Booking problems on eastcoast.co.uk

Nancy, I'm only speculating, but perhaps their website is only set up to allow purchases for Postcodes in the U.K.? They may not mail the tickets internationally? I'll be interested in the outcome, as I'm thinking of booking tickets on Eastcoast from Edinburgh to London. Cheers!

No, I clicked on "International address" and then clicked on "United States." Frustrating!

I've received two responses from Eastcoast: "We have devised an alternative address ion for you follow and input which may allow your payment to be successful. Please International Address and then enter your full correct billing address as you bank have on their records or your bank statements. * On address line 3 please input your postcode / Zip Code. * In the 'Town' section please input the town you live in * Where it states 'Region' please enter your state * In the postcode box please a three letter abbreviation of your country for example FRA for France or USA for United States." This didn't work for me. The next response was: "If the options given do not work there may be no solution available to book on line. UK cards are enrolled on the Address Verification System which checks the address match for the billing address.
Some cards in the USA and Europe are not enrolled in the Address Verification System so the website can not check the card and rejects the payment." I've tried two different VISA cards and an American Express. I'm beyond frustration.

Nancy, One other question to ask - is your VISA card registered with the Verified by Visa program? Given that they used the word "verified" in their last response, that's another possibility that occurred to me. Good luck!

Ken, I called both Capital One and American Express and neither had any idea what the Address Verification System might be and they both said that no charges had been attempted. I didn't think about the Verified by Visa program. Anyway, being a fairly stubborn person, I tried to buy the tickets about 50 times today. Always rejected. After having dinner (and some wine), both my husband and I tried again. Our first attempts were rejected, but then, just like magic, the transaction went through with the American Express card. We have no idea why, but we have the booking confirmation and we got the First Advance price. Unfortunately, we're going to need return tickets that should become available in a couple weeks. Right now, I can't imagine going through this again!

Nancy To avoid possible security problems have you considered removing your zip+4 and zipcode from your OP?

Nancy, Glad to hear that you've had some success with this problem. I'm still considering whether to pre-book tickets from Edinburgh to London, or whether to just buy them when I arrive in Edinburgh (which will be 5 - 6 days before I'll be travelling). Cheers!

Nigel, the site won't let me leave the zip code out. I tried putting a British postcode in, but that was rejected, too. Every time I tried to book the trip, I got one of the two messages - never both at once. Really don't know what to make of it, especially since the American Express card that finally went through had been denied many times. Ken, I considered giving up and buying the tickets when we get to London as we'll have several weeks before heading to Scotland, but the advance fare was so tempting! We need to get from Edinburgh to London on July 22, so I have a little time to recover before attempting to book with Eastcoast again.

Nancy, I was talking about your post on this helpline...

Thanks, Nigel. That was rather dense of me (and careless on my OP).

OMG I just went through all this also. Needed tickets for July 13th. I too have tried all day with my Visa. After reading all the responses her I pulled out my Mastercard and within seconds everything went through and I have my confirmation number. Phew that is crazy! Wish I had tried that about 5 hrs. back!

I just went through this too. Denied my visa several times. After 2 hours off and on trying I decided to use my am exp and it went through. The only bummer was the am exp will charge a foreign transaction fee. I am happy to have the tickets. Wow, it wasn't just me.

Since my original difficult transaction, I've easily purchased two more sets of tickets. They went right through without a question. Randomly, my husband and I each have a card (with slight numerical differences) for the same American Express account. My card was rejected, but his has been successful each time. Who knows what the key is? I will have plenty of time in London to purchase tickets, but I did this online to get Advance fare prices. For the two of us, it made a significant difference. From London to Edinburgh Advance tickets were £26.35 for the time I wanted (£113.60 for standard off peak). I ended up buying first class tickets for £47.50 (£192 regularly). I did the same for our return trip. For a trip from London to Bath, I paid £9.50 for standard class, rather than £28. I've noticed that, when the date you want first comes up for sale, the prices are quite high. I just kept checking every day and, like magic, the Advance tickets show up a few days later.