Two of us are going to England and Scotland in June. I've research advanced tickets for the four train trips we will be taking (London to Cambridge; Cambridge to York; York to Windermere; and Windermere to Edinburgh). Advance ticketks seem much cheaper than Britrail pass. My question is: can I purchase either the Senior railcard or Two Together railcard now on-line while in the US and use them to get discounts when I buy the advance purchase tickets within the next week or so? I can't seem to find a clear answer. Thanks much.
Posted by
Oxford, United Kingdom
5466 posts
Railcards bought online cannot be posted to an address outside of the UK. You can buy the tickets before you have the railcard, but you must buy one at a station before the start of your first journey.
Posted by
Royaume-Uni nul points, pas plus
2600 posts
no railcards can't be sent overseas - first buy the Advance tickets online stating you have a railcard, then buy the railcard in person at the station before you travel
Posted by
OP
8 posts
Thanks for these helpful replies!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17563 posts
No problem buying the Advance fares with the Railcard discount now, and getting the pass when you arrive. The Two Together Railcard is a better deal than two Senior passes, as you only need one! You will need passport-sized photos of each of you.
Posted by
OP
8 posts
Two more questions. I saw in another post that US-sized passport photos were too big for the Two Together railcard. What size is the required photo for these cards?
Also, how quickly do these advance purchase tickets sell out? For logistical reasons we may need to wait until about 10 weeks out to buy them. Do you think this will be a problem?
Thanks.
Posted by
Tucson
4183 posts
As I write this, National Rail is up to June 13th. I've been chasing the availability dates for awhile now and should be making my final reservations tonight. I've been able to get advance tickets at substantial discounts by buying early, taking trains that are at off-peak times and using my Senior Railcard, which I will buy when I get to Bath at the beginning of my trip.
Some routes are cheaper than others. In some cases my goal was the fastest, most direct route possible with the fewest train changes. In others, I chose to take the slow route as a substitute for driving. I have that luxury because I'll be in the UK for 6 weeks. Sometimes the slow route is cheaper than the faster, more efficient one. By the time I finish, I will have split tickets only once or twice. That's because the routing was more to my liking, but it's also ended up being cheaper.