Hi all-
We'll be traveling from London to Liverpool on Saturday, January 6th, and checking Virgin train ticket prices, they seem to be really pricey. I'm seeing $228 per person or $456 for both. Does this seem correct? Or will prices go down if I wait to book at 12 weeks out?
Thanks in advance for your help!
What date are you looking at prices for?
And what site are you looking at? You should be looking at https://www.virgintrains.co.uk/ but since you are quoting prices in '$' and not '£', I suspect you may be looking at a different site.
I did a search for 6th Jan, and saw prices from £82.90 single, but £83.90 return (coming back on the 7th). Yes, a return is only £1 more than a single!
Nationalrail website only shows tickets out to early November but, taking a random weekday, prices were as low as £17 with Virgin East Coast. I am not sure how you got a price in US dollars.
It is way too early for January tickets. Try again 11-12 weeks out, in October.
If you want to see what they are likely to cost, try looking at a date 11-12 weeks from now, in mid-November.
I say 11-12 weeks because when I was buying our tickets to York, I found that Virgin offered the lowest Advance fare not at 12 weeks out, but 5-7 days later.
Thanks everyone...I looked on the Virgin site and it was 183 GBP a few days ago, today I searched on the Rick Steves site and it gave me the prices in USD for Virgin.
But yes, today it's at 82.90GBP for the single. We're going one-way so no return ticket.
I'll check back at 12 weeks out. I appreciate your help!
One thing I noticed is that beyond Saturday, Dec 9, Virgin has no "Advance" fares, only "Anytime" and "Off-Peak". This is coincidentally, the date of the European-wide schedule adjustment. "Advance" fares are the deep discount nonrefundable tickets that are as low as 34 GBP pp. "Off-Peak" fares are a set price of 82.90 GBP.
Hi Sam, does that mean that there won't be advance fares or that it's too early for them? Thanks!
That I do not know, but I would think that it is so far out that they have not decided what to charge for "Advance" fares.
Do this - go on www.nationalrail.co.uk and you will see a grey background for the dates when most of the cheap advance tickets are available. Now, even pre-booking a specific train the day before will get you a reduction on the turn up and go price for longer journeys. So, if we now put in for EUS > LIV and advance click through the months, the grey background ends in the first week of November as these cheap fares belond that date have not yet been loaded. So, looking at the first Thursday in November, I can see several trains where the fare is £17. All you need do is wait for these cheaper fares to appear for your date and then pre-book.
Pre-book at www.virgintrains.co.uk
the reason why they are hanging back on January prices is that the basic Anytime fares are regulated by the government and they only announced on Tuesday how much the 2018 increase can be. Now they can set the regulated prices and the promotions will follow on. But reservations will never be open more than 12 weeks in advance and since Advance discounted fares require a fixed reservation they can't be offered. Flexible tickets can be bought early without reservations. Tip for those who need flexible tickets in January, buy them in December - the price you pay is the price on the day you pay it so you can beat the increase (which will be between 3 and 4 %).
since the journey in the enquiry is a Virgin trains monopoly it's best to check this page https://www.virgintrains.co.uk/best-fare-finder from the 12 week threshold, they sometimes have web only promotions. Also be aware that weekend reservations may open some days later than the 12 week date so don't panic.
Thank you so much everyone! This is so helpful! Not to mention all of the other very helpful info on this forum!
Michele,
A really great sight that shows lots of train brands all at once is seat61.com - I use it often to book flights. One thing I've noticed as I book train travel is that the time of a train can change cost exponentially, especially out of London. One time, I left London at 7:30 a.m. rather than 9:00 a.m. which would have been easier - it was about 50 dollars different in cost. I just hung out at the cafe at my destination until my friends arrived!
Susan
Waterville, Ireland
Thank you for the info, very helpful!
Hi everyone-
I just wanted to follow up and say thank you for the advice! I was able to book today at 99 GBP for the both of us. I picked 1st class since I wanted the table and WIFI but coach would have only been 45 GBP.
Thanks again! Your advice has been great!
Whilst it's too late for the OP you don't need to book First Class in order to secure a table, they're available in coach as well. Wi-Fi isn't free in coach, it costs £5 however in First you receive complimentary food and drink although I'm not convinced it justifies the difference in price.
Ah thanks JC! It's not easy to figure out on the website! Now I know for next time!
