Virgin Trains Ticketing – easy points

[phantomchickenz]

Copying this from my daily thread post for info:

Had a notification from Virgin Red which is potentially significant for some people. I don’t know if it’s a new thing or old, but you can book any train ticket in the UK through the Virgin Ticketing app, and get 3 points to the pound. Essentially points for nothing for the regular commuter. I should be able to rack up an extra 15,000 points a year through this and that’s only commuting twice a week. Bring on SkyTeam!

[George]

This is a good opportunity but the various LNER offers on Amex/NatWest/MBNA/Barclaycard are worth using if you have them available.

I’m not sure if its just me but I think the VT Ticketing app is a bit crap – I used it for a while and then went back to Trainline because even with the booking fees its a much smoother booking process. Perhaps I’ll give it another go.

[kai]

…or you can easily earn 10% cashback via LNER or Uber Travel

[PeteM]

Someone commented the other day about what a nightmare their CS is when you need to make any changes, though.

[davefl]

It’s not new News. They’ve been doing it for years. They started re-promoting it when Avanti took over their franchise and then even more promotions when the Red app was relaunched a year or so ago.

The earnings rate varies. But honestly I’d take cashback from LNER via CC and Debit cards rather than the Virgin Points any day.

[AndyGWP]

Went the LNER route the other day… got Curve cashback which has tracked, Airtime Rewards that has also tracked… (and if I get the Curve underlying Virgin Credit Card offer tracking its a nice bonus on top)

[Andrew.]

Plus

9% Rebate when you buy your tickets on the Virgin Trains Ticketing App using your Virgin Money Credit Card.

Alternatively

10% Rebate when you buy your tickets online from Virgin Trains Ticketing and use your Barclaycard.

Offers are targetted so may differ for you.

[phantomchickenz]

Where do you find the Barclaycard offers?

[Harrier25]

phantomchickenz wrote:

Where do you find the Barclaycard offers?

Click on the link below and register your cards.
https://cashbackrewards.uk.barclaycard/

[phantomchickenz]

Thanks! Why don’t they promote these things!?!

[Super Secret Stuff]

I never bother with third parties, you’re rarely getting the best deal. Check national rail before you buy

[John]

All prices are the same on all sites, except the search logic and ancillary fees may differ.

[phantomchickenz]

Super Secret Stuff wrote:

I never bother with third parties, you’re rarely getting the best deal. Check national rail before you buy

This was my first action. Price is identical, so it’s genuinely points for nothing

[NigelHamilton]

It is very rare for it to be different, but I’ve found that RailEasy (which charges a small booking fee so not normally useful) is occasionally cheaper on advance tickets than every other site. Especially if the tickets have very recently gone up in price.

[Andrew.]

phantomchickenz wrote:

Thanks! Why don’t they promote these things!?!

It’s on an App banner every time I log in.

[MKB]

John wrote:

All prices are the same on all sites, except the search logic and ancillary fees may differ.

If only.

I’ve found several fares that I could not book on LNER and several other websites.

Examples:

Avanti-only walk-up fares where Avanti has deliberately blocked seat reservations even though they have two unreserved coaches. These can only be bought at stations. On some station pairs, they have a poliicy of blocking all first-class reservations/sales at all times. For example, Liverpool to Crewe (unless it’s changed again recently).

Advances fares on an A-to-X-to-B route where the booking engines will only offer a different intermediate change point A-to-Y-to-B. Trainsplit finds these (even though it’s not a split ticket). A recent example was Liverpool to Nuneaton where most booking engines were not offering a through Advance ticket because they were wanting you to change at Manchester Piccadilly (which is a valid route, and following the recent dreadful timetable changes, often the fastest), but trainsplit knew that Avanti had set up a through Advance fare if you changed at Stockport instead. Bizarrely, this wasn’t even bookable on Avanti’s own website!

Fares that are valid on certain operators only, but some booking engines do not let you force that combination of operators. For example, I had great difficulty booking on LNER’s website an Off-Peak Return fare from Nuneaton to Brighton that is valid on Southern and London Northwestern only. (It’s half the price, cheaper than splitting, and means you don’t get the awful Thameslink trains.)

[MKB]

Forgot to mention that some codes for valid departure and arrival stations are not set up on all booking engines. Common examples are London Thameslink and London Zones 1-6.

[MKB]

Recently, I could not find any TOC-branded booking engine able to book this ticket:

https://www.brfares.com/!faredetail?orig=MKC&dest=0035&rlc=2TR&rte=23&tkt=SUP

Trainsplit came to the rescue, but that meant forgoing the 10% LNER offer.

[BuildBackBetter]

George wrote:

I’m not sure if its just me but I think the VT Ticketing app is a bit crap – I used it for a while and then went back to Trainline because even with the booking fees its a much smoother booking process. Perhaps I’ll give it another go.

I found cross country trains app to be the best so far. Shame no offers or extra points.

[Super Secret Stuff]

NigelHamilton wrote:

It is very rare for it to be different, but I’ve found that RailEasy (which charges a small booking fee so not normally useful) is occasionally cheaper on advance tickets than every other site. Especially if the tickets have very recently gone up in price.

I’ve found trainline artificially increasing advance ticket prices numerous times. Sometimes by as much as a third

[t0m]

Andrew. wrote:

phantomchickenz wrote:

Thanks! Why don’t they promote these things!?!

It’s on an App banner every time I log in.

Same.. but the Barclaycard Avios credit card is a Mastercard, not a Visa.. so not sure why they keep telling me to sign up?!

[Joecooljoe]

Is there not a booking fee? I was excited busy the greggs bribe but then I saw a £1 fee or something?

[phantomchickenz]

Joecooljoe wrote:

Is there not a booking fee? I was excited busy the greggs bribe but then I saw a £1 fee or something?

No fee

[phantomchickenz]

Harrier25 wrote:

phantomchickenz wrote:

Where do you find the Barclaycard offers?

Click on the link below and register your cards.
https://cashbackrewards.uk.barclaycard/

Doesn’t work for my Avios Barclaycard as it’s a Mastercard. That’ll be why I didn’t have any marketing my way

[mrcrsearle]

Works a treat with advanced peak tickets too.
But £1.60 cheaper direct. So £1.60 save or 69 virgin points.