the Wolverton split as well today. Again no issues apart from having to answer the question "what are all these tickets then?" even though I'd pointed out the season ticket when I handed over the 6 singles, season and photocard. Something said along the lines of "all those tickets for other companies" as a loop and the date were written on each of the singles.

So I'm wondering roughly what revenue Virgin will be getting via ORCATS. Presumably just Stoke-Stockport (since Virgin only) and a percentage of Stockport-Manchester?

 

[bb21]

So I'm wondering roughly what revenue Virgin will be getting via ORCATS. Presumably just Stoke-Stockport (since Virgin only) and a percentage of Stockport-Manchester?

Probably not much.