Unpaid Fare Notice

[helpRequired40]

Hello, I’m after some advice about a UFN issued to me.

I travelled from Downham Market to Portsmouth & Southsea on the 5th of September 2025. I purchased an open return on Trainline and printed off the tickets outbound & return. This went off without a hitch.

Come the 7th of September 2025, I start my return journey from Havant to Downham Market. However, when I arrive at London Waterloo for a change over, my ticket doesn’t work at the barrier and I ask a member of staff for help. He immediately calls over revenue protection who looks at my ticket and points to the date (on which I printed it) 5th of September, accuses me of knowingly and fraudulently used an invalid ticket. He insists he is being gracious by confiscating the ticket and issuing me with a UFN and lets me through the barrier. Now I purchase an additional ticket from London Waterloo to Downham Market, for £26.95. The UFN is £45.80, for Havant to London Waterloo.

Do I have any hope of appealing this? I was under the impression that open returns are valid up to a month. Did I make a mistake in printing the return ticket 2 days before I intended to use it? Should I suck it up and pay it off now?

Thank you to anyone who has any advice to offer. Happy to provide any additional information as necessary.

 

[jfollows]

Please see https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/please-read-before-posting-in-disputes-prosecutions.77759/

What exact ticket did you buy?

If you had https://www.brfares.com/!faredetail...n&flow=1&multi=0&fare=4&rte=135&ldn=1&tkt=SVR dated 5 September then it’d be valid to return on 7 September as long as the restrictions were observed:

Return Travel​
Not valid for travel on trains timed to depart after 04:29 and before 09:30.

Printing this ticket in advance makes no difference, no.

But knowing the exact ticket you originally bought could be important.

And when you travelled.

 

[MarlowDonkey]

I was under the impression that open returns are valid up to a month.

The term "Open Return" is used with several meanings. There's a recent thread on it.

You may have been sold a "Day Return" for which the return part is only valid on the same day.

 

[AlterEgo]

OP will have split their tickets and one of them will be a day ticket hence it being invalid. Would be helpful if the OP could confirm this.

 

[methecooldude]

What exact ticket did you buy?

This^

If the ticket was a SplitSave (to use trainline terminology), these are 90% of the time same day returns, even if you press Open Return. This would have bene shown on the final Purchase page before you scrolled down to select the payment method

 

[helpRequired40]

Please see https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/please-read-before-posting-in-disputes-prosecutions.77759/

What exact ticket did you buy?

If you had https://www.brfares.com/!faredetail...n&flow=1&multi=0&fare=4&rte=135&ldn=1&tkt=SVR dated 5 September then it’d be valid to return on 7 September as long as the restrictions were observed:

Printing this ticket in advance makes no difference, no.

But knowing the exact ticket you originally bought could be important.

And when you travelled.

I purchased an Off-Peak Day Return Standard. From Trainline. See attached. I started my journey from Havant at 1150 and arrived at London Waterloo for 1341. I was issued the UFN at 1349.

Also attached is the UFN.

 

[helpRequired40]

I can’t rightly remember if it was a SplitSave or not. I did not keep a copy of the physical ticket. Is there a way to check this via the app?

 

[jfollows]

I can’t rightly remember if it was a SplitSave or not. I did not keep a copy of the physical ticket. Is there a way to check this via the app?

Tell us the price and see if you have any other documentation such as an email after purchase.

 

[helpRequired40]

I paid £55.40. I typically pick the cheaper option so it’s quite likely.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I paid £55.40. I typically pick the cheaper option so it’s quite likely.

That looks like the exact price of an Off Peak Day Return from Downham Market to/from Portsmouth & Southsea (with railcard discount applied) so unfortunately wouldn't have been valid for the return journey if attempted two days after the outward trip.

 

[jfollows]

I paid £55.40. I typically pick the cheaper option so it’s quite likely.

This is probably an off-peak day return, only valid on one day, bought with a railcard.

Purchase flexible walk-up fares for any British train journey

Purchase flexible single/return tickets & Travelcards – in 3 clicks, at face value with no fees. Every British rail fare shown, railcard discounts included.

www.brfares.com

You would have been informed of the restrictions at purchase time.

The recent discussion here about “open return” concludes similarly. I don’t agree with sales sites using it to mean a ticket which can be used on any train within time/date restrictions. But it’s what it is.

Wisdom of hindsight is that you also need to check the restrictions against tickets offered, when you might have seen that the cheapest offered was only valid on one day.

The return ticket would also have said on it when it was valid.

Also, if your Trainline itinerary had specified the trains you actually used, out on 5/9 and back on 7/9, you would not have been offered the ticket you bought.

Your UFN is better than a Penalty Fare or a report for potential prosecution.

 

[helpRequired40]

I see. That is frustrating but clearly I have made my own bed here. I checked the app and yes it is day return, bother. I appreciate the help from you all, seems I will be paying the UFN.

For off-peak return within a month I would have had to have paid an additional £9.10, I see in hindsight. Expensive lesson learned I suppose.

 

[jfollows]

I see. That is frustrating but clearly I have made my own bed here. I checked the app and yes it is day return, bother. I appreciate the help from you all, seems I will be paying the UFN.

For off-peak return within a month I would have had to have paid an additional £9.10, I see in hindsight. Expensive lesson learned I suppose.

At least I hope we have provided explanation and clarity, we’re not excusing the system and the way it’s implemented.
Feel free to post here in future if you want advice and guidance. Many people here know more than many rail staff.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Sep 2025 ==

Oh, and if you use this site’s ticket system it will generally be cheaper than Trainline.

 

[AlterEgo]

I see. That is frustrating but clearly I have made my own bed here. I checked the app and yes it is day return, bother. I appreciate the help from you all, seems I will be paying the UFN.

For off-peak return within a month I would have had to have paid an additional £9.10, I see in hindsight. Expensive lesson learned I suppose.

Yes, this is frustrating. An open return is any ticket not fixed by time restrictions, although the definition is vague as to whether it can include day tickets.

I'd pay the UFN and then ask customer relations to consider reimbursing you as a gesture of goodwill - it cannot hurt to ask.

 

[fandroid]

Just don't select Open Return in future if you really expect to return on a following day. If you are uncertain of the date of the return journey, just pick any day within the 30. What you'll need to check then is whether it's Anytime or Offpeak. It's potentially complicated, but that's true of buying almost any train ticket for routes you are not familiar with.

 

[Haywain]

Just don't select Open Return in future if you really expect to return on a following day. If you are uncertain of the date of the return journey, just pick any day within the 30. What you'll need to check then is whether it's Anytime or Offpeak. It's potentially complicated, but that's true of buying almost any train ticket for routes you are not familiar with.

Or just use a site that explains things more clearly.

 

[wokspotter]

Or just use a site that explains things more clearly.

Or just use a ticket office.