NRE not showing cheapest fare

[BRX]

Correct me if I've got something wrong here but...

If I look up a single London-Brighton for Saturday (with Network Railcard) the cheapest fare I'm offered is a super off peak day return at £6.60.

Same for the reverse journey on Sunday. So going there on Sat and back on Sun costs 2 x 6.60 = £13.20.

But if I look up a return journey, out on Saturday and back on Sunday, the cheapest it offers me is an off peak return at £17.80.

That's not right is it? NRE is supposed to show you the cheapest option for your journey.
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...and another thing - for the single journey an advance fare from Southern of £10 comes up, but no Network Railcard discount... why's that? I thought the rules now were that you get railcard discounts off all fares including advance ones...or has that now been abandoned?

 

[yorkie]

Correct me if I've got something wrong here but...

If I look up a single London-Brighton for Saturday (with Network Railcard) the cheapest fare I'm offered is a super off peak day return at £6.60.

Same for the reverse journey on Sunday. So going there on Sat and back on Sun costs 2 x 6.60 = £13.20.

Yes, that's the cheapest fare for returning the same day (or not returning at all); an FCC Only Super Off Peak Day Return at £6.60.

But if I look up a return journey, out on Saturday and back on Sunday, the cheapest it offers me is an off peak return at £17.80.

Yes, that's the cheapest fare for returning a different day.

That's not right is it? NRE is supposed to show you the cheapest option for your journey.

I'm not sure how you define option, or where that's stated, but my understanding is that the National Rail Enquiries website should show the cheapest ticket (singular) from origin to destination for your journey, however for some journeys more than one ticket is required. If more than one ticket is required (that's not the case here) it will then show a combination (not necessarily the cheapest combination) of tickets.

...and another thing - for the single journey an advance fare from Southern of £10 comes up, but no Network Railcard discount... why's that? I thought the rules now were that you get railcard discounts off all fares including advance ones...or has that now been abandoned?

See this thread: http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=55715&highlight=railcard+advance

 

[BRX]

Yes, that's the cheapest fare for returning the same day (or not returning at all); an FCC Only Super Off Peak Day Return at £6.60.

Yes, that's the cheapest fare for returning a different day.

It's not though, because the cheapest fare is to buy two day returns (just like sometimes the cheapest fare is to buy two singles).

If the system recognises buying a day return as being cheaper than a single, for a single journey, then why shouldn't it recognise that buying two day returns is cheaper than buying two singles (or for that matter than buying a non-day return).

 

[AlterEgo]

This is nothing new, I think.

NRE won't show you two return fares if you're only making one journey there and one journey back. It also won't show you rover or ranger products even if they are cheaper (well, it never has for me).

 

[yorkie]

It's not though, because the cheapest fare is to buy two day returns (just like sometimes the cheapest fare is to buy two singles).

That's the cheapest combination of fares, but it's not the cheapest fare.

It will not show a combination of more than one ticket, for a journey where one ticket is available.

Basically you want it to show 2 x day returns where you chuck away the return portions (but don't do that until you've completed the outward ) rather than 1 x non-day return. Unfortunately it doesn't work like that.

If the system recognises buying a day return as being cheaper than a single, for a single journey, then why shouldn't it recognise that buying two day returns is cheaper than buying two singles (or for that matter than buying a non-day return).

How far should it go?

I think that showing a return that is cheaper than a single is a quite important and useful feature, and from ATOC that's about as good as we're likely to get. Remember, rail fare pricing is market-driven and is designed to extract as much money out of us as possible.

 

[185]

Someone mentioned on here it was showing £60 (Coast & Peaks Ranger) as the only open return ticket from Nantwich-Manchester, a single is only about £11!

 

[cuccir]

It does now show day rangers - search Ravenglass to Newcastle for example and it will come up with a hadrian's wall day ranger (which is cheaper than a single!)

 

[hairyhandedfool]

....That's not right is it? NRE is supposed to show you the cheapest option for your journey.....

I think the issue is that when looking for a single it puts all fares together and picks the cheapest of them, but when doing a return journey it separates the return and single fares, and because the day return is not valid to return another day it does not show it. This is a programming issue.

But we should balance this out (not that it is the BBC) and as NRES is the official source of all rail information with no exceptions, two day returns are clearly not valid for making those journeys:roll:

 

[BRX]

Diverging slightly from the initial point... on Saturday I asked at my local station (operated by Southern) for the super off peak return from London Bridge to Brighton but was told no such thing existed and the cheapest ticket was something like £15. So, gave up on that, and asked at London Bridge ticket office where they did seem able to sell me the cheaper one.

Then, on the way back, went to the ticket machines in Brighton station - looked for tickets Brighton-LBG and the super off peak day return didn't show up there either. So had to get a more expensive ticket. Checked on NRE when I got home and the super off peak ticket ought to have been available on the service I used, as far as I can see.

What's going on?

 

[34D]

Diverging slightly from the initial point... on Saturday I asked at my local station (operated by Southern) for the super off peak return from London Bridge to Brighton but was told no such thing existed and the cheapest ticket was something like £15. So, gave up on that, and asked at London Bridge ticket office where they did seem able to sell me the cheaper one.

Then, on the way back, went to the ticket machines in Brighton station - looked for tickets Brighton-LB and the super off peak day return didn't show up there either. So had to get a more expensive ticket. Checked on NRE when I got home and the super off peak ticket ought to have been available on the service I used, as far as I can see.

What's going on?

The machine obviously hadn't been loaded with the super off peak fares - I'd say you should complain and will hopefully be refunded the difference