Special Offers Discussion

[trainophile]

20% off Virgin advance fares with the code VRed20?

https://www.virgintrains.co.uk/virgin-red-20

The webpage implies you have to be a Virgin Red member to take advantage but playing around with the journey planner seems to bring up the 20% fares without any membership requirement.

I'm all booked up until 18th Feb anyway, and don't have any plans for the following week.

 

[cjohnson]

If you're signed up to EMT's emails, check your inboxes for a code for £5 off any EMT journey to/from St Pancras (book by 6 Dec).

 

[General Zod]

From the Virgin Red "20% discount on Advances" T&Cs :

9. Seat reservations are compulsory and free of charge for both outward and return journeys and are only valid when travelling on Virgin Trains. Customers must travel on the trains and seats they reserve. If customers travel on different dates or trains, they will have to purchase new tickets at the full fare.

Will the TM enforce the rule that one has to sit in his/her booked reserved seat or could you sit in a spare seat in the Unreserved coach ?

 

[greatkingrat]

That is no different to the rules for ordinary Advances. Unlikely to be enforced.

 

[trainophile]

I just got off a VWC at Wigan, having moved seats between ordering my breakfast and it arriving, and no-one said a word. My allocated seat seemed to have a problem with the cushion, making it uncomfortable, and also the sun was in my eyes.

It perhaps helped that the reservation system was apparently down, and we were advised to sit anywhere in our booked class!

 

[JaJaWa]

The Virgin Red app occasionally offers free wifi or % discounts on both of their TOCs.

 

[boyaloud]

Can't seem to find this online, but if you download the free Virgin Red app, you can get this offer by showing the app at a Virgin ticket office just before you travel (or more in advance) on ANY kind of ticket ANYWHERE on Virgin.

 

[woody505]

50p off hot drinks on virgin west trains
https://www.virgintrains.co.uk/coffee-voucher

 

[Cletus]

Had a couple of emails from GWR about a ticket sale. Now on.

Our great value ticket offer is here. You can now access Advance purchase single tickets from just £6. You can buy these fantastically priced tickets exclusively from GWR.com for travel between 11 January and 2 March 2016.

And the good news is, you can buy as many tickets as you like. So book now – the countdown is underway.

Take a look at these great value Advance purchase singles between London Paddington and...

Pershore/Oxford, from £6
Bristol/Weston-super-Mare, from £10
Cheltenham Spa, from £10
Swansea, from £15
Penzance, from £19

 

[JaJaWa]

50p off hot drinks on virgin west trains
https://www.virgintrains.co.uk/coffee-voucher

Not sure what's stranger: the lack of expiry date or "Voucher must be... filled out by the customer" - despite the only text box saying "staff use only".

 

[FQ]

Had a couple of emails from GWR about a ticket sale. Now on.

How long is this on for?

Cheers!

 

[embers25]

From the Virgin Red "20% discount on Advances" T&Cs :



Will the TM enforce the rule that one has to sit in his/her booked reserved seat or could you sit in a spare seat in the Unreserved coach ?

The guard on my train on Sunday informed us that we had to sit in our reserved seats and not take up unreserved seats in other coaches. Saying that if found we would be returned to our original booked seats which may no longer be available....not sure what would have happened then. As it turned out, he didn't move anyone so maybe just trying to scare people...in the usual "Making you journey Awesome" Virgin way!

 

[Cletus]

How long is this on for?

Cheers!

I think it may have been a 48-hour offer. I don't have the original email anymore.

Had a quick check on GWR's website and the fares don't seem to be accessible.

--------------

Just found t&c's - offer expired at midnight last night.

https://www.gwr.com/explore-the-west/december-page/terms-and-conditions

 

[FQ]

Thanks. Shame about that, I was going to book tickets to PZ for 3 during the offer! Maybe next time.

 

[NORMAN471]

Happy Christmas Northern Travellers,
£10.00 Day Rover and £17.50 Weekend Rover is back. Will this be the final time for this offer?

http://www.northernrail.org/localworld

http://www.northernrail.org/jpress

 

[trainophile]

Happy Christmas Northern Travellers,
£10.00 Day Rover and £17.50 Weekend Rover is back. Will this be the final time for this offer?

http://www.northernrail.org/localworld

http://www.northernrail.org/jpress

Doesn't look like any Southport papers are included for the coupons .

 

[tannedfrog]

Until Sunday on the Euston to Birmingham route

Buy at station only!

 

[dave87016]

The below offer is the one that GWR advertised less than a month ago and was a 3 day sale today I got the same email today as outlined below only with the following additions 300,000 left book before 12th January and travel between 20th January and midnight 16th March


Our great value ticket offer is here. You can now access Advance purchase single tickets from just £6. You can buy these fantastically priced tickets exclusively from GWR.com for travel between 11 January and 2 March 2016.

And the good news is, you can buy as many tickets as you like. So book now – the countdown is underway.

Take a look at these great value Advance purchase singles between London Paddington and...

Pershore/Oxford, from £6
Bristol/Weston-super-Mare, from £10
Cheltenham Spa, from £10
Swansea, from £15
Penzance, from £19

 

[Class 92]

Happy Christmas Northern Travellers,
£10.00 Day Rover and £17.50 Weekend Rover is back. Will this be the final time for this offer?

http://www.northernrail.org/localworld

http://www.northernrail.org/jpress

Are these currently in newspapers? I don't want to order some and they aren't in it The page hasn't been updated with dates and still shows September.

 

[Karl]

Happy Christmas Northern Travellers,
£10.00 Day Rover and £17.50 Weekend Rover is back. Will this be the final time for this offer?

http://www.northernrail.org/localworld

http://www.northernrail.org/jpress

Are these currently in newspapers? I don't want to order some and they aren't in it The page hasn't been updated with dates and still shows September.

Unfortunately I've just wasted 70p tonight on a Lancashire Evening Post expecting the tokens to be available :cry:

£10.00 for one day or £17.50 for a weekend
Hop on and off all day long. Kids go half price*

To qualify for this special offer, simply collect 2 tokens from your local newspaper, printed until Friday 5 February 2016, register or log-in to MyNorthern, download an application form (below) and buy your tickets from any staffed ticket office.

Has anyone else had any success yet across Northern land? The above quote mentions tokens are printed until the 5th February but I can't find a date for when they'll be available from?

***Edit***
It seems Northern's website has just been updated. http://www.northernrail.org/jpress/newspapers now mentions that the first tokens will appear from Monday 18th January 2016.

*** 2nd Edit***
The issue of tokens now seems to be a week later than the original date and they now first appear in the Johnston Press newspapers from the 25th January. http://www.northernrail.org/jpress/newspapers#northwest

Karl.

 

[Techniquest]

That's me heading north after 18th January to get the tokens then!

*Begins another round of TPP Mode*

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Unfortunately I've just wasted 70p tonight on a Lancashire Evening Post expecting the tokens to be available :cry:



Has anyone else had any success yet across Northern land? The above quote mentions tokens are printed until the 5th February but I can't find a date for when they'll be available from?

***Edit***
It seems Northern's website has just been updated. http://www.northernrail.org/jpress/newspapers now mentions that the first tokens will appear from Monday 18th January 2016.

Little tip for anyone collecting the tokens in Leeds; if you pass through the station in the evening peak on a weekday they usually have street vendors handing out free copies of the Yorkshire Evening Post at the Aire/Welling Street and Bishopgate Street entrances.

 

[northrob]

The tokens should start in The Press (York) from the 7th January.

 

[danbushell]

Newsquest tokens and forms are valid from7/01/2016-20/03/2016.
Johnston Press tokens and forms valid from 25/01/2016-20/03/2016
Local World tokens and forms valid from 11/01/2016 until 20/03/2015.
So go for the Newsquest newspaper tokens.
Their newspapers are limited though to the ones in this link
http://www.northernrail.org/newsquest
Most easily available is probably the Telegraph and Argus which is printed in Bradford and I've seen on sale in the past at the WHSmiths in Leeds train station.

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

That's me heading north after 18th January to get the tokens then!

*Begins another round of TPP Mode*

If you cast your mind back to my trip report for Shirebrook and returning via Nottingham and East Midlands Railway by way of Megabus, have you thought about using Megabus as a way to position up North?

 

[crehld]

That's me heading north after 18th January to get the tokens then!

*Begins another round of TPP Mode*

If you ask me nicely I might send you some Local World tokens

 

[Techniquest]

I have considered it HMS Ark Royal, but not lately

Crehld, I may take you up on that yet!

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

I have considered it HMS Ark Royal, but not lately

Crehld, I may take you up on that yet!

Depending on where you get it from, you could get the Megabus up to Leeds for an 05:50 arrival on a Saturday and take the five minute walk to the train station and you have almost the entire day to use

 

[lyndhurst25]

Newsquest tokens and forms are valid from7/01/2016-20/03/2016.
Johnston Press tokens and forms valid from 25/01/2016-20/03/2016
Local World tokens and forms valid from 11/01/2016 until 20/03/2015.
So go for the Newsquest newspaper tokens.
Their newspapers are limited though to the ones in this link
http://www.northernrail.org/newsquest
Most easily available is probably the Telegraph and Argus which is printed in Bradford and I've seen on sale in the past at the WHSmiths in Leeds train station.

I'm wondering if the tokens in each of the three newspaper groups will look different from each other, or if they will be different from the ones printed last year? We'll have to wait and see....

 

[crehld]

I'm wondering if the tokens in each of the three newspaper groups will look different from each other, or if they will be different from the ones printed last year? We'll have to wait and see....

Based on previous Northern promotions, the Newsquest and Local World tokens are of different designs, but in each paper the tokens have stayed the same design for each previous promotion (hope that makes sense!). However that's not to say it will be this way this time round.