Quick background of our trip: We're looking into a package that would have us spending 3 days in London before heading back to Gatwick to pick up car rental, then heading toward Bath and beyond. I'm having a hard time keeping all the transportation options straight and could use some help. We looked up train from Gatwick to Victoria Station. Round trip would be about $50. From my understanding, travelcards/oyster do not apply outside zones 1-6. Am I correct here? Soo, If we buy the $50 RT ticket--would it qualify for the 2-4-1 deals I'm reading about as a "national rail" ticket? Thanks for any help you can give!
Shelley
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33827 posts
Trains in the UK are priced in Pounds Sterling so those are the prices I am familiar with. I hadn't realized that $ to £ was two to one or worse. Do you intend to travel First Class? Are you using RailEurope for overpriced tickets? If you plan ahead you can get tickets for £10.00 singles and even £7.50 singles, returns for £25. So, prices aside, you are right about zones 1-6 being the limits in that direction. Its a ticket I'm afraid, so that gives you the opportunity to get advance cheap tickets. And yes, it is a National Rail ticket which would be valid.
Posted by
OP
Jacksonville, FL, USA
10 posts
Nigel,
Thanks! My travel companion looked up the prices, so I'll have to find out which website she was looking on. I'll be sure to avoid RailEurope! So if we get the round trip ticket, it qualifies for the 2-4-1 deals... Now, are the 2-4-1 deals only valid on the travel day. For example, if I buy the ticket on Tuesday--do I only get 2-4-1 on that Tuesday? And would purchasing the return ticket affect that in any way?
Posted by
Scottsdale, Arizona, United States
124 posts
It is only valid for the travel day. Regarding the Travel Card. You do get credit for having it if you go outside Zones 1-6. For example we had one and then bought an extension to travel to Windsor. The entension (R/T) cost an extra 9 GBP per person. The current exchange rate is 1 GBP = $1.61 (or a dollar is about 0.62 British pounds). I think the $50 comes from this web page.
http://www.gatwickexpress.com/en/tickets-and-fares/buy-online-and-save/ A R/T ticket on the Gatwick Express runs ~30 GBP which is about $50. (The rest of our trip we had a 7-day travel card only for Zones 1-2.)
Posted by
OP
Jacksonville, FL, USA
10 posts
Okay, I think I have it right now. Thank you so much!
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
I'm sorry, but Richard has given you incorrect information. If you buy return (roundtrip) tickets, you will be able to take advantage of National Rail's 2-for-1 offers for the entire period between your inbound date and your outbound date. The Gatwick Express is NOT operated by a National Rail company, but Southern trains are and the fare for Gatwick-Victoria is cheaper than the GEX. The standard off-peak 2nd class single fare is £9.15. Besides, if you book well in advance (up to about 12 weeks allowed) on the Southern Railway site, you can get a discount fare as low as £3.65 each way. However, those tickets are limited and they are for a specific departure date and time.
Posted by
OP
Jacksonville, FL, USA
10 posts
That's even better! Okay, so let me make sure I have this right. We have two options out of Gatwick--Gatwick Express and Southern. If we choose Southern R/T, we will 1.) save money (especially booked in advance) and 2.) qualify for the 2-4-1 deals throughout our 3 night stay in London before heading back to Gatwick.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33827 posts
Sorry guys, still some less than perfect answers. Gatwick Express is operated by Southern. Both are franchises and the tickets for both are National Rail tickets. You can buy them at any station throughout the land. And they are valid for the duration of the return ticket.