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Uber ticketing

mm333

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28 Aug 2008
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53.8331°N 1.7734°W
I always buy advance singles where I can.

Thanks

If there’s a chance you need to amend your advance tickets, the customer service through Omio (who run the Uber train ticket interface) is appalling. I’ve amended 2 advance tickets by buying new ones and then contacting support for the refund and I’m yet to hear back from them on the refund minus fee for either of my customer service requests.

I’m only using Uber now for walk-up tickets and immediate advances.
 
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R

RailUK Forums

Hedge Fund

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If there’s a chance you need to amend your advance tickets, the customer service through Omio (who run the Uber train ticket interface) is appalling. I’ve amended 2 advance tickets by buying new ones and then contacting support for the refund and I’m yet to hear back from them on the refund minus fee for either of my customer service requests.

I’m only using Uber now for walk-up tickets and immediate advances.

Yes, I do sometimes amend Advance tickets. Not very often, but I do.

With Trainline, it is a relatively simple process As you probably know. You just click 'Manage my booking' choose some new dates, and then just pay whatever the amendment cost is.

If Uber turns out to be more difficult, then I won't be happy!
 

DeverseSam

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Joined
31 Aug 2022
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471
Location
Reading West
If there’s a chance you need to amend your advance tickets, the customer service through Omio (who run the Uber train ticket interface) is appalling. I’ve amended 2 advance tickets by buying new ones and then contacting support for the refund and I’m yet to hear back from them on the refund minus fee for either of my customer service requests.

I’m only using Uber now for walk-up tickets and immediate advances.
Thank you very useful to know. What was the fee by the way, £10?
 

James H

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25 Jun 2014
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1,530
1717430050544.png

If you have a multi-leg journey it doesn't always attribute the TOC correctly.

1717430156267.png
 

Adam Williams

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2 Jan 2018
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Warks
If you have a multi-leg journey it doesn't always attribute the TOC correctly.
This is because the TOC is a property of the entire journey (carrier on the departure) in their API response, not the individual "segments"/legs (although these also have a carrierId, which seemingly just doesn't get used).

Chiltern at the journey level

=

Chiltern on NUCKLE.

No multi-TOC-multi-leg journey will ever display properly with this design.

I have no idea how it decides which TOC to use at journey level. I thought it might just be the first one, but it's not in this particular example. Maybe the TOC with the most travel time gets promoted to be the TOC for every journey leg?
 
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Watershed

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Ah, well, I don't do takeaways and have no clue what Avios are!
Avios are the frequent flyer currency used by various airlines such as BA, Iberia, Finnair & Qatar. A typical valuation is about 1p each, so that works out at another 1% back, making for a total of 11%. Avios can be converted to & from Nectar points as well as various other non-flight redemptions, so they're not just for those who fly (a lot).
 

ServerHoster

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15 Jun 2019
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242
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North West
I'm very happy to see Uber start showing the cheaper WMT fares on Winsford-London. Even if it tells you to change at Birmingham instead of waiting at Crewe for the 08:13 which is faster...

Not sure when they started showing up but here's what I found for a random date in July (1st one is Avanti)
screenshot of uber train ticket website, journey 1 is a train from winsford to euston departing at 07:09 changing at crewe for a fast avanti, journey 2 is a train from winsford to euston but changing at birmingham new street instead for a slower london northwestern service to euston
 

lfc84

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3 Jan 2012
Messages
189
I booked an Avanti service using Uber. Is it possible to change seats ?
 

Jurg

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10 Aug 2017
Messages
212
Does anyone know how long it takes for Uber credits to be applied? I had a journey 6 days ago, off-peak day return, and my balance is still 0.
 

paul1609

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28 Jan 2006
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7,992
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K
Youre better off using LNER cashback if you can get it. Its a credit to the card account same or next day. My American Express deal keeps getting extended as well. I rarely use LNER, but a trip to Middlesboro at the end of this month means I can finally use the £5 perkscredit.
 

miklcct

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2 May 2021
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Cricklewood
Youre better off using LNER cashback if you can get it. Its a credit to the card account same or next day. My American Express deal keeps getting extended as well. I rarely use LNER, but a trip to Middlesboro at the end of this month means I can finally use the £5 perkscredit.
Where is LNER cashback available? I have Starling, Revolut, Wise and Chase debit cards, and Sainsbury's Bank credit card.
 

Fawkes Cat

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8 May 2017
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5,246
Where is LNER cashback available? I have Starling, Revolut, Wise and Chase debit cards, and Sainsbury's Bank credit card.
In my experience, Visa cards that offer the cashback rewards programme (in my case, Natwest current account debit card and Barclaycard credit card) offer it - it seems to persist at 5% and may be more (I think I've seen 10% and 8%) on occasion.

I also get 5% on the same transaction via Airtime, which I redeem against my giffgaff phone bill. So in effect I get 10% back, matching the 10% that AmEx has been known to offer.

And the LNER interface is much nicer than the Uber one...
 

James H

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25 Jun 2014
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1,530
LNER aso pops up on Monzo's cashback scheme at varying rates.

Last time I had 5% from LNER on Monzo, I stacked it with 5% via Airtime to buy LNER e-vouchers at an effective 10% discount, 'banking' these to use after the Uber offer ends.
 
Joined
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18
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Glasgow
LNER cashback can also be had on Lloyds, Halifax, Bank of Scotland and MBNA's debit/credit card cashback system ("Everyday Offers"/"Cashback Extras"/"Smart Rewards") from time to time. It does seem to be personalised to some degree based on card data - I don't see LNER on Halifax at the moment, and on my Lloyds account I have zero offers, probably because I've never used the debit card to buy anything, I just have the account for the Club Lloyds freebies. I definitely have seen it some point.

The cashback system that Fawkes Cat mentions above for Natwest (RBS do it too) is only accessible on their Reward bank account, which has a £2/month fee (although another benefit of the account is a small rebate of £5/month if you set up two direct debits and open the app every month, so you can actually come out £3/month ahead - it's all about trying to convince people to do their main banking with them, although if you have plenty of direct debits it can be gamed). The company who run it, confusingly just called Reward, I think do have some sort of partnership with Visa - they are mentioned in the terms of Barclaycard Cashback Rewards which is exclusive to Visa cards (so notably excluding the Barclaycard Avios pair), although I have a Natwest Mastercard and have still been able to use it.

The same system is rebranded by a few different banks, most notably Virgin Money, where it's free. (and Barclaycard, as mentioned, where it's also free, and Barclays debit cards, where it is part of the poor value £5/month Blue "Rewards" scheme)

Virgin Money Cashback also has a deal on Virgin Trains Ticketing at the moment - though only 6% and only on your first purchase. (Although VTT itself gives you 1.5% back in Virgin Points and is also currently running a signup offer of 1000 Virgin Points, worth £5 if you redeem for trains)



I will say, even as someone who finds a strange joy in squeezing out every last percent from what are ultimately marketing efforts (to get you to have a certain bank account and/or spend at certain train ticket sellers/retailers) I do find the whole thing quite unfair - realistically every penny saved by people who seek out cashback platforms (or Airtime, or discounted gift card sites, or loyalty schemes like LNER Perks or Club Avanti) comes from the marketing budgets of the TOCs or third party retailers (and retailers of things besides trains, I've even seen supermarkets on Natwest cashback!) and make things more expensive for everyone else, especially people who are less well off and don't have the time to trawl the internet for deals for fun.
And ultimately I really don't think it's a positive for the railway either - train tickets are (for the average person) an inelastic good, that people buy because they need to buy them to go somewhere they need to go; making them 6% or 8% or 10% off doesn't cause more people to buy them I reckon, certainly not 10% more, it just means that when they do the customer pays slightly less and (I imagine) the cashback companies/banks take a small slice so the railway gets even less revenue.

I'd prefer if they just used that money to make trains cheaper - but while they choose not to, I see no reason not to take advantage. I suppose with the Uber scheme at least, it's presumably being financed by their own deep venture capital coffers in an attempt to gain market share, so doesn't cost the railway (and ultimately the taxpayer) anything.
Except one thing - which coming to think of it may be the reason LNER choose to play the cashback game - which is the small % of commission they get by being the retailer who sells the ticket to you. It may well be their real aim is to convince the everyman who usually buys their tickets from the Trainline to pick them instead, then whenever they're not running a cashback deal they get more money? But that's just wild speculation.
 

MrJeeves

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I will say, even as someone who finds a strange joy in squeezing out every last percent from what are ultimately marketing efforts (to get you to have a certain bank account and/or spend at certain train ticket sellers/retailers) I do find the whole thing quite unfair - realistically every penny saved by people who seek out cashback platforms (or Airtime, or discounted gift card sites, or loyalty schemes like LNER Perks or Club Avanti) comes from the marketing budgets of the TOCs or third party retailers
The TOCs get it funded by DfT, TPRs by investor capital.

The financially sustainable TPRs often won't do much because it simply isn't worthwhile, but it can help to onboard new customers who otherwise wouldn't buy tickets through a retailer. Commission on tickets is only 5% (4.5% soon), so there's not much in it after fees, especially on low value transactions.

Trouble is that those customers are the kind sensitive to price and will simply move to whoever is now doing more cashback, so it's not a very good long term strategy!

I'd prefer if they just used that money to make trains cheaper - but while they choose not to, I see no reason not to take advantage. I suppose with the Uber scheme at least, it's presumably being financed by their own deep venture capital coffers in an attempt to gain market share, so doesn't cost the railway (and ultimately the taxpayer) anything.
Indeed! Might as well make the most out of an unsustainable business model while you can!

Except one thing - which coming to think of it may be the reason LNER choose to play the cashback game - which is the small % of commission they get by being the retailer who sells the ticket to you. It may well be their real aim is to convince the everyman who usually buys their tickets from the Trainline to pick them instead, then whenever they're not running a cashback deal they get more money? But that's just wild speculation.
It's speculation, but it's really the obvious reason.

TOC retail sites don't need to be impartial like third parties do, so websites like LNER can prefer their own trains over Grand Central, CrossCountry, Hull Trains or Lumo to try and flog their advances for even higher revenue numbers.
 

alistairlees

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Joined
29 Dec 2016
Messages
4,379
I will say, even as someone who finds a strange joy in squeezing out every last percent from what are ultimately marketing efforts (to get you to have a certain bank account and/or spend at certain train ticket sellers/retailers) I do find the whole thing quite unfair - realistically every penny saved by people who seek out cashback platforms (or Airtime, or discounted gift card sites, or loyalty schemes like LNER Perks or Club Avanti) comes from the marketing budgets of the TOCs or third party retailers (and retailers of things besides trains, I've even seen supermarkets on Natwest cashback!) and make things more expensive for everyone else, especially people who are less well off and don't have the time to trawl the internet for deals for fun.
And ultimately I really don't think it's a positive for the railway either - train tickets are (for the average person) an inelastic good, that people buy because they need to buy them to go somewhere they need to go; making them 6% or 8% or 10% off doesn't cause more people to buy them I reckon, certainly not 10% more, it just means that when they do the customer pays slightly less and (I imagine) the cashback companies/banks take a small slice so the railway gets even less revenue.

I'd prefer if they just used that money to make trains cheaper - but while they choose not to, I see no reason not to take advantage. I suppose with the Uber scheme at least, it's presumably being financed by their own deep venture capital coffers in an attempt to gain market share, so doesn't cost the railway (and ultimately the taxpayer) anything.
Except one thing - which coming to think of it may be the reason LNER choose to play the cashback game - which is the small % of commission they get by being the retailer who sells the ticket to you. It may well be their real aim is to convince the everyman who usually buys their tickets from the Trainline to pick them instead, then whenever they're not running a cashback deal they get more money? But that's just wild speculation.
Both TOCs and Third Party Retailers (TPRs) receive 5% commission (4.5% from next year!), from which they must fund technology, people, card fees, refund costs, compliance, etc.

The big difference is that, whilst TPRs must also fund marketing costs from within that 4.5% (or fund any extra externally), TOC marketing budgets are paid for by DfT (or its equivalents) in addition to the 4.5%; they come from your taxes, therefore.
 

paul1609

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K8
The TOCs get it funded by DfT, TPRs by investor capital.

The financially sustainable TPRs often won't do much because it simply isn't worthwhile, but it can help to onboard new customers who otherwise wouldn't buy tickets through a retailer. Commission on tickets is only 5% (4.5% soon), so there's not much in it after fees, especially on low value transactions.

Trouble is that those customers are the kind sensitive to price and will simply move to whoever is now doing more cashback, so it's not a very good long term strategy!


Indeed! Might as well make the most out of an unsustainable business model while you can!


It's speculation, but it's really the obvious reason.

TOC retail sites don't need to be impartial like third parties do, so websites like LNER can prefer their own trains over Grand Central, CrossCountry, Hull Trains or Lumo to try and flog their advances for even higher revenue numbers.
Looking at my statements I've been on Amex 10% LNER cash back since early May, it currently runs out in late Sept. There's 5% available on my Bank of Scotland and MBNA visa cards till mid Sept. Living in Kent I rarely use LNER services at all but I do have a return from Middlesboro booked with them in couple of weeks the outward journey is with Grand Central.
 

Mainline421

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Joined
7 May 2013
Messages
899
Location
Finland
Youre better off using LNER cashback if you can get it. Its a credit to the card account same or next day. My American Express deal keeps getting extended as well. I rarely use LNER, but a trip to Middlesboro at the end of this month means I can finally use the £5 perkscredit.
Except that Uber is much more cashback (and an extra 1% if you count the Avios on top) for most people. I currently only have 5% via Amex. Uber is by far the best deal in rail tickets right now
 

Fawkes Cat

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5,246
Except that Uber is much more cashback (and an extra 1% if you count the Avios on top) for most people. I currently only have 5% via Amex. Uber is by far the best deal in rail tickets right now
I refer you to my post #171 above.
 

winks

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Joined
11 Jun 2009
Messages
623
Uber is fine and has been working well for me for months. Usually the credit appears around the 7th day after the rail journey.

Does anyone know when they have extended this offer to as the date keeps changing !?
 

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