I’ve been trying to buy my train tickets from Canada on National Rail UK. We will be in England the middle of May.
The problem I am having is when the site takes me to the carrier’s website and asks me to set up an account. They want an 11 digit mobile number starting with 0. Canada has 001 area code then number. I can’t move forward with the ticket as it will not accept my mobile number. . What am I doing wrong? I’m finding it very frustrating .
Posted by
Lynnwood
291 posts
The Man in Seat 61 (seat61.com) recommends overseas purchasers use www.thetrainline.com. I've been buying some of our longer tickets in advance, from the US, for May UK travel, and it works great. You do get charged a 1.50 fee per ticket but that's ok with me. If you haven't checked out his website yet, I recommend it - what a treasure trove of guidance.
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
7052 posts
Try another company. I've had problems with Scotrail's website previously so I bought the tickets from LNER instead.
Posted by
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
4625 posts
I typically use Trainline in the UK.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you. I just downloaded the Trainline app.
Posted by
Lake District, England
8134 posts
LNER and Northern Rail are proven to work by Canadian residents on this forum. They do not require such phone number registration, and are actual train companies- so charge NO commission, unlike third party websites such as the trainline.
Posted by
Singapore
590 posts
You should be able to use the train company sites. I would stay away from third party sites like trainline. I live outside the UK and have never had an issue with any of the UK train company sites.
Posted by
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
4625 posts
Personally, I find the commission charged by Trainline to be worth the cost compared to the direct sites. It's considerably more user friendly for tourists who may not be familiar with the station they need, ticketing rules, etc.