Cinnamon Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 I have been trawling the train website & also have phoned the helpline trying to find out what sort of ticket my daughter needs to buy for a trip later this week. The website is useless,the call centre is in Bombay & my enquiry isn't one they seem able to answer Its driving me MAD, so I wondered if anyone here could help? She needs to go from Reading to Paddington on Thursday evening,then on to the O2 arena stop, which is via the underground. She needs to come home from Paddington to Reading the following day (this totally confuses the call centre people!) Does anyone know if there is a ticket that means you can return the following day? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaireG Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Try here for the Reading to Paddington / Paddington to Reading tickets. http://www.thetrainline.com/buytickets/? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lydia Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 No don't go via the trainline.com - they're worse than the people in Mumbai! Her best bet is to get a ticket from the booths at Reading - they are the most helpful. It should be about £22 to travel up on 12th, returning on 13th. That's travelling off-peak (I think that means travelling after 9.30 am). The cost may come down if she's got a rail card or is classed as a child. Hope she enjoys whatever it is she's going to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milli Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 I agree, go to the train station to buy the ticket, which can be bought in advance. It will be an off peak return that she needs, but if you say to the ticket person at the station exactly what you've typed here then they will have no problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Yup, open return. Does she have a student/child railcard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted November 9, 2009 Author Share Posted November 9, 2009 She has one of those 16 - 25 cards - it will give her a third off Sooooooooooooo, will this off peak return ticket cover her tube trip to the O2, or will she need to buy another ticket for that at Paddington? BTW, you lot are brilliant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 It will cover both I have always found that the guys at the ticket office are really helpful. The chap at Teddington won some sort of customer reward I remember. Absolutely crazy but he'd do anything for you. PS Two single tickets are often cheaper than a return Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 I always get a travelcard that goes right through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lydia Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Make sure she mentions it when buying the ticket. Most travelcards cover zones 1 and 2 and I think the O2 is in zone 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 It is... just. North Greenwich is the station. If she has a mobile on o2 tarrif, then she can get to the head of the queque and the fasttrack lounge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted November 9, 2009 Author Share Posted November 9, 2009 Shame - we are on Vodafone. She has an adult meeting her at Paddington, so she isn't travelling on to the O2 alone,which is the bit I am most concerned about I think I will go into the station with her to get the ticket at Reading (she will protest at this....), just so I am certain she has the right one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Good idea Sarah, and make sure she gets on the right train too. The station at the O2 is right near the arena and on a loop in the river, so pretty views. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 One tip it has only just taken me about 20 years to find out - did you know that you can often get a better deal by asking for the fare to be broken at a certain station? For example. I often travel from Oxford to Birmingham and have done for years. It was only the other day that the ticket person at the station told me to buy a ticket to Banbury, then one from there to Birmingham - and the same back. It saved me nearly £££££'s! (Actually it saved work....) They don't have to tell you - you have to ask. I don't think you can do it from Reading to London, but it's worth keeping in mind elsewhere. I hope she has a great time - once she gets the knack of this travelling lark, she'll be off round the world - and that IS scary!! Tricia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 I always buy Advanced fares from Cross Country Trains and they always seem good to me I went from Sutton to New St to Banbury and back with an Open Return for £12 for the Kill, pluck + gut course They do have deals sometimes which are best to look out for - we can go from Birmingham to London for £5 and a few weeks ago my brother did it for £1 - you just have to book early and sometimes you have to travel after 10am to avoid rush hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlo Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 When I saw the title of the thread I knew it would be you Cinnamon after your Facebook update! This all seems like good advice. Another one that I didn't know about :- Eight of us travelled to London on a Friday night to come back to Basingrad the following day. Four went earlier in the day and said that they were travelling as a group. It cost them £12.50 each. The other four(including me:() went up later on and bought our tickets as couples rather than as a four block. It cost us over £20 each.... Apparently you have to ask for this as well but I was a bit because the guy at the ticket office was well aware that we were all together and never mentioned it to us. I only found out when our other friends told us how much their tickets had cost!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
