Using Interrail in GB

[pokemonsuper9]

Wow.

https://www.interrail.com/en/interrail-passes/global-pass says the prices for different ages are:

Duration	2nd Class 28-59	1st Class 28-59	2nd Class 60+	1st Class 60+
1 month	£303	£393	£272	£353
2 months	£359	£466	£323	£419
3 months	£416	£540	£374	£485

You have 11 months from the date of purchase to activate it.

https://www.interrail.com/en/terms-conditions/promo-terms-conditions says:

For the shorter passes I see the 4 days in 1 month also has the 15% off.

Would I be correct in saying I could buy the 4 days in 1 month (€180), and use 2 of the days in Britain as "home days" and just not use the other 2 (which would have to be used in other countries) in order to get a 1 day All Line rover for only €90?
If so I think I know where a couple Saturdays are going.

 

[bspahh]

For the shorter passes I see the 4 days in 1 month also has the 15% off.

Would I be correct in saying I could buy the 4 days in 1 month (€180), and use 2 of the days in Britain as "home days" and just not use the other 2 (which would have to be used in other countries) in order to get a 1 day All Line rover for only €90?
If so I think I know where a couple Saturdays are going.

The travel days in the UK are meant to be to or from a point of entry to the rest of Europe (St Pancras, a port or airport). If you use it for UK day trips, there are pricing managers who will use it to argue to add restrictions to the ticket, or to adjust the price according to the price of an All Line Rover.

 

[ABB125]

For the shorter passes I see the 4 days in 1 month also has the 15% off.

Would I be correct in saying I could buy the 4 days in 1 month (€180), and use 2 of the days in Britain as "home days" and just not use the other 2 (which would have to be used in other countries) in order to get a 1 day All Line rover for only €90?
If so I think I know where a couple Saturdays are going.

Yes, you can. However, that's not within the spirit of the rules, and is the sort of thing that RDG/DfT/anyone else might use as an excuse to leave Interrail (which I seem to remember was actually proposed a few years ago?).

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Yes, you can.

Perfect, thanks!

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Perfect, thanks!

However, that's not within the spirit of the rules, and is the sort of thing that RDG/DfT/anyone else might use as an excuse to leave Interrail (which I seem to remember was actually proposed a few years ago?).

So in light of the rest of @ABB125 's message, how are are you proposing to explain on inspection of your ticket that you are en route between home and an international railhead?

 

[pokemonsuper9]

So in light of the rest of @ABB125 's message, how are are you proposing to explain on inspection of your ticket that you are en route between home and an international railhead?

I don't see anything in ABB125's message that says it has to be on the way to a port.
bspahh's says it is "meant to be", not must be.

Sources I find online seem to be conflicting about if this advice or a rule.

I'm sure my travels will take me to London which is somewhere for International trains.
Manchester to London (via Edinburgh) sounds like it has a ring to it.

 

[bspahh]

I don't see anything in ABB125's message that says it has to be on the way to a port.
bspahh's says it is "meant to be", not must be.

Sources I find online seem to be conflicting about if this advice or a rule.

I'm sure my travels will take me to London which is somewhere for International trains.
Manchester to London (via Edinburgh) sounds like it has a ring to it.

The terms and conditions https://www.interrail.com/content/d...erms/v19_interrail_pass_conditions_of_use.pdf say

4.3.2. Restriction on using an Interrail Global Pass in your Country of Residence. You may only use your Interrail Global Pass for two specific journeys in your Country of Residence: your outbound journey and your inbound journey.
• Your outbound journey can be used to travel from any location in your Country of Residence to the border, an airport or other port.
• Your inbound journey can be used to travel from the border, an airport or other port back to any location in your Country of Residence.
During your outbound and inbound journeys, you may travel with one or more trains, so long as all journeys within your Country of Residence are within the same Travel Day. The overnight travel rule set out in clause 11 also applies.

4.3.3. The outbound and inbound journeys are not additional Travel Days. Instead, the outbound and inbound journeys may only be taken using the available Travel Days of your Pass.

4.3.4. Except for your outbound and inbound Journeys, you may not use your Pass to travel within your Country of Residence.

4.3.5. Why is there a restriction on travelling within your Country of Residence? The specific convenient price of your Pass assumes that you are traveling outside of your Country of Residence to experience Europe. Therefore, the Pass cannot be used extensively in your Country of Residence since the pricing for such usage, in some countries, would be higher. If Passes are found to be extensively used within the Country of Residence of Pass Holders, the Participating Companies would decide to increase to the price of the Pass globally which would be unfair towards travellers who really want to experience Europe. As a result, and with a view to maintaining the lowest price that can be offered to everyone, your ability to use your Pass within your Country of Residence is limited to the restriction set out in these Conditions of Use

 

[WesternLancer]

The terms and conditions https://www.interrail.com/content/d...erms/v19_interrail_pass_conditions_of_use.pdf say

it surprises me that you are not expected to have an international ticket (eg ferry or airline ticket) alongside the Interrail when travelling within the UK to an international departure point (or claiming to do so) - even if some staff might not bother to ask for it during a ticket check - I seem to recall that at one time you could only get CIV tickets to St Pancras at a ticket office and that was because you were required to show booking evidence of a Eurostar ticket to the clerk before they would sell said CIV ticket.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

The terms and conditions https://www.interrail.com/content/d...erms/v19_interrail_pass_conditions_of_use.pdf say

Ok that narrows my options a bit but still allows for a long routing to London St Pancras, any airport, or most ferry ports.
Surprised that there's so much confusion online about that term when it seems to be written quite clearly there.

 

[tram21]

Sure, you could probably blag it on some trains. But even if you ignore it not being ethically the right thing to do, how do you propose explaining why you are going to the end of a branch line. Or heading away from an airport/ St Pancras/ Dover?

Also remember when checking your ticket, they can see exactly where you've traveled. As can interrail themselves, as remember you have to put all the trains you're travelling on to make it valid...

 

[bspahh]

it surprises me that you are not expected to have an international ticket (eg ferry or airline ticket) alongside the Interrail when travelling within the UK to an international departure point (or claiming to do so) - even if some staff might not bother to ask for it during a ticket check - I seem to recall that at one time you could only get CIV tickets to St Pancras at a ticket office and that was because you were required to show booking evidence of a Eurostar ticket to the clerk before they would sell said CIV ticket.

The terms and conditions need to be agreed for 33 countries, where walking over a border, or getting a local bus might be perfectly reasonable. Once you start translating a discussion into lots of languages, I can see the attraction of keeping it simple.

 

[WesternLancer]

The terms and conditions need to be agreed for 33 countries, where walking over a border, or getting a local bus might be perfectly reasonable. Once you start translating a discussion into lots of languages, I can see the attraction of keeping it simple.

I see the point. I guess I'd assumed it was a UK condition ref access to port etc

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Sure, you could probably blag it on some trains. But even if you ignore it not being ethically the right thing to do, how do you propose explaining why you are going to the end of a branch line. Or heading away from an airport/ St Pancras/ Dover?

Also remember when checking your ticket, they can see exactly where you've traveled. As can interrail themselves, as remember you have to put all the trains you're travelling on to make it valid...

I've had some time to think (and check alternative ways of travelling on Lumo East Coast).

Would it be valid to do
Manchester - London - Belgium - London - Manchester
And then again a couple weeks later, or does leaving the UK mean you can't come back without using the second day?

 

[bspahh]

I've had some time to think (and check alternative ways of travelling on Lumo East Coast).

Would it be valid to do
Manchester - London - Belgium - London - Manchester
And then again a couple weeks later, or does leaving the UK mean you can't come back without using the second day?

You could do that, but its €35 each way for a Eurostar reservation.

The UK travel days are meant to start or end at St Pancras, a port or airport. You only get 2 of them, but you could use them in the same direction, and fly back for the return.

 

[ainsworth74]

I believe the relevant advice has been given. I would strongly advise against using an Interrail as an ALR it is clearly not within the spirit of the rules even if the letter is vague enough to allow it to be gotten away with. If abuse of this nature becomes more wide spread than we can expect the rules to be changed or even for GB TOCs to withdraw from Interrail entirely (which has happened or nearly happened before). Remember the ALR didn't have any time restrictions at all until it became publicised and then it gained them reducing the value of that ticket even more.