Paddington/Victoria luggage storage & Train ticket collection & how to get there to HCP

Let me try answering your questions in order, although I can't help on luggage storage.

Train tickets - normally when you buy them, you will receive a digital ticket via email and usually an option to download and add to your phone's wallet. You then open the ticket on your phone and scan the QR code at the ticket barrier, or print the ticket and scan at the barrier. Smaller stations often don't have barriers, but ticket inspectors usually (not always) will check en route. You will see an option to collect from a ticket machine, in which case you scan your credit card to collect. You can do this at any mainline rail station.

"I need to see the seat map of the train - GWR so that i can reserve the seat for myself and my family"

In that case yes you can book a ticket in advance, but equally there will be unbooked or unoccupied seats so highly unlikely you won't find somewhere to sit together. There's a little screen by each seat group saying whether they're booked or vacant.

Hampton Court Palace, I'm assuming you're coming from London, hence you take the train. No need for a bus - it's a short walk from the station, so roadworks won't impact you. Train - use contactless or Oyster Card, so no need for a ticket.

".Do you encounter the cashback GBP$20.50 when you book the train tickets on the website of nationalrail'

Not sure what you mean by this. And you don't book tickets on the National Rail site - it will just send you to the train operating company's site to book. It's worth noting you can book any train on any of the train operators' web sites.

(Edited)

I mean i need to book the train for Bath from Paddington now to reserve the tickets so that the price will be cheaper.

Oh you mean use oyster card to purchase the train ticket in order to go to Oxford from Paddington station? Which train?

Last time, i purchased train tickets in order to go to Cambridge station from King's Cross. Don't need to purchase train ticket but need to use oyster card? Or need to purchase the train ticket?

Thanks for your info - "Paddington to Oxford, no need for a ticket, just use your contactless card (same as tube)". How much?

Paddington Tube to Bath Spa - use either oyster card or purchase train ticket?

Well, once i book the ticket - to go to Bath Spa from Paddington, it says it requires me to present the physical payment card (I assume credit/debit card) and booking reference to collect the train ticket.

I'm surprised that I am required to create an GWR account in order to reserve the train ticket.

Simon is not accurate in saying that you can use contactless to travel to Oxford, you can't. You need a ticket, contactlless only gets as far as Reading.
Even if it did reach Oxford that would mean contactless bank card, not an Oyster Card.
It is also not true that you do not have the option to receive and use paper tickets from a machine. That is always an option, if that is your preference.
Yes you can collect from the machine at any station, at any time after purchase up until the time of departure.
You will have a collection code sent to you to use at the machines, and probably will need the credit/debit card as well just to prove your identity. GWR machines are so old that is probably how they still work. In the North of England we have newer machines, so on Avanti and Northern we don't do that step- just enter that number.
To Oxford and to Bath yes the sooner you buy tickets the deeper the discount.

But then doing that also removes flexibility in that you are then committed to a certain timed train in each direction. A full priced ticket lets you travel on any train that day, so you are not clock watching all day.
If you see cashback on any website (not just train tickets) ignore it. That is in effect a subscription scheme, which is seldom a good idea. National Express buses use it, I'm a bit disappointed a rail company does.
You can also reserve seats on any train without having a ticket- in your GWR account, although you may not be able to do that until you are in the UK.

Isn31c thanks for pointing out the errors - now corrected/deleted from my post.

GWR website requires me to create an account before booking the tickets and says that i must reserve the seats.

I'm puzzled.

If you are buying cheap Advance Tickets (time specific trains) then you do need to reserve a seat, the system will do that for you. You don't get to pick and choose off a seating diagram, it is selected for you.
If you have a full price ticket to travel on any train, you don't have to reserve a seat.
With GWR you do need to create an account, which is sometimes tricky from out of the UK.
However all rail companies sell each other's tickets at the same price. So, for instance, LNER allow you to check out as a guest, and we also know there are no problems with their website or creating an account, for non UK residents.
So you could buy from LNER.

the problem is the trip from paddington to Bath Spa, how? LNER train does not go directly from London to Bath Spa. How?

You can buy rail tickets on routes with other operators or indeed third parties (effectively travel agents).

GWR is a tricky choice for someone outside the UK to buy from as they geolock their app and still in general require same card collections from stations. There are historical reasons for this as they lost a lot of money to credit card fraud online some years ago and are happy to continue with the measures they took back then, even if such frauds are more difficult now.

the problem is the trip from paddington to Bath Spa, how? LNER train does not go directly from London to Bath Spa. How?

You can buy tickets from any operator for any other operator’s trains. GWR’s site can be tricky to use but LNER will sell you a ticket for the GWR journey, same price, same booking system - it’s just that their website can be simpler to use.

Thanks for your replies. I appreciate all this. Yes, i see that there is direct train from paddington to Bath on LNER website.

Any experiences for luggage storage at paddington/Victoria station? Thanks.

GWR is a tricky choice for someone outside the UK to buy from as they
geolock their app and still in general require same card collections
from stations. There are historical reasons for this as they lost a
lot of money to credit card fraud online some years ago and are happy
to continue with the measures they took back then, even if such frauds
are more difficult now.

Thanks for letting me know about credit fraud.

https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/gwr-expired-railcard-travel-intimidating-accused-of-fraud.286665/
It's still happening in 2025. Someone shared his experiences of being accused of fraud. I googled to find out more abotu credit fraud.

No wonder, first time to encounter the requirement to create GWR account and read the terms and conditions and i feel odd before confirming the GWR account. Once i created GWR account, i had trouble inputting the name of card because i click on the field of the name of card and it shows empty option of the field box. It frustrated me greatly. Finally, i came to know that LNER will sell you a ticket for the GWR journey, same price, same booking system. So i deleted GWR account soon after once i faced tremendous difficulties booking the GWR system yesterday.

Now i'm considering whether to book the National Express Coach or train through LNER system.

You can only book the National Express coach through their own website, not any rail website.

The proviso to that statement is that you can apparently book through the Uber app.