National Rail 2 for 1 London (and elsewhere)

You arrive in a city by train - DO NOT put ticket into barrier control but see a member of staff and say you need to retain the ticket as proof of travel for 2 to 1 deals. They will open the barrier & you keep the ticket to show at attractions for the 2 to 1 deals. (The barrier will take your ticket & you will not see it again. Should that happen - use the return ticket as proof of rail travel. You could also use this ticket at the London end - providing you retain it by not inserting into barrier gate).

This is easier than it seems and completely worth it! We saved so much money... literally $200 using these coupons. At the train station, ask one of the 'may i help you?' people for a ticket book, and then buy your daily tube/bus ticket which you're going to use anyways. one word of advice, if you buy your tickets from an attendant, give them the smallest bill(s) possible, verbalize to them "Here's 50 pounds" if you're handing them a 50, anticipate you should get 36 back, and count your change carefully. I'll just leave it at that... she knew what she was doing, but we should have know better to count our change... live and learn.

I would avoid getting £50 notes completely. You won't get them from an ATM.

I see a £50 note once or twice a year. Stick with £20 and £10 notes, with a few £5 notes.

Well it says "If using Singles, you must produce both outward and return tickets to show that your travel spans the time of intended visit) as evidence of traveling by train to London"

Next question (not for us - we're coming in from York, but those joining us in London), does the Heathrow Express qualify as a National Rail trip? Near as I can figure the key point on 2 for 1 is to have official National Rail tickets bracketing the date of use and I see Heathrow Express tickets can be purchased via National Rail Enquiries. If the tickets qualify, that would seem to bracket their trip quite nicely with National Rail inbound and outbound tickets.

Heathrow Express/Connect tickets are not valid for the offer. Neither are two NR singles - at least these are only valid on the day of travel. To bracket the days you need a return. At least according to the FAQ on the website.

hmmm, #10 in the FAQ says;

Validity of Return Airport Rail Transfers
The validity of these tickets is from the day of arrival until the day of return

Wouldn't the Heathrow Express ticket be such a thing?

And for us: #2 says

Return Train Tickets - You will be able to use your return train tickets with the vouchers at any time between the outward and return journey - if you came on Thursday and returned on Sunday, you could use the vouchers on Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday. In order to do this please ensure that you retain the outward portion of your ticket as you will need to show both tickets at the attraction - just ask the staff at the ticket barrier to let you through which they will be happy to do.text

The question here is can I do an outward (or London arrival) from York and a return (or London depature) to Cambridge or somewhere else. Is there a difference for this purpose between two singles (in/out) and a return in/out?

It may be we just try and see what happens at the venue in question. (Tourists you know). Always nice to know how firm a footing i'm on when I do such things tho.

Greg,

You seem to need to see it spelled out rather taking the word of people who know.

So here you go:

From FAQ number 1, chick on ticket types, after those accepted it shows those not accepted

SORRY! The following tickets are NOT valid for 2FOR1 offers:

Oyster Cards

TfL Issued Travelcards

Freedom Passes

Heathrow Express & Heathrow Connect Tickets

Stansted/Gatwick Express in-flight (or mobile) tickets where
the National Rail logo is not present

BritRail Passes

EuroStar Tickets

'The London Pass'

Digital Tickets - where the National Rail logo is not present

MegaTrain Tickets

Note carefully the 4th line there.

Also note FAQ number 2:

What days will my train tickets be valid to claim the offers?

Single
tickets - These are valid only on the day of validity. A days
Travelcard must be purchased from a train station and feature the
National Rail Logo.

Return Train Tickets - You will be able to use
your return train tickets with the vouchers at any time between the
outward and return journey - if you came on Thursday and returned on
Sunday, you could use the vouchers on Thursday, Friday, Saturday &
Sunday. In order to do this please ensure that you retain the outward
portion of your ticket as you will need to show both tickets at the
attraction - just ask the staff at the ticket barrier to let you
through which they will be happy to do.

A return ticket is one issued for out and return between the same points, issued at the same time with the same ticket number on both parts. A return ticket is not a cobbled together group of singles. The return ticket will have the legend OUT on the upper right corner of the out ticket and RTN in the same place of the return. A single ticket will have SGL written there.

Your final comment above:-

It may be we just try and see what happens at the venue in question. (Tourists you know). Always nice to know how firm a footing i'm on when I do such things tho.

is troubling to me. As somebody who deals with chancers and fare dodgers every day that is exactly the attitude I would expect from one of them.

You know it is wrong but you figure that if nobody catches you then you are safe. I bet you cheat on other things too.

If you don't want to follow the rules and laws don't come.

"Wouldn't the Heathrow Express ticket be such a thing? "

The (very expensive) Heathrow Express is not run by National Rail, it's run by the airport.

You can of course use your return to Cambridge to qualify for any 2-4-1 offer in Cambridge.

Perhaps it is time to provide an explanation for the hoops you are forced to jump through in order to use the 2 for 1 offers.

The offers are an initiative aimed at those travelling by train to London (and some other cities). It is designed to encourage people to use the train, by giving them a discount on the entry price to some of the attractions they visit. Buying a National Rail train ticket entitles you to the discount. The train companies benefit from the increased numbers travelling and the attractions benefit from an increased number of visitors.

The National Rail train ticket would normally be sold at a suburban station like Bromley, or a more distant station like Brighton or York. It might be someone travelling from Edinburgh, who was intending to stay several days. However, by definition, a London Travelcard sold at a National Rail station is also eligible for the 2 for 1 offers. The downside is that you may have to go out of your way to buy the ticket, and may have to meet certain conditions.

Thanks all, I think I grasp it now. Looks like in London the most straightforward way to qualify would be to get a physical travelcard.